Well it certainly feels as though it’s been a long winter!  I think that customers and staff alike are feeling the benefits of the long over due Spring sunshine.  Personally I love Spring and not just for the sun but for the sense of ‘newness’ that it brings.  Spring’s all about growth and development and Abigail’s Collection is defintiely in full Spring mode!!…  Just a few weeks ago Lauren sadly left to have major foot surgery.  The first of this year’s (two maybe three) operations has gone well though and she’s being nursed by her Mum (and dog Clover).  Everyone wishes her well.  We miss Lauren already and Rob sarcastically says he has no one to tease anymore!!  Lisa and N’swana have been working like troopers this month (well done and thank you girls) and we’re all ready to welcome our new Manager ‘Kirsty Vaughan’ who joins tomorrow!  With 5 years industry experience and a natural passion for all things bridal we’re really excited that she’ll be working with us.  It’s certainly a busy time to be joining because the business is expanding with an additional 1500 sq ft, yes I said an additional 1500 sq ft!!!  Watch this space for news of our swanky refurbishment and exciting July launch.  Customers are really positive about the expansion and we’ve had some lovely feedback from Brides.  On Saturday amidst the usual bridal buzz we welcomed back two previous Abigail’s Collection Brides with their Sisters for whom this time, it was their turn for a wedding dress; Hayley (was) Hart and Claire (was) Ferris came to see us with their lovely bride to be Sisters Claire and Kirsty.  Many congratulations to Claire (was Ferris) who is now Mum to a little girl called Grace (we love that name) ….. and thank you to Hayley for the beautiful Aruba wedding day picture, we loved it so much we decided it was a perfect pic for this sunshine themed blog …. just looking at it makes me want to book a holiday, maybe I could squeeze into Claire Hart’s suitcase when she goes off for her St Lucia wedding abroad, she’ll need someone to get her into her dress after all?!… Mmm, I think Rob may have something to say about that little trip, if only because he doesn’t trust me and my airport shopping reputation!

The damp, dreary and cold weather has kicked in and so what did Rob and I decide to do???…. find an excellent last minute deal online and book a holiday to Mauritius! We went for a week and it was aaaaaamazing, I feel very lucky indeed, it was a holiday to remember forever!!! Whilst Rob and I were relaxing in the sun Lauren, Kirsty, Nswana and Lisa held the forte fabulously well, they had a very busy week and so a huge well done girls! For anyone that is considering Mauritius for their honeymoon or wedding I say ‘go for it’! The weather was beautiful, the food was lovely and the Mauritian people are wonderful. Highlights of our romantic holiday included a trip to a tropical bird park where we had a once in a lifetime experience of walking with lions, we were safely guided by a South African Keeper and walked with two Lions for an hour through a sunlit forest, it was awesome. Also whilst in Mauritius we visited a beautiful Hindu temple and the stunning Chameral waterfalls. We stayed on the east coast in a hotel called the Sugar beach. We saw several wonderful weddings taking place there, a few were set in the beautiful gardens and one or two on the stunning beach. One couple had a very quick and vey windy ceremony and then spent so long having photographs taken (literally about three and a half hours) all of their guests got bored and seemed to leave!! We all know it’s important to capture the moment but I wanted to tell them to quit the photo shoot and go and celebrate their wonderful occasion with their guests before it was too late!! Other shop news …. It’s awards season and our fourth year competing in the Colchester Business awards …. This year we are in the final for not one but two award categories including ‘Growing Business’ and ‘Excellence in Customer Services’. We are very excited about attending the awards ceremony on November 27th so watch this space and please keep everything crossed for us….

Many Congratulations to the lovely Jayne and Mark Hillsdon who have returned from Las Vegas after their fabulous wedding. Their ceremony took place at the world famous Little White Wedding Chapel on Las Vegas Boulevard. Jayne looked gorgeous, she wore a stunning ivory strapless wedding gown by Hilary Morgan. Her beautiful a-line cut dress is adorned with crystal and sparkly lace detail. Jayne sent us a lovely e-mail which said ”Considering the first time I came in to see you, I was so distressed, as the whole idea of wearing a dress absolutely terrified me, but you did a fantastic job helping me choose the right dress and on the day I really did feel like a princess walking through the Bellagio. Mark’s suit was the perfect choice for Vegas and he looked amazing. We had so many people stop to congratulate us and to take photos, it was fantastic. Everything went according to plan, Elvis was a scream, he certainly made us laugh!…’ Mr & Mrs Hillsdon are now busy preparing for the second round of wedding celebrations here in the UK and we wish them another wonderful day. We think that they are a lovely couple and it’s been a complete pleasure assisting with all of the wedding outfits x