So, I have been officially diagnosed with honeymoon fever after a week of blogging about honeymoon planning, luxury hotels and even camping with elephants! In fact, I’ve enjoyed it so much that I’m going to carry it on for a little bit longer – and I have a string of exciting honeymoon related posts planned for you next week.
However, today I am taking a brief detour from honeymoons to mention something about weddings. “What,” I can hear you cry, “Weddings?! What do you know about weddings?” Well admittedly not all that much – but I cannot write all these posts about honeymoons and fail to mention my friend, the fabulous wedding accessories designer, who makes the most amazing luxury wedding garters (and just so happens to be offering my readers a fab offer). Besides, it is such a lovely story too… and even involves a particularly cute Golden Retriever. What more can you ask for?!
Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Alfie, the handsome Golden retriever.
Sorry, I probably should have introduced the designer first, who is almost as good looking.
So, the story goes like this. My good friend Sarah Jane, a budding fashion designer who trained at the London College of Fashion, met a lovely boy called Matthew. But they didn’t just get married and buy a beautiful dog, they also decided to follow their dreams and pursue Sarah’s passion of designing. So, rather than just getting a job in London like everyone else, Sarah set about creating a lovely workshop in her beautiful old house, set into the hills of Bradford-upon-Avon and bought an awful lot of silk.
If I had bought an awful lot of silk I’m sure it would have ended in tears but fortunately Sarah has a great deal more talent then me. And somehow she managed to keep the silk out of Alfie’s way (who had visions of rolling in it around like a very posh Andrex puppy).
Instead, she set about creating beautiful hand-made wedding garters and created The Wedding Garter Co. I’ll let the pictures do the talking here:
Even without knowing the lovely Sarah, I would love these wedding garters, because they ooze charm and so much character. I love that every little box that lands on doorsteps across the world contains a pretty little garter that has been hand stitched by either Sarah or her lovely assistant Tracey. (Sorry, that sounded a bit Bruce Forsyth didn’t it?!) Sarah’s garters are made from a glorious mix of lace, silk and tulle. They sell directly to their customers online and through their own boutique, which recently opened in Bradford-upon-Avon. I got her to tell me a bit more about it (so that I wouldn’t make any more Bruce Forsyth gaffs). Speaking about the process of booking directly, Sarah said: “This allows us manufacture in the UK which we think is very important for luxury heirloom pieces. Every single bead, crystal and pearl you see on our pieces has been sewn by hand in our workshop near Bath. We don’t buy pre-made made embellishments or bases.”
She added: “We cut the silk by hand and create each garter in it’s entirety. We genuinely try and make every aspect of our business the best it can be. From the silk we choose, the custom made matté boxes, the Gooch & Gawler imagery to the service you receive as a customer, we are always aiming as high as possible.”
But what I think is lovely is the fact that Sarah has such personal relationships with her customers – they’ll often exchange 15 or 20 emails to get the order right and Sarah’s told me before that they often feel more like friends than customers by the end. And I have to say that it’s the same way when I sell a holiday (I’m trying not to make this sound too cheesy), but you do end up getting to know the customers very well. One wonderful lady, who I found particularly inspiring, I even met up with for coffee and cake after she got back from her holiday!
And so because we both think our customers are really lovely, Sarah has decided to offer all my readers 15% off any orders in October and November 2014. Just mention the code ‘fleewinter‘ at checkout.
The garters cost between £45 and £98 and Sarah and Matthew have free delivery to the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the European Union. Returns are simple and she assures me there are no quibbles!
So, happy shopping folks and if you are still looking for honeymoon inspiration, take a look at my post on the 10 Top Honeymoon Destinations in Asia or my tips on How to Plan the Perfect Honeymoon.
PS This is the small print bit – Sarah’s lovely offer cannot be combined with any other offers that may be out there. Also, I would like to credit Gooch & Gawler for the imagery, Elbie Van Eeden for the hair and makeup and Katya Katya Shehurina in the images – they deserve it! If you want to connect with the Wedding Garter Co online, you can give them a loveable like on Facebook here, a virtual kiss on Twitter here or drool at their website here.
