Luella's Bridal London | Interview

If you haven’t quite nailed the wedding dress hunt and are starting to lose hope, panic not. A gem of a boutique lies in Wimbledon Village: Luella’s Bridal London – a bridal boutique founded by Rachel Attwell in 2005 – where brides-to-be can find that something a little bit different…

Having visited the store myself, I can honestly say it’s a bridal delight. You’ll be treated to a luxurious setting, incredible exclusive designers that you won’t find anywhere else, a gorgeous bridal experience and impeccable service! What more could you want?

I caught up with the founder, Rachel Attwell, to find out more about the boutique just for you…

Photography: Maxeen Kim Photography

#1 Where did the idea of Luella’s Bridal boutique spring from? What inspired you to create such an enchanting boutique for brides-to-be?

“It was actually when I was getting married myself. I couldn’t find anywhere that stocked a really good selection of beautiful, non-traditional dresses, bridesmaids dresses and accessories, so I decided to create my own store doing just that. I also wanted to create a beautiful shopping environment that felt very relaxed and private so that brides could really enjoy the experience of choosing their outfit and our cosy little Wimbledon boutique is the perfect little hidden gem.”

Photography: Maxeen Kim Photography

#2 What is signature to Luella’s Bridal boutique? Why should brides visit you?

“We have a really unique selection of products including bespoke accessory collections and we are the exclusive UK stockists for all of our wedding dress designs. Brides should come to Luella’s if they are looking for something that is a little bit different. We have a real mix of vintage, bohemian and modern styles, all of which are easily wearable and perfect for weddings both here in the UK and abroad.”

Photography: Maxeen Kim Photography

#3 Your selection of designers is just fabulous, as is the Luella’s Bridal Collection. Tell us a little bit about the collection and where the inspiration for the dresses came from.

“We are actually working on our second collection which will be launching this Autumn. The original collection is something that we are very proud of and is something that we were working on for a very long time. We really wanted it to stand out as something a little bit different and because of that we chose to use some really sumptuous fabrics in a range of beautiful colours, commissioned our own bespoke lace and had some bespoke trims created for the dresses. The collection can be described as Modern Bohemian with a British Victoriana influence and has been inspired by the feminine floaty shapes of bohemianism mixed with the glamorous Biba style of the late 70’s. The dresses are a combination of long loose flowing skirts, intricate looped chain detailing and beaded floral motifs indicative of boho style fashion and the intricate laces, long sleeved and high necked frocks of the Victorian era.”

Photography: Maxeen Kim Photography

#4 Describe a regular 9-5pm day at Luella’s Bridal boutique…

“Well, no day is ever 9 till 5 because we open at 10.30 with a late shopping night on a Thursday until 8.30 and the beauty of working in bridal is that no two days are ever the same! Our day always revolves around the customer and it really depends on when they are getting married, whether they are just hoping to buy a dress or whether they would like us to help to style them from head to toe, whether they need help dressing their bridesmaids or just general advice on planning for their wedding. All of these take up different lengths of time and a typical day would usually include a mix of all of the above. Everything else needs to fit in around that so we are usually really busy sourcing new products, finalising designs, planning events such as our designer previews which are held in store or organising things like our Manchester pop up which will be taking place together with our shoe partner Charlotte Mills in Manchester from 22nd – 24th of June this year.”

Above: Holly by Limor Rosen

#5 What’s the most rewarding thing for you working with brides-to-be and designers in bridal?

“I think the most rewarding thing is helping our brides to find their own bridal style. We sometimes have customers who come to us in a bit of a panic because they have no idea of what they are going to wear or what their wedding is going to look like and it’s really quite special when you reach the end of an appointment and they leave feeling much more confident in themselves and the decisions that they have made. We also work with a great selection of designers many of which have been with us for several years. Its exciting to see what beautiful designs they will come up with each season! We also love working with our accessory designers to ensure that everything sits perfectly together to create whole outfits for our brides.”