A Day at The Old Kent Barn

We love nothing more than being able to work with gorgeous venues and local wedding suppliers so when we got a message from the wonderful Kylie at The Old Kent Barn in Dover about an opportunity to be apart of their showcase day on Sunday 8th January - we knew it was something we could not miss!

Photo by - Olegs & Rita Photography

Their showcase day was a chance for their booked couples to see the wedding venue in action with suppliers dotted around in the areas relevant to where they would be. I was in the dressing room where the brides get ready for their big day, with the lovely ???

It was Hannahs birthday the day of the showcase so I packed up the car with dresses and headed off solo to the day. I was blown away by the venue, I had always heard about The Old Kent Barn and had looked on their gorgeous instagram but in person...WOW! The outside ceremony space is just magical. I went and met the organisers and was taken to the dressing room. A beautiful airy room where the bride and her bridal party get ready. Greeted with a lovely goodie bag filled with sweet treats to keep us going, I was so looked after throughout the day and could not fault their hospitality.

Photo by - Olegs & Rita Photographer

I had a wonderful day meeting engaged couples excited about their wedding day and chatting about the plans for their big day and then once the grooms got the nod by the brides and they headed out of the room, we could get down to the dress details! Which is always my favourite part!

Mauve by Ellis Bridals got a-lot of attention (understandably) and the over-skirt trend was certainly popular.

I had such a lovely day and was so nice to meet new vendors and be able to work with such a gorgeous, award winning venue!

If you are newly engaged and still looking for your venue and 'barn' is on your wish list - please go and take a look at The Old Kent Barn - You won't be disappointed!

Give them a follow:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theoldkentbarn/

Don't shop for the sake of Shopping!

Yay!! You're engaged, your finger is sparkling like never before, and the excitement is real! All the talk turns to what kind of dress you're going to go for, and your bridal party is naturally forming. The most tempting thing to do is go straight to Google and find your local bridal boutique and book in, just because… DON’T!

Wedding dress shopping is not something to do lightly, as it can be overwhelming if you haven’t prepared yourself or are not in the headspace to say ‘Yes’ to ‘The One’. So before you click book, take a breath and stop and do the below first;

Step One:

Think about the type of wedding you and your partner want, size, venue, time of year and when. Although you shouldn't choose a dress just based on where you are getting married, it can play a big part on the type of dress you have.

Step Two:

Once you have done the above, check out any boutiques that you may have seen and are interested in visiting, see if they stock designers that you are liking the look of or fit your big day. Hone in on your dress shopping wish list, whether that be by designer or boutique.

Step Three:

Organise who and when you want to go. For advice on who to take, have a look at our blog …. Or when to shop … Once you have decided on both of these now you can get booking!!

Lastly:

Be ready to say ‘Yes’! Go shopping ready to find ‘The One’ if you find it. Once you have done all the above now you can get booking!!

If you do all the above rather than just shopping for the sake of shopping, I promise you that it will be a much better experience from start to finish. Yes, you may be nervous at first, but knowledge is power and you will be ready!

If you are ready to book your bridal appointment, we are here to help and we can't wait to help you find your dream dress. Book Now.

Vicki's 2022 Round-up.

2022 Where do we begin?... We have had the best year meeting all our lovely brides, turning One, Two Bridal weeks, Three new designers and not to forgot having our first season of brides getting married.

So maybe let's take it right back to the start. After a Christmas break, we were so excited to be back in the boutique, especially with the arrival of Ellis Bridals. As some of you that follow us will know, Ellis was such a big moment for us. Ellis was the first designer we fell in love with when we first decided to open Vicki’s. So naturally the first thing we did as soon as they arrived was play dress up.

January also brought a lot of bride collections, which was super exciting. Getting to see our brides again and see them get THEIR dress, making it all feel that little bit closer.

March brought our first London Bridal Week and honestly if you follow us @vickisbride then yes we were having as much as it looked. We shopped our second Kelsey Rose collection, met with The Perfect Bridal Company, enjoyed bubbles and fashion shows. We also made lovely connections with other boutique owners. Even got our photo with David Emanuel!

As we headed into the Spring of 2022 Vicki’s turned One, we celebrated our first year by opening our doors to brides, friends and family to browse the dresses and sip on bubbles. We were so proud of how far we had come, in our first year, and loved every minute of being able to share it with everyone.

Spring felt so busy with lots of brides that needed a quick turn around, which brought with it mix emotions of excitement and stress trying to make sure we could get our brides their dream dress in time. The end of Spring also brought with it the Rustic Fair and the start of wedding seasons and, by far the most awarding part of 2022, seeing all our brides say ‘I Do’!

Getting home in the evening, hearing that little bing of a DM from one of our brides sharing their gorgeous photos with us was the best feeling, making us feel so proud. Hannah had the real honour of also helping her close friend find her dream dress, watch this space as photos will be coming soon!

As we rolled into summer we organised our first styled shoot with a local venue, Combe Farm, working with other local vendors to create some beautiful content for all involved. This was such a fun day, working with some amazing people and we can’t wait to do another one next year.

Over the Summer, Megan attended various styled shoot, allowing us to showcase our gorgeous dress in different settings. She also managed to book some of the vendors for her own wedding along the way. As summer came to an end, it meant only one thing … New Kelsey Rose was coming soon.

Autumn is by far our favourite time of year and this year we headed off on a little road trip to the Home of Bridal, Harrogate for Bridal Week. We had heard so much about Harrogate and it didn’t disappoint. We started off with a gorgeous Afternoon Tea at the famous Betty’s with the lovely ladies from Ashleigh Richard’s we met back in March at the London Bridal Week and then it was time to get exploring. This is when we also went on to discover Freda Bennett, our newest collection and Bobby Pin who you can now find in the boutique.

As the year draws to an end we have been busy focusing on all the lovely brides that have visited the boutique and making plans for 2023. Megan also had a very special moment of helping her best friend from nursery find her perfect dress for her big day next November. This year really has been amazing and we have been overwhelmed by the support from not only our lovely brides but also all the people we have met along the way from vendors to other local businesses around us. We are so excited to see what 2023 brings and can’t wait to share it with you.

Thank you and Happy New Year

Love

Hannah & Megan x