I WON AN AWARD! SO WHAT...?!

It was with great delight, a large helping of disbelief, and a whole lot of whooping, that two weeks ago I picked up my first ever Wedding Industry Award at a glitzy event hosted at Heaton House Farm in Cheshire.

Post awards I grinned so hard that my face did genuinely start to ache. I joyfully accepted congratulations from my fellow wedding industry friends, and I celebrated...Hard!

When I woke the next morning, the first thing I did, was to sit up in bed and lift my shiny, Wedding Industry Awards award from the bedside table, stare at it to make sure I hadn't imagined the whole thing, and start to relive and relish the whole awards ceremony experience over again in my head.

The intervening two weeks has involved even more recounting of that Glorious night to friends, family, colleagues, and potential customers, and in that time, through the recounting of how I felt, why it was so exciting for me, and why I ended up staying up way past my bedtime to sip on a few glasses of bubbles, I've had the chance to ask myself...so what?! Why are awards like the one I picked up for the North West's Wedding Accessory Designer of the year, so important? What does it actually mean?

So what? For me:

To win a nationally recognised award at the Wedding Industry Awards gives me something exciting, tangible and credible to shout about! I can blog about it, send out press releases to local media. I can let my followers on social media know, announce it on my website, tell visitors to my studio, as well as the people I meet at wedding fairs. It creates a buzz around my wedding accessories supplied by voting from past Glorious brides, which in turn gives me a big opportunity to raise awareness of the quality of my products and service.

So what? For my customers:

An award from the Wedding Industry Awards is an instantly recognised mark of approval for businesses involved in supplying goods, services and expertise to brides, grooms and their family and friends. To be shortlisted for such an award tells my future customers that I'm an established professional. To win the award tells my future customers that I'm established, and recognised as something special in my field!

So what? For the future:

Through winning the regional award for Wedding Accessory Designer of the year, I'm now through to the national Wedding Industry Awards held in London in January.

I get to buy a dress for the awards do! And shoes!

After the January awards, I get to actually see the comments made by past Glorious brides when they voted for me. This is invaluable to me and my business, as it gives me the chance to see what my brides think I do well, and plan to develop those aspects of my service. It also allows me to see where the gaps are in what I currently offer brides and their bridal parties, and plan to improve those areas.

So thank you TWIA:

For arranging an award that is voted for by past brides, giving businesses like mine a true reflection of what we're doing well; and for giving us the chance to get together, to kick off our shoes, and to celebrate our industry and what we do best.

So thank you Glorious brides:

For taking the time to vote for me, and by doing so, giving me the chance to tell future Glorious brides that they can expect award winning accessories and service when they come to Glorious Tiaras.

Roll on January and London!

http://the-wedding-industry-awards.co.uk

Thanks for your thanks!

Ask any of my friends and family and they'll tell you I'm all about the Summer! Long evenings spent pottering around my garden; walking the dog; sitting outside the local for a drink with friends; lapping up whatever warmth comes our way. I don't do the dark, cold, and wet that come with the Winter months. Not easily anyway. So, it used to be, before launching Glorious Tiaras 3 years ago, that I would welcome Autumn and it's vibrant colours with an edge of melancholy at the thought of the dark months ahead.

How that's changed in recent times!

Why?

Because after the rush of summer orders, summer weddings and Glorious summer brides, come the pictures sent to me, by my brides, of them wearing their Glorious accessories on their amazing wedding days! Those pictures never fail to make me feel a warm glow, and really do brighten up the dullest of days!

Image courtesy of Chelsea Shoesmith Photography

Then there are my brides reviews of my work. All reviews are important to me and my business. It's through knowing what I did well; what my brides appreciated about my service; and what is sometimes left unsaid, that I can develop plans to continue to improve what Glorious Tiaras offers to brides. And above all, knowing that one of my brides has taken the time out of her busy, post wedding schedule, to write a review, send a card, or an email, leaves me with the best of feelings about what I do.

Reviews are amazing tools. They reassure future Glorious brides that I am good at what I do, that I'm friendly, approachable, knowledgeable, helpful, and that Glorious accessories are exactly that - Glorious!

I use those valuable reviews on social media, when I'm entering awards, and as a tool to help me plan for my business, so when they pop up in my inbox, I can't help but feel happy.

Autumn is also the time when I work on new designs for the following year's collections. Spending time gathering inspiration, settling on a theme, sketching, and trying out new ideas, before finally getting to work on designs that are going to bring my brides looks to life next year, is a joyous and exciting time.

So, far from dreading the shortening of days, the changing colours, the need to throw on a few extra layers, I say 'bring it on'! Bring on the brides, the reviews, and the plans for the fresh 2016 wedding season.

Rocking those Vintage Brooch Bouquets!

Glorious Vintage Brooch Bouquets
in stock at Rocks for Frocks

When exhibiting at wedding fairs I'm often asked if I have 'a shop', the short answer to this question is 'no'. The longer answer is that I'm proud to be a member of a growing army of small business women and designers who work out of a home studio. I have always welcomed visitors by appointment and pull out all the stops to make you feel very, very welcome when you pop by the studio to try on some of our Glorious hair accessories! However, I recognise that a number of my clients need to tie in their wedding shopping with other related stuff, which is why I was delighted when Gail of Rocks for Frocks approached me at an event to discuss stocking our bespoke vintage brooch bouquets at her outlet in Liverpool's The Wedding House.

The Wedding House,
Great Gorge Place, Liverpool

Crystal Vintage Brooch Bouquet
©E&MArts Photography

North West brides, if you haven't been, make time in your busy schedules to pop by The Wedding House! Several floors within this imposing Gothic building offer you the chance to talk to everyone from dress suppliers, cake designers, stationers, photographers and of course, accessory designers. A great starting point for the newly engaged, and the perfect place to tick off those final items on your wedding day 'to do' list.

Our bespoke vintage brooch bouquets are in stock NOW at Rocks for Frocks, 2nd Floor, The Wedding House, 3-4 Great George Place, Liverpool. L1 7AG.

www.theweddinghouse.co.uk/index.html

www.glorioustiaras.co.uk/section/bouquets

A GLORIOUS FIRST MEETING!

First things first. We haven't met before have we? Oh, you've heard of Glorious Tiaras? Well, let me introduce myself properly...!

At my friend's wedding in Italy! 

I'm Heidi (BA Hons Creative Arts), I design and handcraft all Glorious Tiaras, hair accessories and vintage brooch bouquets. I graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1991. My first 'proper' job was working as a photographic researcher for a fab company called The Image Bank. Heady times, networking with ad agencies, design companies, PR set ups, magazines, and travel companies.

In 1996 I married the man who has ever since, made me feel loved and valued, and took off around the world on an 18 month honeymoon. We climbed mountains, dived coral reefs, danced on white sand beaches, and all the while I kept a notebook of sketches of the art, architecture, and patterns, used in the tiling of Indian palaces, Thai temples, and on the textiles sold by roadside vendors in Indonesia.

Once home it was time for starting a family and a career presenting a daily programme for local radio. Sounds glam, but juggling childcare so as to be able to set up a 7am outside broadcast on a chilly Sunday morning to talk to a tired, grumpy, local politician - not so glam. I did get to meet and interview some great people though! Victoria Pendleton, Nadia Sawalha, and Sir David Nicholas CBE, to name a few, but, despite loving radio, there was still the unfinished business of a passion for creating, a book full of designs, and the knowledge that even when interviewing people from diverse backgrounds, the feedback that I got was that I was a good listener who could interpret the needs of others in an exciting and engaging way. Oh, and then there was a love of being a part of someone's wedding day, a love of sparkly things, a love of vintage jewellery, and an inspiring visit to the V&A's tiara exhibition...and before I knew where I was I had a workshop full of unique, handcrafted, vintage inspired tiaras, bridal hair accessories, and genuine vintage brooch bouquets. I gave up the day job, booked a stand at the National Wedding Show, got featured by wedding blogs, took orders, had great feedback, won an award and, well, like I say, lovely to meet you properly.

Now, tell me about your wedding plans ;)
www.glorioustiaras.co.uk

Me & the Mr on a very Glorious day!

Billie Side Tiara