We were delighted to accept the kind of invitation of Lisa and Dave of Vow Bridal, one of our fabulous new stockists, to attend the official launch event on Sunday 4th September. Despite everything that the great British weather and motorways could throw at us (torrential rain, strong winds, and back-to-back traffic jams on the M3 and M25), we made our way towards the pretty village of Wansford, near Peterborough - the location of the lovely Haycock Hotel and the Vow Bridal Gallery. After a couple of hours travelling, we spotted a chink of blue in the very dull, dark grey skies – I like to think of this as a sign of great things to come!
About 20 miles further on, we picked up signs for Wansford, and within a few minutes the grey skies turned blue and the rain had stopped, with the sun putting in an appearance as we turned into the driveway of the historic Haycock Hotel. The Haycock Hotel is a beautiful country hotel with parts of the building dating back to the sixteenth century – it’s claimed that Mary Queen of Scots stayed at The Haycock as well as Queen Victoria. Located on the Great North Road of old, The Haycock would have seen many historic scenes - armies marching north and south; Johnson and Boswell on the road to Scotland -and back; and highwayman Dick Turpin on his fabled ride to York astride his mare Black Bess would have, at least notionally, thundered past. What a setting for an elegant bridal boutique, and as we turned the corner, we saw the first signs for the stunning Vow Bridal Gallery:
The concept of Vow Bridal is something that we are all excited about and only too pleased to lend our support to this fabulous new venture! When we first met Lisa and Dave back at the British Bridal Exhibition in March this year, we were bowled over by their excitement, enthusiasm and customer-focused approach to their new boutique – it all sounded amazing – and when we heard that the lease had been signed on the property they had their eyes on, we were truly delighted for them. A fabulous selection of gowns were duly chosen, and work started on the Gallery in earnest. The quality and beauty of the final result is testament to the dedication of Lisa and Dave to realise their dream (with the great support of their family and friends – many of whom we met at the launch party).
Whilst enjoying vintage champagne and canapes in the beautiful low-beamed Bentley Room of The Haycock, we had the pleasure of meeting family, friends, brides (and grooms) to-be, local business owners and well-wishers, along with fellow designers Annabel Jenkins and Sanyukta Shrestha whose collections are also available at Vow. During the champagne reception, organised groups made their way over to the Gallery to see the results of Lisa and Dave’s hard work. We made our way over the old flagstones in the courtyard with a canapy of trees over our heads and flowers planted all around, towards the Gallery. Wow. Wow. and WOW!
A delightful, stunning boutique awaited us in its very beautiful setting. On the ground floor, a superb selection of groomswear for the most discerning groom – with fabulous leather seats, state of the art plasma TV’s, and an amazing coffee machine(!) – very masculine, but with a relaxed, chilled feel.
Upstairs is the beautifully designed and very chic bridal Gallery. A veritable feast of beautiful gowns, accessories and sparkling tiaras and veils beautifully displayed in vintage style cabinets. Vow Bridal work on an appointment basis so that they can dedicate their time to the unique needs of each bride and groom, spending time with them in a beautiful, yet relaxed environment to help find the perfect gown or groomswear.
An elegant and comfortable seating area in the bridal gallery….
The oh so pretty dressing room.
Beautiful displays in the bridal gallery… A selection of some of the gowns at Vow…
(left) Lisa, co-owner of Vow Bridal, with Natalie, Designer of the Madeline Isaac-James collection.
(right) the Victorian inspired ‘May’ gown from the Madeline Isaac-James collection.
So, at the end of a very successful launch event, Vow Bridal Gallery has officially opened today. Everyone at Madeline Isaac-James wishes Lisa and Dave the very best in their fabulous new venture, and we are really looking forward to working with them. With such a can-do, positive approach and a genuine wish to provide the very, very best in customer service along with an exceptional selection of beautiful gowns and groomswear, it is inevitable that Vow Bridal Gallery will be a success. We urge all brides in the region to make an appointment to visit Vow – you will not be disappointed! Contact Vow to make your appointment on 01780 781101 or visit their website at www.vowbridal.co.uk
after a TREMENDOUS show at the British Bridal Exhibition last weekend. I’d like to thank everyone involved, including the GREAT MIJ team – Clive, Paula, Rebecca, and Seon- who helped make the show such an amazing success! The image to the right is of the MIJ team having some celebratory bubbly at the Designer catwalk show! (from left to right); Seon, Rebecca, Natalie, Paula, and Clive (standing). Image courtesy of Jonathan Ryan from 
