I must admit when we got a call to discuss the chance of working with Gok Wan and the Beautiful Productions team I was a little sceptical, you see we’ve been invited to be part of celeb programmes and TV shows before and if I’m honest were treated a tad unfairly on a few occasions. It is hugely tempting becoming involved with celebs for a small independent wedding dress business like ours, but sometimes these things aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be. And so it was with trepidation that we agreed to be part of Gok Wan’s ‘One Size Fits All’ Essex roadshow as the bridal catwalk sponsor.
This weekend was the big event! And after weeks of working with our Designers and pulling together a capsule collection of wedding dresses that we felt would showcase Abigail’s Collection and appeal to a wide audience, we finally got to enjoy the day and work with Gok himself! One word to describe the experience? No, wait, lets have two words; bloody awesome!!!
I’ve always been inspired by Gok Wan, I loved his ‘How to Look Good Naked’ series and have often been impressed by his advice and guidance on TV, in short - I think he keeps it real, he seems like a nice Guy and he most definitely knows what he’s doing and we really got to work ‘with’ him so all in all the experience was absolutely superb.
So on Saturday SJ and I loaded up the car and trundled off to Three Rivers Golf Club for our Styling Consultation with Sophie the Fashion Show Producer. She was awesome (much like everyone that we met from the One Size Fits All team); beautiful, positive, super chilled out and clearly a total Pro! What a mission she had! A real challenge to style 90 looks from six different boutiques and on 8 different models and all pulled together by her just the day before the actual event but ‘No pressure Sophie’ took it all in her stride and totally smashed it with several ah-maaazing catwalk shows. Am quite sure that the other brands involved were as thrilled as I was when they saw their fab outfits being showcased! It was such a great moment to hear Gok talk about Abigail’s Collection and then to of course see the beautiful models strut their stuff in our fabulous wedding dresses!
Gok’s a positive, confidence boosting Stylist and I really hoped that’s how he would be for real when we started working together. I’ve got to say he really didn’t disappoint - he is an absolute light of positivity and vibrancy. He’s funny, charismatic and down to earth. Not only is he passionate about helping independent boutiques on the high street to flourish but he is has a genuine warmth, kindness and interest with those in which he engages.
So following the styling consultation on Saturday. It was time to head along to Three Rivers for the event day itself yesterday. First of all we met Gok and attended the closed catwalk for an event run through and dress rehearsal. Then sometime after 10am almost 300 women gathered to enjoy The Gok Wan ‘One Size Fits All’ masterclass. The whole day was absolutely fantastic. With tips, demos, catwalks and Q&A sessions guests were treated to fizz on arrival, brunch and the chance to win a complete makeover. A really lovely lady called Claire won, her friend told us that she had lost 21 stone and felt she was a deserving winner. She looked stunning, absolutely stunning! What an incredible journey that lady has been on.
So as you can see agreeing to be part of the show was such a brilliant decision and an exciting project for us. We really felt that our ethos as a business matched so well to the One Size Fits All mission! Much like Gok himself our bridal stylists at Abigail’s Collection aim to boost body confidence and self-esteem on a daily basis! We really encourage our brides to embrace their bodies and feel good about themselves! So many brides feel nervous or self-conscious about wedding dress shopping and never before have women been so critical of themselves! It’s magnified enormously when you’re a bride preparing for the biggest day of your life! Add to that the pressure of lots of people watching you on your wedding day and BOOM! For some brides it’s really hard! When Suzy explained to me that their tour brand mission was to instill more confidence in women up and down the country we were excited to be a part of it.
The Essex roadshow at Three Rivers was a massive hit with the audience leaving the show feeling uplifted and inspired. Gok Wan is a staunch believer that women should embrace their bodies and learn to love themselves! Following the event he said ‘Our tour so far has been incredible and the Essex event was absolutely fantastic! The energy and vibe of the day was perfect, so many beautiful women gathered to enjoy our catwalks and styling demos! The boutiques and brands involved were headed up by some ultra- passionate business owners who work so incredibly hard to ensure that our High Street remains vibrant and that women have incredible places to shop. It was a blast, thank you Essex!’ And of Abigail’s Collection Gok said ‘Abi and her team were great, they have boundless energy and enthusiasm for ensuring that women feel amazing which is, at the heart of it what the ‘One Size Fits All’ tour is about! Getting married can be stressful and feeling good about yourself as a bride is so hugely important, Abi’s dresses were gorgeous and the team were really great fun to work with’.
Thank you so much Gok and to the whole team too; Georgia, Natalie, Suzy, Peter, Sophie and Chris! It was so inspiring working with you all and watching Gok weave his magic, he genuinely strives to reach out and make a difference to women in an intimate and positive way at these up close and personal shows, it’s really moving stuff and we were so proud to be involved.
Gok really bares all on this tour, he shares personal stories and examples of his own life and self-esteem journey to help us women understand that loving yourself really is the number one route to looking and feeling good. Congratulations to all of the brilliant brands involved and thank you Gok & Co for a memorable and inspiring day. It really was a once in a lifetime chance and we loved every minute of it! Gok you bloody rock, enjoy the rest of the tour and some and see us again in Essex soon!
At Abigail's Collection we are an award winning wedding dress / bridal wear shop based in Colchester, Essex. Visit us and book an appointment for beautiful wedding dresses and bridal wear for Brides, and Bridesmaids.