A bridal boutique offering new and second-hand dresses will open its doors in Ripon on Friday.
Gail’s Wedding Boutique, which can be found in Duck Hill Shopping Quarter, will sell pre-loved dresses which have been repaired to sell on, as well as new dresses and sample cut dresses.
Owner Gail Byrne, who lives in Ripon, has been a seamstress for more than 30 years. She decided to venture into the bridal industry after paying for her daughter’s wedding dress last year, which set her back more than £2,000.
She told the Stray Ferret:
“Don’t get me wrong it was worth every penny, but I couldn’t help but think how expensive it was for just a few hours of wear.
“It’s so much money which a lot of people don’t have, and I wanted to help those people.”
Ms Byrne will also offer repairs and alteration services, for both new and second-hand dresses, which would take “no longer than two weeks to turn around”.
Some of the dresses in store.
There will be a range of designer brands in stock, she added, but these will vary dependent on which dresses are brought in to re-sell.
“Brands and individuals bring their pre-loved dresses to me to repair and then sell on.”
Ms Byrne also said she has placed affordability at the forefront of her newest venture, with all dresses costing £1,000 or less.
She will also sell bridesmaids dresses and evening wear.
Gail’s Wedding Boutique will open on Friday, December 22.
It will be open Monday to Friday from 1pm – 4pm. The shop is appointment-only on weekends and after 4pm on weekdays.
Read more:
Bridal Week signs four-year contract worth £1.2m to Harrogate economy
The largest bridal trade show in the UK is set to return to Harrogate for the next four years, in a move that is estimated to be worth £1.2million to the local economy.
Bridal Week will take over Harrogate Convention Centre for three days in September every year, bringing more than 4,000 visitors to the town to browse 350 collections from designers across the world.
The show has been based in Harrogate for 35 years and has grown to be the biggest in the UK.
Wendy Adams, director of Bridal Week at Ocean Media, said:
“Harrogate truly is a market leader. The event combines business and pleasure, and each year the industry takes over the town presenting the largest collection of bridal gowns in northern Europe.
“I go to bridal shows all over the world in Chicago, New York, Milan, Barcelona, Dusseldorf – and they’ve all heard of Harrogate, because of the show.”
The announcement of the four-year contract is a huge boost for Harrogate bridal businesses still recouping losses from the pandemic. The event is estimated to bring an economic impact of around £1.2 million to the local economy over the next four years.
This year’s show will take place between September 11 and 13.
Ms Adams said the central town location set Harrogate apart from its competitors. She said clients could easily head into town in the evening whereas other venues were based on the fringes of cities.
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- Harrogate’s St George Hotel sold again
It’s set to be a bumper year for the wedding industry with many couples eager to tie the knot after delaying during the pandemic.
The convention centre redeployed as an NHS Nightingale Hospital for a year during the pandemic but didn’t treat a single covid patient.
Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, said:
“It’s tremendous news that this stalwart exhibition is so firmly embedded with our venue for years to come, and that there’s such a strong bounce back for exhibitions and live events.
“The financial impact on our hotels, bars, restaurants and retail businesses is significant after the tourist season ends in summer.”