Meet the Boho Bride team, discover what makes us unique and get all your bridal alterations questions answered all within in one handy video interview!

In this interview with the Boho Bride team – comprised of Lynette, Boho Bride’s Creative Director and Laura, Boho Bride’s In-House Designer and Seamstress – we explain everything you need to know about bridal alterations.

Lynette, when and why did you establish Boho Bride boutique?

Lynette:

It was over four years ago now. I’ve been in bridal, on and off, for about 15 years. I used to be a wedding planner many years ago. I’d been involved in the industry for a very long time.

A friend of mine told me that the Stratford Garden Centre had a new shopping courtyard, and I just had a lightbulb moment.

The garden centre is a nice day out. Brides come and have afternoon tea, or they come to the florist and jewellery shops.

Laura, how did you get started at Boho Bride?

Laura:

I came to the play area here with my son. At the time I was teaching theatre costume and I walked into the boutique and asked if Lynette needed anyone. I made my son sit on the floor and we just started chatting away and it all rolled from there.

I started by doing bridal alterations and then about a year in I started designing.

Lynette:

I always wanted to do my own collection and Laura had already done some bespoke work for our brides.

I’m not a designer but I know what I want and what’s commercial. So, we sat down together and I showed Laura some pictures and she sketched some designs, beautifully.

12 months later and we’d launched our own collection, the Boho Bride Freedom Collection.

Check out the biker jackets in the latest Boho Bride Freedom Collection.

Lynette:

Laura has been amazing. I couldn’t be where I am today without her. Laura’s amazing with the brides, a very calm influence on them.

Laura:

We’re incredibly similar.

Lynette:

Yeah, we’re both perfectionists and we know that it’s not about us, it’s about the brides. Laura has been very much part of the team; I couldn’t do without her.

Is it quite unusual to have an in-house seamstress?

Lynette:

It’s part of our whole concept that you’re getting the whole experience

Laura:

I think the difference is that some boutiques do have in-house seamstresses, whereas I’m a bespoke designer in my own right and because of that, pretty much nothing is off the table when it comes to altering wedding dresses.

What kind of alteration requests have you had?

Both in unison:

Everything.

Ok, so let’s start with the most challenging bridal alterations request you’ve had…

Lynette:

I think the most challenging request would be when a curvy girl came into our boutique and found the dress she wanted and promptly went away and lost three to four stone. So, we ordered the dress that she was at the time of her appointment and that was quite a challenge because there was so much work.

Laura:

Yeah, I had to take a considerable amount off the waistband and most places wouldn’t be able to have done that big an alteration to a piece.

That’s another thing we can do. We can do late pieces if a bride is planning on losing weight. We understand that people do want to look their best and so we will give them as much time as possible to lose everything that they want to and then we’ll do really quick bridal alterations at the end.

How much should brides budget for bridal alterations?

We do ours by an hourly rate.

Lynette:

I’d say the average is about £150-£200, but some of them are less than that.

Lynette:

Yeah, and some of them are a lot more.

What should brides bring along to their bridal alterations appointments?

Laura:

To start with, you want correct knickers because it really makes a difference. You don’t need to have your bridal shoes straight away.

See Boho Bride’s bohemian and vintage range of wedding shoes.

Lynette:

Rarely do we get a bride who needs a bra because the fitting is absolutely paramount so there isn’t any wriggle room.

Lynette:

Pants. Big pants. We always say big pants.

Laura:

We always say to go a size larger than you normally would because if you have something too tight it will cause a line, so we say a size larger so that it just sits on you.

What does Boho Bride offer that other boutiques don’t?

Lynette:

It’s all about having that personal service and treating every bride as an individual. I think it’s our job to listen to what the brides actually want while also making suggestions on things that maybe they hadn’t thought about.

I’ll always say to my brides, “once I’ve seen you in a few dresses, are you happy for me to make a few suggestions as to the sort of thing I think might suit you bearing in mind what you’ve already tried on.”

Sometimes they end up ordering the dress that we’ve picked out for them because they hadn’t thought about it but I know it’s a shape that will suit that bride and allow her personality to shine through.

We’re also very inclusive. It’s all about family – mums, sisters, friends, bridesmaids and children. We love having babies in here, don’t we?

Laura:

We had one girl who wouldn’t let her mum on the stool, and she was wearing the shoes her grandma wanted to try on.

Lynette:

Another one went in and helped herself to the high heels and was clomping around in them. It is very much a friendly, family feeling business. I want people to feel like they’re coming home when they come here.

When brides order their dresses we always say ‘welcome to the family’ because it is a family. We always have a giggle and a laugh.

You took that picture, didn’t you? It was Sophie wasn’t it? She had this big dress with lots of organza and I was right underneath all the layers and Laura took a picture of it and Sophie said it’s one of her favourite pictures.

So, that’s really important to us, that brides go away and they absolutely love their time here with us.

How’s best for brides to get in touch?

Through our contact page, or just pick the phone up or send us an email. Or message us on Facebook, Instagram. That’s it, we just want brides to bring themselves and an open mind.