Marie Blanche Bridal is a new shop selling plus-sized and fuller figure bridal gowns, currently based on Doncaster Road in the town centre. We recently featured their upcoming bridal show to find local plus-sized models, you can see that here. In between their busy day of bride appointments, I asked them a few questions.

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How long has Marie Blanche Bridal been around?

'It will be our first year anniversary on the 4th of April. We started out with just ex-sample wedding dresses but found we had no control over what stock we got and most of our customers that came to us were fuller figured and we couldn't always help them. We began inside one of Carlton's industrial estates but no one could find us, so we moved to the Piper's Buildings near the Metrodome which worked great. We then heard about this unit that we have now been in for 6 weeks and we are getting so many more customers coming to us now. Being on Doncaster Road is great as there are other bridal and wedding shops on the same street and we all help each other out.'

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What are your main brands?

'Phil Collins Bridal, Venus Bridal, Callista, Bonny, Soncie, Veromonia and Lou Lou are a few, we start at size 16  and they begin around £755 for a gown. We also stock veils, tiaras, belts and other jewellery pieces from brands such as Linzi Jay, Warren York Veils and handmade in-house jewellery.'

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What services do you offer to your clients?

'We offer fittings everytime and we have an alterations service. We like to create a relaxed atmosphere, not pressuring them to choose particular dresses whilst still offering our advice to make sure they look their best. Getting to know our clients is integral to making their day perfect and knowing exactly what they want, especially after them telling us they've had bad experiences elsewhere. We need to be sensitive to the language we use with being a fuller figured bridal shop. We also have 'Flowers by Suzi', in-house flower arrangements and bouquets, as well as wedding stationary and favours to match any themes.'

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What are your future goals for Marie Blanche Bridal?

'Our shop unit has an upstairs room that we want to convert into a themed bridal area, as we are being asked for more themed dresses instead of the traditional white gowns. We are aiming to be the best we can be, the best at customer service whilst still having a relaxed atmosphere and being inline with our customers needs.'

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Tell us about your upcoming Bridal Show?

' We have our 1st year anniversary bridal show on Sunday April 9th at 6pm,showcasing our plus sized and fuller figure gowns at The Metrdome, in the Rigby Suite. We have already sold 70+ of the tickets, which are for free. You can pop into the shop to pick up your free tickets to attend the fashion show.'



Marie Blanche Bridal, 34 Doncaster Road, Barnsley, S70 1TL

Call 01226 872829

www.marieblanchebridal.co.uk - www.facebook.com/marieblanchebridal