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!

Wow!! It’s certainly been busy for us!! The shop has literally been buzzing with lots of lovely Essex Brides and Grooms some of which are still shopping for Summer 2010 weddings!!!  Girls, Girls,Girls …. why have you left it this long?  Well don’t panic, it’s no problem – if you still need help with your wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses or Groomswear for Summer 2010 just contact us and we’ll get you booked in asap…  On a personal note February’s always a big month for Neill celebrations, of course there is Valentines day but Rob and I also enjoyed our birthdays this month (well I sort of enjoyed it but realised it was finally time to invest in some new anti-wrinkle cream much to the delight of Estee Lauder!).  On 26th of Feb we celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary, this year it’s represented by wood!  Yes, it’s Wood?!! (When exactly is it gold or diamonds Ladies?)  Anyway, ‘wood’ aside, we’ve booked the day off work and intend to do something lovely together, perhaps lunch somewhere special and a romantic dog walk in the ‘woods’.  I may persuade Rob to watch our wedding dvd again.  I always cry when I watch it.  Our wedding day at Layer Marney Tower was everything that we had dreamt of, we had so much fun together and I have often wished that we could have our wedding day all over again which is (drum roll please) why I am soooooooo excited to tell you about our latest project ‘The Essex Wedding Belle Ball’, it’s a chance for us to wear our wedding dresses again whilst the Guys glam it up in a Tux!!  The venue will be set with with a special red carpet entrance and a sparkling champagne reception followed by fabulous dinner and dance.  I’ve got a very special evening lined up with some brilliant entertainers – it’s going to be absolutely fabulous, the date is May 28th.  Of course like many of you I need to suss out if I can actually fit into my dress but I’ve got my Seamstresses on stand by for us all so don’t worry if like me your dress needs a little alteration here and there (out!).  By the way if you would like friends to join you (married or not) they are welcome just so long as they follow the dress code too…. See you all there, it’s going to be fantastic! x

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….

If you’ve been to our wedding dress shop (and enjoyed one of the best bridal shopping experiences in Essex!) then you’ll know that we are often quite nosey and like to ask about the proposal! Until today one of my favourite Essex proposal stories was the Guy who asked his (now) fiancé to marry him over the radio. Now I have a new favourite … a lucky lady was holidaying in Egypt with her Boyfriend. They were doing what all couples should do when visiting Egypt and were snorkelling together around a beautiful coral reef. After a while she noticed that he had his hand in his pocket and diplomatically she swam away thinking that he may be having a wee!!!! (her words not mine, and c’mon, he’s not the only one surely!!?). Little did she know that he was carefully trying to grab the diamond ring that he had in his swimming shorts pocket!! Finally he managed to call her back and romantically he proposed underwater to her without dropping the ring!!! She is thrilled and the couple are set to tie the know at Crabbs Barn followed by a romantic honeymoon in Koh-Samui. Good Luck Anne-Marie and thanks so much for sharing your story, we loved it and you made us all giggle x