Bridal Shops | Richard Designs

Archive for the ‘Bridal Shops’ Category

BBEH: Catwalk Shows

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

We are really pleased that this year Richard Designs accessories will be on the Designer Preview catwalk shows which are held twice a day:

The Bridal Preview

Sunday                         1.00pm        *6.30pm
Monday                       11.00am       4.00pm
Tuesday                      10.00am       1.30pm

More details can be found at http://www.bbeh.co.uk/visiting/fashion-shows

We will be attending the Sunday show and drinks reception at 6pm and we would love to see you there.

Richard Designs Boutique Collection will also be featured on the Occasion Wear Preview catwalk:

The Occasion Wear Preview

Sunday                        3.00pm
Monday                       2.00pm
Tuesday                     11.30am

Our products will be featured on every scene which is unusual for these catwalk shows, so if you want to see our headwear, veils and jewellery in action be sure to take a look!

More blogs in the BBEH series:
RD at BBEH through history…[...read more]
How the new collection is shaping up…[...read more]
Our hat in BBEH prize draw…[...read more]

Posted in Bridal Shops, Company Information, Latest News | No Comments »

BBEH: How is the new collection shaping up?

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

As the last few pearls and crystals are being crafted into beautiful tiaras, and the new veil styles are being perfectly hand finished ready for the British Bridal Exhibition, we asked our head-designer Kelly to give us a few hints as to how the new collection is shaping up.

What can we expect to see in the new collection?
This collection has a very different feel to anything we’ve done before, much more innovative. I now have a team of four designers working along side me, so there is much more time to work through new ideas and techniques.

What kind of ‘innovations’ have you included?
It’s lovely to see more colour coming back into the gown designs, so we have incorporated antique silver filigrees and stones and even a few pieces with antique copper, muted tones such as nude, beige and fawn work really well with many of the new styles.

The veils look amazing, with many details taken directly from the new tiaras, we’ve also taken direction from some of our top customers to create some really light floaty veils for your destination weddings.

RD collection preview

Magnetic clasps have been really popular, so you will see many more on this seasons necklaces and bracelets, again matching details with tiaras there are cuff bracelets and statement earrings alongside charm style necklaces.

Any last words for us?
I really can’t wait to get everything on display at Harrogate!

This is the first in the series of BBEH special blogs, look out for more in the run up to the show, including Richard Designs at Harrogate through history later this week.

Posted in Bridal Shops, Fascinators, Hats, Jewellery, Tiaras, Veils | No Comments »

Boutique Collection hat in BBEH prize draw

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

We are really excited to include a Richard Designs Boutique Collection hat in the goodie bag for the winner of the BBEH pre-registration prize. We have chosen a beautiful hat, BM156H, to be included in the goodie bag with many other prizes which together adds up to the value of over £1200.

Occasion wear hat BM156H

To be in with a chance of winning the goodie bag, visit http://www.bbeh.co.uk/visiting/free-registration to pre-register to visit the show.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Other posts in BBEH September 2010 series:
What would you like to see in the next collection?
Nieve Inspirations for 2011
A fantastic offer on your BBEH accommodation

Posted in Boutique Collection, Bridal Shops, Hats, Latest News | No Comments »

Find out more about our company representatives

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Now you have met our customer service team, we introduce you to our sales team, including company representatives and their co-ordinator, who play such an important part in building relationships with our customers, travelling all over the UK and Europe. To find out which representative covers your area click on the map below.

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey map data by permission of the Ordnance Survey © Crown copyright 2010.

Having a personal one-on-one session with a company representative has many benefits:

Gives you the chance to see veils, tiaras, jewellery and hats in all their glory, to try them on and to see their real-life size – something that buying from brochures cannot provide.
Your staff can make the best choices to match your wedding dress stock, as you will have the dresses to hand throughout the appointment. Our company representatives have knowledge of all the latest wedding dress styles and can pick out accessories which are made to match!
With a great knowledge of the latest trends, company reps can provide short ‘workshops’ on what is hot this season and how to sell to brides – great if your shop has recently hired new staff!
The company representative will get a feel for your shop and show you the products that are relevant to you – saving you valuable time.
Our company reps love to get to know you personally! The relationships that are built up between company representative and customer are invaluable, enabling us to do our job better, and enabling you the customer to get a real feel for us as a company, our values and our dedication to making your shop a success.
Our company reps are not there just to sell to you – we like to see how you are getting on with our products, find out if there is anything else you would like from us and have a catch up on what is new in your regional marketplace.

For those of you who already know your local company representative, this is an opportunity to learn more about them. If you have never seen a Richard Designs representative and would like to then please call or email Vicki on 01353 661600, and she will be happy to help you. All of the appointments carry no obligation to buy, and there is no minimum order.

Name: Vicki Hansford
Job Role: Sales Co-ordinator. I manage the representatives’ activity, which includes booking appointments with the customers as well as planning their travel – so we have probably spoken on the phone a few times!
How long have you worked for Richard Designs? For just over 6 years.
What do you find to be the most rewarding part of the job? Building a relationship with old and new customers alike.
What is your background? After leaving college, I was a nursery nurse for 4 years. I then worked in retail for 18 months before starting at RD. I worked in the tiara department for a year and in the hat department for a year before joining the sales team.
Tell us a fun fact about you! I am getting married on 7^th August, the church will be filled with Richard Designs accessories! In my spare time I make sock creatures. I also co-organise a monthly craft fair with Charlotte who works in the customer service department.
Contact: vicki@richarddesigns.co.uk

Name: Shaun Walker
How long have you worked at Richard Designs? Oh, it must be four years now.
What do you find to be the most rewarding part of the job? I love providing innovative designs and quality products to brides.
What is your background? I used to manage a designs and cutting department for a leading bridal dress manufacturer for 13 years.
Tell us a fun fact about you! I love cooking for my wife and three daughters. I also like travelling to and exploring different countries.

Name: Ben Allen
How long have you worked at Richard Designs? As a member of the family I have attended both BBEH shows at Harrogate every year for the past five years. I enjoyed it so much that I joined Richard Designs full-time this year.
What is the most rewarding part of the job for you? I love meeting new customers every day. I am proud to be able to provide the right product for each customer, in order to meet the requirements of each bride. I also love working with my family every day!
What is your background? I worked for 11 years in a pharmaceutical contract lab after studying chemistry at University in Cambridge.
Tell us a fun fact about you! I love sport and play squash every week. I do the London to Cambridge bike ride every year (that’s 60 miles!).

Posted in Bridal Shops, Company Information | No Comments »

What would you like to see in the next collection?

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

There is a real buzz in the Richard Designs HQ as we are all hard at work preparing for our best ever BBEH show. If you have visited us before at the Harrogate Show, you will know that we have a fantastic stand with plenty to see and lots of friendly faces to help you find your way around. This year we have some surprises lined up to celebrate our 25^th anniversary. To find out what these are make sure to visit us at BBEH in September!

BBEH Richard Designs

We like to work with our customers to help them get the most out of our products, and we attribute a large amount of success to our close relationships with the bridal wear shops that we supply. As we wrap up our new designs, we would love you to tell us what you would like to see in the next collection. Is there anything in particular that your brides are requesting? Do you feel you have got something missing from your current stock? Is there a style particular to your region that you would love to see at show? If so, we would love to hear from you.

BBEH Nieve

We welcome requests and ideas from all customers for the Boutique Collection, Nieve Couture and, of course, RD veils, tiaras and jewellery. Remember, there is no minimum order, and giving us this valuable feedback does not oblige you to buy.

If you would like to talk to us about our next collection, please call to speak to one of our customer service team on 01353 661600, email info@richarddesigns.co.uk, or leave a comment in the box below.

BBEH Boutique Collection

Look out for future blogs for sneak peaks of what will be at BBEH and Moda at the NEC. We can’t wait to show you our sparkling new veils, tiaras and jewellery!

BBEH Nieve

Posted in Bridal Shops | 1 Comment »

NIEVE Inspirations for 2011

Friday, July 16th, 2010

The whole Richard Designs team is in high gear preparing for this September’s BBEH. The exquisite NIEVE Collection is of no exception and will be premiering its new collection for Spring/Summer 2011 at show. Our head-designer Kelly has written a piece on the influences for the next collection which you can read on the NIEVE section of the website here.

Nieve SS2011 Romantic Vintage

The NIEVE Designer Collection of accessories for Spring, Summer 2011, is inspired by two enchanting stories that illustrate the mood for the approaching season: Oriental Garden and Romantic Vintage. See the inspiration here.

Nieve SS2011 Oriental Garden

Don’t forget to check out the ‘shop window’ featuring current styles of veils, tiaras and jewellery while you are there!

Posted in Bridal Shops, Fascinators, Hats, Jewellery, Tiaras, Veils | No Comments »

Accommodation at the BBEH 2010

Friday, July 9th, 2010

As many ‘BBEH regulars’ will know, earlier this year The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate was the victim of a fire which caused huge damage. As a result, there is expected to be a shortage of rooms in the Town. Therefore we are advising our customers to book early for the BBEH to avoid any disappointment.

Being such a helpful bunch, we have managed to negotiate a special room rate for our customers at the Days Inn hotel in Wetherby, which is just outside the Town. As you can see below, when you book and quote the reference ‘Richard Designs’ you will be entitled to a fantastic double-room rate of just £56.00 per night. This is based on two people sharing and includes breakfast, free internet access and unlimited movies and music. You can download a printable copy of the special offer by clicking here or on the image below.

We haven’t stayed here ourselves, but it looks new and clean and the online reviews are very good. We aren’t advertising this hotel for money, we just know how difficult it can be to find quality hotel rooms at reasonable prices around the time of the exhibition so we hope this goes some way to easing the stress!

This offer is subject to Days Inn Hotel standard terms and conditions and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation of the Days Inn Hotel, Wetherby, or any other Days Inn Hotel, by Richard Designs Limited.

Posted in Bridal Shops, Latest News | No Comments »

Free Retail Bridalwear Brochure 2010

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Our 2010 bridal accessories retail brochure is now available for free download. Launched in 2009 to much acclaim, brides can download and print off this helpful brochure to use when going to visit bridal shops. It is also available for shops to download and print if they would like to provide them to their customers.

With advice on tiaras, headbands, jewellery, veils, petticoats, hats, bridesmaid accessories and much, much more it is the best companion when browsing bridalwear and considering what to wear on your big day (apart from your mum!).

Click here for your free Bridalwear Retail Brochure 2010

You can also view our buying bridalwear guide for even more tips; we have 25 years experience dealing with bridal queries and we have tried to share as much knowledge with you as we can. If, however, you have any more questions you can call us on our new local-rate number: 0845 456 8662 or email info@richarddesigns.co.uk.

Trade customers can also call us to request even more brochures; each of our product categories has their own brochure, plus we have one for NIEVE Designer Couture and the Boutique Collection. These are available free of charge to trade customers, for display in your shop. Alternatively, if you want more than one copy, we can provide a PDF version, so you can print as many as you need! Just contact us for more information.

Posted in Bridal Shops | 2 Comments »

Congratulations to our award-winning stockists!

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

In recent weeks two of our stockists have been recognised for their outstanding service and commitment to providing top quality bridalwear.

White Orchid of Swords, County Dublin, were awarded both the ‘best bridal shop of the year’ and ‘best wedding supplier of the year’ prizes by weddingsonline.ie. Chosen by a panel of independent judges and nominations from brides and grooms themselves, this really is a great achievement for a shop which has only been trading for two years. White Orchid have everything a bride could want, but this C16A veil sells extremely well for them – simple, elegant and flowing.

Veil C16A

Congratulations to White Orchid – we’re proud to be able to call ourselves one of your suppliers – and keep up the good work!

We were delighted to learn, within a matter of weeks, that another of our suppliers had also won a prestigious award. Bellissima Weddings of Chelmsford, Essex has been awarded the ‘best bridal retailer’ title at the annual Bridal Buyer Awards ceremony; another fantastic achievement by one of our top customers who we’ve proudly worked with for many years. A favourite tiara of Bellissima seems to be this TR799A below – a classic pearl and crystal combination.

Tiara TR799A

Congratulations to both bridal shops for their success, it really is a great sign of their dedication to making wedding days special.

We have a very limited number of regions with space for new stockists – see becoming a stockist for more information.

Posted in Bridal Shops | No Comments »

How to buy our veils, tiaras and wedding accessories

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

We know how frustrating it can be to see the perfect veil or wedding accessories online only to struggle to find them in the shops. We often get enquiries from brides who have seen our veils, tiaras, jewellery or other accessories on our website but don’t know how or where to buy them.

Firstly, the most important thing to remember is – we are here to help! Whether you are a bride, a bridal shop, mother of the bride or a bridesmaid, you are more than welcome to give us a call or an email. One strength of our company is that nearly all of our customer service team have previously trained in our veil, tiara, millinery or jewellery departments. This means they are real experts at not only the basics – pointing you in the direction of your nearest bridal shop – but also more complex queries like which colours match best, or which tiara will complement which veil and jewellery. We have thousands of designs and we know this can be a little daunting, so no matter who you are, feel free to call or email us, we’re always happy to help.

We have stockists in nearly every UK city or town so we’re sure to be able to help. Once you have found your nearest bridal shop, what’s next? Well it is important to bear in mind that bridal shops are not like ordinary shops – they are special. If you visit one we have recommended, we are sure they will be able to accommodate your requests. So simply ask for the product you want – using the product code is always a good tip (e.g. veil C297A). Our stockists know that whatever you want, we can provide them with it – they may not have it in the shop there and then, but this isn’t a problem – everything is made to order especially for you.

Once you have asked a bridal shop for exactly what you want, we can make it up and send it out to them, knowing that they will provide you with not only excellent service, but also a wonderful experience. This is something that we think can only happen face to face, which is why we do not supply to online retailers – be wary of those who claim to sell our products and if you’re unsure – just ask!

Click to view a small collection of our veils, tiaras, jewellery, bridesmaid accessories, petticoats and mother of the bride occasion wear and then contact us for more information.