Inspiration and inscription from the Jewellery Quarter
“Valentine’s day weddings aren’t very popular,” said Christine Cattanach, the owner of the Jewellery Quarter-based bridal shop, The Wedding Quarter.
“You get a lot of proposals on Valentine’s day, so you will see over the next few weeks after Valentine’s day the shop will get very busy with appointments, girls will jump straight in ‘oh I’ve got engaged I want to start shopping for my dress’.”
Contrary to common belief, Christine says there isn’t a trend for weddings either. She added: “People think there’s a wedding season, there isn’t. We are constantly steady, we do have busier periods but January’s always really good.
“We’re really busy in summer months even though a lot of people get married in summer. Everybody’s different some people buy their dress two years ahead, another people will leave it a week or two before the wedding.”
The Bridal Shop, which sells everything from bridesmaid dresses and designer bridalwear to accessories and shoes, was inspired by Christine’s bad
experiences when shopping for her friend.
“It just stemmed from there really, I thought we could do this bigger and better,” she added.
Due to the fast-paced nature of fashion, all Christine’s dresses are advertised through the company’s Facebook page. This season simple, elegant wedding dresses, floral designs and ruffles will be popular, as well as the return of satin.
“We don’t sell online because we want people to come in and have a personal appointment. People who buy a dress online end up having to buy a second dress because they don’t like the fit and quality. The whole thing about getting married is to actually have a personal experience that’s enjoyable with your friends and your family.”
And Christine isn’t the only one seeing the shift toward a more personalised wedding experience. Located close to Christine’s wedding shop, customers are invited to forge their own wedding rings with contemporary silverware designer, Victoria Delany at the Quarter Workshop.
Victoria said: “A lot of people have an inscription on the inside that means something to them, sometimes patterns or images on the inside, so twisting roses or even stars.
“I think it’s because people would rather spend money on an experience than an object, I know it combines both but your wedding ring is such a sentimental, meaningful object that people want to put their own mark on it and make it their own.”
Another trend she’s seen in her jewellery-making workshops is rose gold, which is becoming increasingly popular alongside the shift back to the ‘vintage feel’.
“Even on TV shows like Downton Abbey, they wear that jewellery, so we’ve brought in rose gold as an option for our rings as well and so having things engraved has been really popular this year, initials, dates, meanings, on both inside and outside of the ring.”
