We’ve packed up the product and it is on its way to Harrogate as we speak, we’re so excited about this season’s collection and we can’t wait to share it with you. You’ve heard about some of the team – Richard Allen and Kelly Harper on Nieve Designer Couture; Benjamin Dicks and Jane Adams on the Boutique Collection, but who else can you expect to meet?

Elaine Dicks, the company founder will be present for her 36^th Harrogate show – a record that is almost impossible to beat! Karen Setchell and Wendy Dixon are our veil experts for this show and both have years of knowledge to share; Karen has been with us since she left school and as well as being a talented embroidery machinist, is now assistant to the workroom manager for the whole firm, if there is something she doesn’t know about veils, it just isn’t worth knowing. Gemma Cornwell is our team-leader in the tiara department and having trained in design at college, is responsible for many of the designs on display.  She is ready to show off the team’s sparkling new creations (which were previewed in our tiara blog last week). Kelly Harper, our head designer, is itching to meet you all and discuss the inspirations behind this season’s accessories. Last, but certainly not least, Richard Coles and Shaun Walker, our full-time sales representatives, will be present – many of you will have been charmed by them in the past and know them well.

This exhibition there is also a strong family connection, as Ben Allen, William Dicks, Louise Dicks and Benjamin Dicks will all be buzzing around – prizes to anyone who manages to meet them all! All are veterans of the show and have grown up in and around the company, so feel free to grill them if you have any queries!

We warmly welcome you all to M33, M30, M29 and M28! Every exhibition is a great pleasure and we look forward to seeing you there.

The British Bridal Exhibition Harrogate is trade only; if you aren’t a trade customer but you love our bridal accessories, then we’d love to hear from you; give us a call on (01353) 661600 or an email and we can direct you to your nearest bridal shop.

The Boutique Collection is a wonderful celebration of seasonal colours and styles, perfect for the mother of the bride or wedding guests looking for that perfect hat or fascinator.

All the hats and fascinators in the Boutique Collection are handmade by our highly skilled milliners in England. If you visit stand M30 you will have a wonderful opportunity to meet Benjamin Dicks and Jane Adams, who are two members of the hat department team. As true experts in hat making, they will be able to answer any questions or queries you may have.

All our hats are made using specialist techniques, our approach to using sinamay produces both incredible colour tones and strong, clean lines. Fascinators receive the same top-quality treatment, extensive use of sinamay and silk give a structured and substantial feel.

The personal service we offer is second-to-none, a comprehensive colour-matching service is available, which we believe to be unbeatable due to our ability to create different shades between standard colours. There is no minimum order with our hats or fascinators, so you can just try one or two and see how well they are received by your clients. We also never discontinue a style and we’re constantly updating our colours to match the latest trends; so there’s always something new to see in the Boutique Collection!

This FQ109 fascinator in Giraffe, Almond and Pewter was a real hit at the Moda show and will be exhibiting at BBEH too. We were especially pleased the new print-style sinamay was so popular; we work hard at sourcing the best quality products and latest colours for the Boutique Collection.

The BM52H hat shown below was also one of the most popular hats at the Moda show, shown in aqua here, it is of course available in a huge variety of colours and, if required we can match it exactly to your customer’s outfit. Come visit stand M30 to see even more great hats and fascinators and meet our wonderfully skilled staff.

You can see our hat and fascinator gallery for more pictures of our products and previous millinery blogs offer even more information on what we do. Finally, don’t forget our bridal millinery advice page and the Boutique Collection advice page for top tips on picking the perfect hat.

The British Bridal Exhibition Harrogate is trade only; if you aren’t a trade customer but you love our petticoats, then we’d love to hear from you; give us a call on (01353) 661600 or an email and we can direct you to your nearest bridal shop.

You can see from our petticoat advice pages that Blue Ribbon Petticoats offer a whole new experience in petticoats. Our team of designers spent months researching what makes the perfect, modern petticoat before launching the range – and we’ve continually added to it as new ideas have developed.

Available in 11 colours and in sizes 8 to 28, we’re sure you’ll find the perfect petticoat! Gone are the dated, faded petticoats you might have seen elsewhere. Blue Ribbon Petticoats are fresh, modern and are perfect for a huge variety of gown shapes, sizes and colours. Comfort, luxury and confidence are the key to this label with a wide scope for customising the petticoat to suit your needs.

Trade customers will be especially pleased to hear that service is paramount at Blue Ribbon Petticoats. Every item is made to the highest standard; our membership of the Guild of Master Craftsmen is an independent accreditation that gives you confidence that you are receiving a petticoat of the very best quality. In gaining this membership we join an elite group including the likes of Fortnum & Mason, Rolls Royce and Burberry. Petticoats can be ordered through your Richard Designs or Nieve account, allowing the same great service and credit terms.

M29 is the place to see all 21 designs in one place, including 6 new designs; from the large and extravagant to a sleek, slim silhouette. Our dedicated sales team will be more than happy to discuss your needs in a pressure-free environment. Until then, you can see more pictures in our petticoat gallery.

The British Bridal Exhibition Harrogate is trade only; if you aren’t a trade customer but you love our petticoats, then we’d love to hear from you; give us a call on (01353) 661600 or an email and we can direct you to your nearest bridal shop.

The March collection, which has been specifically designed to preview at the Harrogate show, incorporates all the elements that you adore in a Nieve design. We have an even greater variety of innovative designs in veils and an expansion on our very popular closely scattered sparklers. As is expected from this luxury label, we have a few ‘wow’ creations for you to peruse, while we have not ignored the need for simple, elegant and impeccably finished staple pieces.

The Reflections range is also available from M28. In response to customer suggestions for some high-quality but simpler designs we launched the Reflections range. Simply outstanding quality is complemented by subtle designs that are sure to delight your brides!

Many of you will know Kelly Harper, the designer for this collection, who will be available to guide you through the new concepts. Richard Allen will also be on hand to discuss your exact needs and provide his usual effortless direction, enabling you to look with confidence and without pressure.

If there is one new stand you need to look at this year, it is M28. Every visitor leaves feeling energised by the wonderful display.

You can view a sample of the Nieve collection of veils, tiaras, jewellery, millinery and hats at our dedicated Nieve Designer Couture site.

The British Bridal Exhibition Harrogate is trade only; if you aren’t a trade customer but you love our bridal accessories, then we’d love to hear from you; give us a call on (01353) 661600 or an email and we can direct you to your nearest bridal shop.

Tommorrow we will be previewing the Blue Ribbon Petticoat stand on M29…

Stand M33

Our biggest stand is M33 – in Hall M. This is where we show the Richard Designs collection of veils, tiaras and jewellery. As you can read in our previous blogs, there is going to be lots of beautiful new veils, tiaras and jewellery to see on the stand.

We know that the exhibition is a great opportunity to ask lots of questions and enjoy a personal service; we have a fantastic team at the show who are all extremely knowledgeable. Our dedicated sales representatives have second-to-none knowledge of what is in trend and what sells! We also have ‘the faces behind the designs’ as our top veil, tiara and jewellery designers join us to provide expert advice on the inspirations which have driven this year’s collection.

An incredible 60 new tiara designs, 30 new jewellery pieces, 30 new veil designs and all of our best sellers ever, mean you will find the perfect bridal accessories to match those dresses you have just bought! Our fantastic team will be delighted to help you choose just the right bridal accessories, in a no-pressure environment.

As well as all the Richard Designs wedding accessories, new Classics designs will be on stand M33. Designed for the high-volume customer, the Classics provide the lowest priced, best-quality veils, tiaras and jewellery, which are guaranteed to sell and have a broad appeal, no matter what dress collection your bridal shop has chosen. There are new tiaras and jewellery as well as veils in this low price collection.

There are so many new veils, tiaras and jewellery items that there isn’t time to show them all here – you’ll have to pop along to see them!

Take a fresh look at bridal accessories at stand M33, Hall M.

The British Bridal Exhibition Harrogate is trade only; if you aren’t a trade customer but you love our bridal accessories, then we’d love to hear from you; give us a call on (01353) 661600 or an email and we can direct you to your nearest bridal shop.

Tomorrow: Nieve Designer Couture on Stand M28

Before we get started with the excitement of the new pictures, we would like to remind you why our tiaras are so special:

- All of our bridal tiaras are handmade to order in England, meaning you can tweak, tinker and tamper with colourways to suit the style of your dress collection.

- Because we make our tiara bands by hand, they are particularly comfortable, especially compared with the sprung steel bands you see elsewhere.

- Another benefit of our handmade tiara bands is the option to have the band in a different colour, to allow it to blend into brides hair.

For a comprehensive overview of on choosing a tiara and taking care of it, please see our tiaras advice page.

Now for the fun part, a glimpse into the new collection…you can see all of these pictures and more in our new tiara gallery.

In the last blog we described the 1920s and ‘30s vintage style that is so popular with dress designers at the moment and how our tiaras complemented this style. As well as attending to this trend we also have some more contemporary designs. Like the TR1160A above, a beautiful side spray with lots of little silver backed stones which will shine as your bride walks down the aisle.

After Cheryl Cole’s X-Factor appearance last series in a beautiful headpiece, we were inundated with requests for similar tiaras. Having anticipated the demand, we were able to provide similarly stunning bridal tiaras. The TR1133A tiara above adds to this collection.

You can see even more new tiara pictures in our new tiara gallery, however, we have over 60 new tiara designs for this season and the only place to see them at once is the British Bridal Exhibition Harrogate on Stand M33, Hall M.

The British Bridal Exhibition Harrogate is trade only; if you aren’t a trade customer but you love our tiaras, then we’d love to hear from you; give us a call on (01353) 661600 or an email and we can direct you to your nearest bridal shop.

Next week we’ll be adding a blog every day as we go BBEH mad. With 5 different collections we know you’ll be spoilt for choice, so we’ll be profiling each of them on a different day, so watch this space!

The event started with a bang as the design team showed off their latest sparkling tiara creations. Inspired by the 1920s and ‘30s art deco revival that is currently so popular with dress designers, there were some beautiful new shapes. Plenty of set-stones and darker, vintage styles were prevalent, like the TR1138A tiara below. There were nearly 60 new tiara designs, so we’re sure you’ll find something you like! You can see more of our tiaras here.

The sparkles continued as we moved onto the jewellery, which continues to dazzle. With so much choice – over 30 new designs in this collection alone – it is nice to know that our tiaras and jewellery are designed to match each other. So if you find a tiara you love, the jewellery wont be far away! This P480 necklace was a real favourite…

…and with earrings to match…we’re sure you’ll find the perfect set for you. Even more of our stunning wedding jewellery can be seen here.

Next we moved onto the elegant new veil collection, which was truly stunning. Once again, designed with tiaras and jewellery in mind, many little features and details you’ll see on our tiaras and jewellery are mirrored onto the veils. The C320B veil below caused quite a stir, with it’s silver back diamante, pearls and Swarovski silver crystal detail, it really creates a standout look. New techniques have been developed to bring totally new veil designs to the market place, you can see more pictures of our beautiful veils here.

By the end of the evening, there was a real excitement in the air and the anticipation is really building as we look forward to showing off all our new veils, tiaras and jewellery to you at Harrogate. The only time to see this beautiful collection all in one place is on stand M33, Hall M at the Harrogate International Centre 14^th – 16^th March.

The British Bridal Exhibition Harrogate is trade only; if you aren’t a trade customer but you love our veils, tiaras and jewellery, then we’d love to hear from you; give us a call or an email and we can direct you to your nearest stockist.

On Friday we will be showing off even more new tiara designs right here…so watch this space…

Just in case you missed out on viewing our stunning new hats and fascinators, below are a selection of some of the most popular. You can see even more pictures on the Boutique site here.

This FQ109 fascinator in Giraffe, Almond and Pewter was a real hit at the show. We were especially pleased the new print-style sinamay was so popular; we work hard at sourcing the best quality products and latest colours for the Boutique Collection.

The BM52H hat shown above was one of the most popular hats at the Moda show, shown in aqua here, it is of course available in a huge variety of colours and, if required we can match it exactly to your customer’s outfit. Our innovative use of sinamay means we can achieve fantastic tonal colours which provides almost limitless variations!

This dazzling one-off hat also drew the crowds. Made in a deep black, with hundreds of Swarovski crystals, it looked stunning under the lights. Our milliners loved making it and it is wonderful to show off their talents.

Trade customers will be able to view the new collection by appointment with our sales representatives from 23^rd March. Call Vicki on (01353) 661600 or email vicki@richarddesigns.co.uk to book an appointment. Brochures are available immediately in either paper or PDF copies if you can’t wait until then!

If you loved our hats and fascinators but you aren’t a trade customer, then you can call or email us and find your nearest stockist, who will be able to show you some of our fantastic designs.

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.

It takes a long time to develop something truly memorable but the ideas our talented team have developed for this season are truly ground-breaking and really turn the idea of hats on their head! This BM 141H is a double-brimmed hat, it provides a striking look, which is sure to get attention.

Following on from the theme of doubling-up components of the hat the BM152H below has, in effect, a split-brim. This provides a stunning look from both the back and the front. This hat is especially impressive when the vast range of colours available are considered; the combinations are endless and it is sure to match any outfit you are wearing.

Remember, all of our hats and fascinators are individually made to order, which means that we can tailor your hat to complement your look. Our renowned milliners have also developed a unique take on sinamay; by ‘blending’ various types and colours, we can provide a tonal effect unavailable elsewhere, this provides even more shades of in-season colours.

Creating every hat by hand, here in the UK, gives us total control over its quality and from start to finish, every process is aimed at serving the customer’s needs; our 4x layering of sinamay and our attention to detail means we have the best quality hats anywhere. If you are a trade customer and you would like to know more about stocking our products, please contact us for more information. Our team are also happy to answer any questions from non-trade customers and point you in the direction of your local stockist.

To view more pictures from our latest collection, click here.