National Wedding Show

Once again we will be exhibiting at the National Wedding Show at the NEC Birmingham http://nationalweddingshow.co.uk from the 14th to the 16th March. If you are planning a wedding it's a great place to visit as there are hundreds of exhibitors offering everything from wedding favours through to Gospel choirs www.nationalweddingshow.co.uk/top-tips/entertainment/and honeymoon destinations. www.nationalweddingshow.co.uk/top-tips/honeymoons/

You need to spend several hours there as there is so much to see and make sure you wear flat shoes as there are several exhibition halls to cover! If you have some idea of the theme of your wedding then you can find lots of inspiration here with colours and designs in abundance. Throughout the day there are catwalk shows www.nationalweddingshow.co.uk/shows/birmingham/catwalk-shows/

and demonstration areas plus lots of refreshment zones including the champagne bar - always worth a visit! www.nationalweddingshow.co.uk/shows/birmingham/food-drink/

We always exhibit there and enjoy the chance to speak to lots of you and find out your ideas and themes and discuss how we can create your wedding dress. We show our gowns in the Designer Area of the hall and take the opportunity to showcase our collection www.hayleyj.co.uk/gallerymain.html and the new designs for the season. We have a changing room where you can try some of the gowns and find out what suits you. We can show you the range of silks we use and because we are Bridal couturiers we can design and create something specially for you - come and see us and discuss your ideas and we can make your dreams reality.

As the Show is always very busy, it's an idea to come along and do lots of research and then follow up your visit with a trip to see us and spend an hour or so in privacy and comfort trying on some more wedding gowns and refining your thoughts and ideas. We suggest you book an appointment for a consultation (call us on 01743 235140 or email on hayley@hayleyj.oco.uk)

and bring along family and friends if you wish. We will take you up to the Bridal showroom and sit and talk with you about your wedding - the date, the venue, the time of year and anything else that might have a bearing on your gown. You may wish to incorporate a particular theme in your gown - perhaps some Celtic embroidery or a seasonal motif - perhaps some snowflakes if you're marrying in Winter. You may like the thought of some beadwork and embroidery and we have lots of samples we can show you. Whatever it is you have in mind we can help you with.

We do hope we will see you at the Show. At present we do not have the confirmed number of our stand but will post this on the site as soon as we know.

Why Choose Hayley J?

We are now getting extremely busy with enquiries and consultations for 2008 and beyond. Customers come to us for a number of reasons - they may have had a personal recommendation from family or friends or they may have seen us at The National Wedding Show. They may know us because they live locally or they may have found us from the internet and website searches.

In choosing your wedding gown, one of the most important considerations is cost. Weddings can be expensive and as this is likely to be one of the biggest purchases you've ever made on clothing, you need to be sure that you are buying from someone reputable who will make you the gown of your dreams but also work within your budget.

As we are Bridal couturiers we specialise in creating one off designs which are unique to you and are made to measure. With our very talented team here in Shrewsbury we make wonderful gowns which often incorporate stunning beadwork and emboidery and all our gowns are made in silks varying from soft, fluid chiffons to sumptous duchesse satins and dupions. Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life and naturally you want to look stunning.

Because of the pressures of wedding expenses, it can be tempting therefore to want to cut costs perhaps, by looking for cheaper alternatives and buy your gown from sources such as internet sites. These can appear to be a wonderful bargain, but you have to weigh up the savings in price against the potential problems. These gowns are mass produced in the Far East specificaly for the internet market and are made to sizes which may not accurately reflect UK sizing. The quality and type of fabric used may not be of a good standard and the workmanship may also be lacking in expertise. It can also be difficult to see the gown from just a small photograph.

Once you have bought a gown from such a source, you might receive it and find that you have a number of problems to contend with, and that also you don't have a lot of time to put them right. You might need to have alterations done for sizing and may be disappointed with the quality and appearance of the gown. Unfortunately last year we saw an increase in customers who had done this and found that their dress was a disaster and completely unwearable. It can be extremely difficult to have problems rectified if the manufacturer is thousands of miles away. We have had customers who needed us to start from scratch and we have made them a completely new wedding gown often with limited time. This is hardly ideal for a Bride as she will be feeling very upset and stressed and worried about getting her dress in time for her wedding.

It is, therefore, worth thinking long and hard about where you buy your gown. We do our utmost to create the most wonderful dress for you and will always try to accomodate your budget but still offer you the very best personal service. We listen to all your thoughts and ideas for your gown and give you plenty of time to come up to the Bridal showroom and try some of the dresses from our collection. We will provide you with fabric swatches, make your veil for you, show you all our beautiful tiaras and jewellery and find the perfect shoes to complement your gown. You can expect to have several fittings on your dress to ensure the perfect fit and we can assure you of our attention to detail at all times. Before you start to search the internet or elsewhere why not come and see us - we would be delighted to see you.

Happy New Year

First of all, we would like to take the opportunity to wish all our friends and customers a very Happy New Year and hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday.

We are now looking ahead to the challenges of 2008 and the chance to review our business last year and build on those successes. We are getting lots of enquiries from Brides and Mothers of the Bride for gowns and outfits for Weddings this year and next. If you are planning your wedding and would like to book a consultation then please do call us and we can book an appointment for you with Hayley. There is no obligation to go forward with your gown following the consultation but we would be delighted to see you in our lovely showroom and have the opportunity to talk to you and get to know you. Our diary will start to get very busy soon and we will be in full swing once again.

As well as all our weddings, we also expect to see customers soon looking for Prom dresses for the coming season. Our new stock of Prom and Evening gowns will begin arriving from the end of January although we do carry eveningwear all year round. We are seeing lots of brights such as lime green, burnt orange and pinks coming through in some of our designs and we always carry a large range of styles to suit everybody's figure. We can also of course make something to order and then you will have a dress that is truly unique to you.

Once again we will be exhibiting at the National Wedding Show www.nationalweddingshow.co.uk at the NEC Birmingham from March 14th-16th and would love to see you there. This is a wonderful show to visit if you are planning a wedding as there is everything you might need under one roof. It's always very busy with a great buzzing atmosphere and lots of wonderful stands to visit. Our stand number within the Show has yet to be confirmed, but once we know this we will post it on the blog.

Here at Hayley J we pride ourselves on customer service and attention to detail and our aim is to make choosing your wedding gown a truly wonderful experience from start to finish. We hope to see you soon.

Christmas

November was a very busy month for us as there were several events that we took part in. On the 5th November Halls Fine Art Auctioneers at Frankwell in Shrewsbury held an evening of Dazzle and Sparkle at the preview of their Christmas Jewellery and Fine Art Sale. The event was a fundraiser for Hope House Children's Hospice in Oswestry and we were delighted to be invited to take part. We showed gowns from our eveningwear collections together with some of the jewellery that was going to be auctioned. It was a complete sell-out and the evening began with champagne and canapes which was then followed by the Fashion Show. It was a great success and we were thrilled to know that £1,000 was raised for this most deserving of local charities.

On the 15th November, Hayley was guest speaker at a Ladies Lunch at the new Football Stadium which was also to fundraise for Hope House. Around 180 ladies came and enjoyed a delicious lunch and then enjoyed a wonderful hour of anecdotes and stories from Hayley's 23 years in the business. Showing some of the gowns from our archives and describing the process of making a bespoke wedding gown from start to finish gave the audience some idea of what her life and work involves. It was a most enjoyable and interesting afternoon and again raised some much needed funds for Hope House.

Last and by no means least, we showed more of our evening gowns at a Fashion Show held in conjunction with Fabricius Green, bespoke jewellers on the High Street in Shrewsbury to highlight their Winter Collection. This was held at the Albright Hussey Hotel to specially invited guests who had a lovely evening.

We are now having lots of enquiries for evening gowns for Christmas Balls and parties and also are taking bookings for weddings for 2008 and 2009. We will be closing for the Christmas season from 22nd December until 3rd January but if we can help you with anything then please do get in touch with us - we would be delighted to hear from you.

Sample Sale

After our very busy Bridal season and Summer Proms and Parties, we start to look forward to the next year and thinking about the designs that we will have in the Hayley J collection. We reflect on all designs that Hayley created and the themes, silhouettes and fabrics that our Brides chose over the year. Hayley will then decide what we will have in our collection for the next season and it happens that some of the samples do not fit into the new collection. If this is the case, we have a sample sale and Brides can come and see these designs and purchase them at a very advantageous price. These gowns have been used in the showroom for Brides to try and some gowns have also been used for Fashion shows on occasions.



We have now had a chance to review this year's gowns and we are now taking some of the styles out to sell in a sample sale.



We also have some Bridal shoes that we will be selling at reduced prices so if you are interested in coming to view the gowns available, then please call us to make an appointment and we will be delighted to see you.

Evening Appointments by Arrangement

In recognition of the fact that we all lead busy lives and it can be very difficult for brides to come and see us during the day, we are able to offer some evening appointments by arrangement. Many of us work full-time and may also have family and other committments that make it hard to fit into the traditional 9-5 that many shops open. By coming to see us at an evening appointment, you can bring all your attendants and then why not make something of the evening by getting together for drinks and supper afterwards. It also means that you have time in calm and peaceful surroundings to discuss all your thoughts and ideas with Hayley for your wedding. If this is something that you would like to take advantage of, then please contact us to make an appointment.

Wedding Planning

After many requests from customers we are now pleased to offer Wedding Planning and Arranging by Hayley J. Organising a wedding can be a very exciting time and naturally most couples want things arranged to their very specific requirements. However, it can also be something of a daunting prospect and many of us lead very busy lives and find it difficult to fit everything in. Perhaps you feel that you need some experienced help with just some aspects of your wedding plans or you may even decide that you would like to hand everything over to someone who will take all the pressure and stress of arranging things off your shoulders.

Our aim is for you to make all the decisions and for us to do all the work!

Following an initial free consultation with the bride and groom, we will then source items and suppliers and obtain quotes and will submit these to you for you for discussion and approval. Hayley has many connections within the bridal business and is able to suggest many different themes and ideas for your wedding. Whether you need a Gospel choir or even a Hawaiian bar we can help. She will help you choose colour schemes and themes and arrange meetings with yourselves and suppliers and can be present if you wish her to be. Ensuring everything happens on schedule and in budget will be our priority and Hayley can be in attendance on your wedding day to make sure everything happens smoothly.

If you would like further information then do contact us in the first instance to arrange an informal discussion. Also to remind you we are exhibiting at the National Wedding Show at the NEC in Birmingham from the 12th to the 14th October on stand F23.We look forward to seeing you!