All Aboard! More Designer Days At Elderberry Brides.

Justin Alexander And Sincerity Bridal To Showcase Bridal Collections In September

Another unmissable Basingstoke bridal event for discerning brides-to-be.

Now most people wouldn't normally associate bridal Designer Days with buses, but I think we've just about managed to nail this one!

The old cliché that goes, "one doesn't come along for ages then two arrive together" would seem to apply to a couple of our events planned for later this year.

Hot on the heels of our announcement for a Designer Day with Nicola Anne couture, we're delighted to announce that we've now tied up with both Justin Alexander and Sincerity Bridal to host a showcase of their amazing collections on Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd September 2012.

What's so special about a Designer Day?

In a word convenience. It's a fab opportunity for you to see all the latest styles from these superb designers on show in one place at the same time. Plenty of staff will be on hand to answer your questions so you'll be uniquely placed to get help and advice on topics that are really important to the bride such as style, fabrics, colours, availability and much more.

And don't forget that there'll be generous discounts available on the day should you choose to pre-order your dress for 2013.

So what could be better than to be invited along to preview and try on a collection of brand new wedding gowns many hot off the designers' sketch pad and not even scheduled for delivery until the end of the year?

Double bubble for brides-to-be

So that's two Designer Days for your diary to be held at our Basingstoke bridal rooms in less than a month giving you a unique opportunity to see, touch, try on and generally admire many more dresses than would normally be available.

The timing is also super handy for brides too as the Designer Days come just weeks after the UK bridal industry's largest retail expo, BBEH, in which every major manufacturer showcases their latest designs ready for the following season.

We're sure you'll agree that this is a must-see event for any bride dreaming of finding her perfect wedding gown.

Don't miss your VIP invite to Justin Alexander and Sincerity Bridal our Designer Days.

About Justin Alexander

Justin Alexander is an internationally renowned bridal designer known for vintage wedding dresses with bridal couture styling and exquisite detail. Every Justin Alexander wedding gown is updated with modern twists to make them a perfect choice for the contemporary bride.

» Visit the Justin Alexander website

About Sincerity Bridal

Sincerity Bridal is a collection of romantic, classic wedding dresses. Dreamy fabrics and subtle but distinctive embellishments feature strongly on Sincerity gowns and available in a wide range of silhouettes - from tea lengths and high lows to mermaids and ball gowns.

» Visit the Sincerity Bridal website

How do I get an invite?

Simples. If you'd like to receive a personal invitation to any of our forthcoming Designer Days, please get in touch now stating your preferences from below:

1. Which bridal designer you're interested in? Justin Alexander and/or Sincerity Bridal
2. Which day you'd like to attend? Friday 21st Sept. or Saturday 22nd Sept. 2012

That's it. All done!

What happens then?

We'll send you a VIP invitation by e-mail which you should print out and bring with you on the day. And don't worry... we'll send you a reminder a week or so before the event to confirm that you'd still like to come along and see these wonderful collections.

These events offer brides a fantastic opportunity to shop for their dream dress in a relaxed, informal atmosphere. This is one bus you don't want to miss!

Nicola Anne couture Designer Day

Don't forget you can also request an invite to our Nicola Anne Designer Day too if you wish.

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Are You Being Served?

Taking Customer Service To The Next Level

Elderberry Brides signs up to BBRA (British Bridal Retailers Association)

Right from day one, we've always believed that customer service is the single most important thing when it comes to helping brides find their dream dress.
Just as important, in fact, as the dress itself. After all, what's the point of finding a fab dress if the overall experience was less than fab?

So, as a further commitment to providing the best possible service to our brides, Elderberry Brides has now signed up to the BBRA (British Bridal Retailers Association), a bridal industry collective who rightly puts the well-being of the bride at the heart of the initiative.

A positive experience

As a bride, this means that you should expect to receive the same positive experience and high levels of service we’ve always done our best to deliver from the moment you first set foot inside the door of our bridal salon at 8 New Street - only now it's official.

And there's more. As a customer of Elderberry Brides, you'll also receive an assurance that, under certain circumstances, any purchases you make will be covered against loss.

So who are the BBRA?

The British Bridal Retailers Association is a group of independent bridal retailers that form the largest group of its kind in the UK and whose members stretch out across every corner of the country.

Every member is committed to providing brides with "treasured memories of your dress buying experience."

This, and other items are enshrined in the BBRA’s 'Code of Practice' which sets out a number of agreed minimum standards of service that the bride can expect to receive at a member store including an experience that's "the best there is to offer" and "where your expectations will be exceeded."

So what's in the Code of Practice?

The BBRA's Code of Practice is made up of eight points as follows:

1. Our customers will be met with a warm welcome.
2. Our advertising will be clear and truthful.
3. Our merchandise will be clearly priced.
4. Our customers will have accurate and adequate pre-contractual information allowing them to make informed choices.
5. Our contracts are set out in plain language, are clear, fair and accurate and their terms will be fully explained, prior to any sale being agreed.
6. There will be no high pressure sales techniques used.
7. We will respond to all complaints promptly and make every effort to resolve them immediately.
8. Our customer service will be of the highest standard, aimed at exceeding expectations.

The Brides Assurance Scheme

When a bride buys her wedding attire from a BBRA member store, your deposit is instantly protected at no cost to you under the Brides Assurance Scheme. Your goods will also be covered against theft and accidental damage right up until until your wedding day. This service is exclusively available to customers of BBRA members.

It's not about us

Now we’re not really ones to blow our own trumpet and, in any case, this isn't really about us anyway, - it's about our brides.

We think it's probably appropriate therefore that they have the last word so why not spend a few moments and read what some of our recent brides have said about us.

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Nicola Anne Couture Has Designs On Basingstoke

Leading UK Bridal Designer to showcase bridal collection at Elderberry Brides

An unmissable event for brides who love couture fashion

Stockist Elderberry Brides has teamed up with top bridal designer Nicola Anne Couture to present a Designer Day at our bridal salon on Saturday October 13th 2012.

The event is for one day only and provides a unique opportunity for brides to come along to see and try on a wide range of beautifully crafted, couture bridal gowns from this highly-regarded UK design house.

Nicky herself will be on hand all day to chat and offer advice to brides on every aspect of her beautiful creations including a selection of the brand new, yet-to-be-announced 2013 collection.

Who is Nicola Anne?

Nicky has been designing her fabulous collections since 1988 - each one aimed at meeting the needs of today's modern bride.

Every collection presents a unique combination of fresh, classic and traditional styles with a choice of fabrics ranging from silk, lace and satin to organza and chiffon. These fabrics are complemented by fine embroidery, intricate trimmings and delicate beadwork including Swarovski crystals.

Made in Britain

Nicola Anne bridal wear is designed and made in Britain. Each gown is hand made by a dedicated team of seamstresses in Leicestershire to an exceptionally high standard.

Nicola Anne’s gowns have been featured on TV on numerous occasions, including:
« GMTV's first 'Bride of the Year' on the London Eye
« BBC2's 'It's Not Easy Being Green'
« BBC3's 'Don't Tell the Bride'

Examples of current styles by Nicola Anne are shown below.

Top Left: Beatrix, Top Right: Renata, Bottom Left: Alanis, Bottom Right: Fleur.

Details of the Designer Day

Admission to the event on Saturday October 13th 2012 is by ticket only, however all tickets are available FREE of charge and available on request.

Please contact us now or telephone 01256 474 004 during normal opening hours if you'd like a ticket. (An answering service is available outside these hours).

This promises to be a very popular event, so we'd advise all interested brides to book early.

Please note that a maximum of 3 tickets can be allocated to any one party.

And finally, the great news is that there will be special discounts available on the day!

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Perfect Dress, Perfect Bride, Perfect Day

The Importance of Making Each Bride's Day So Very Special

When Victoria got in touch with us the other day she was gushing. As one of 'our brides', she'd recently got married and was kind enough to let us know just how thrilled she was with her dress and how much she'd enjoyed her wedding day.

As it turned out, it was simply fab on both counts!

No weather woes

Victoria said of her big day, "We had the most amazing day and everything went really well." Not surprisingly, the weather was a hot topic with Victoria commenting, "I swear we had the one nice day in April despite it chucking it down every day before the wedding and the weekend immediately afterwards."

She continued, "The sun actually came out for the day itself which was wonderful" adding that "it gave the whole proceedings a slightly surreal quality as we couldn't believe it wasn't raining!"

Naturally, we're delighted that both she, her groom and all her guests were able enjoy the day without having to endure the appalling weather we experienced throughout most of April and, to some extent, May of this year. On that note, we really hope that our other brides didn't have their special day spoiled by the recent bout of damp and drizzly weather.

Princess for the day

As for the dress, well we think Victoria looked simply stunning and it seems like lots of people were of the same opinion.

In Victoria's own words, "I had the most amazing compliments about my dress and I felt like a total princess for the day." Now that's exactly what we like to hear!

Photos copyright www.creatememories.co.uk

The gown is style no. 411135 by Forever Yours. It has a sparkling, satin bodice and organza, A-line skirt with pick-ups individually detailed to match the bodice and the 60" train.

Kind words

Finally, Victoria was kind enough to say a few nice things about us.

"Thank you all so much for being so wonderful from start to finish, for the practical advice, for letting me take photos and for the amazing alteration work."

She continued, "I've been raving about Elderberry Brides to anyone who'll listen and championing the idea of a trip to Basingstoke for disillusioned or budget conscious brides as they might just snap up a fantastic bargain - but at the very least, they'll be treated like individuals and not like the next bride on a conveyor belt!"

We had an inkling that this might be a good news message when it dropped into our inbox and the subject line read 'A thousand thank you's...'.

But what struck me was that Victoria's kind words conveyed much more than a very welcome thank you to the team at Elderberry Brides, it also reminded me of why I wanted to be involved in the bridal industry in the first place - to help in any way I can to make all of our brides' wedding day more enjoyable, more memorable or more special.

In fact, it made me realise that we too owe a debt of gratitude to our many happy brides. So to each and every one of you I'd also like to say "a thousand thank you's". It's been an absolute pleasure.

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