A Dream Job

Penny says:

"The past six weeks have been fantastic! We are delighted with the response to our shop and more importantly to our beautiful gowns!

Claire and I can't believe that this is called "work". We love meeting the brides and helping plan their day to remember whilst sharing in the excitement. Each day is different and every bride that visits our boutique brings new and fresh zest.

Trying on wedding gowns can be quite overwhelming. We recently read that a bride should try on no more than 10 dresses. Trying on more dresses only creates confusion and uncertainty. So often brides end up buying the gown they tried on first anyway.

We like to give our brides all the personal attention they deserve in selecting their dream gown. We truly do enjoy assisting in their choices and the brides have been relaxed and friendly too. We are yet to find a bridezilla!

If this is a dream job..... I think we have found it!"

Winston Churchill said:
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

The Transformation

" But what was this he saw mirrored in the clear water? He saw beneath him his own image, but it was no longer the image of an awkward, dirty, grey bird, ugly and repulsive - he himself was a swan!" Expert from The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen

BEFORE


Our "ugly duckling" has been transformed into a beautiful, graceful swan! It is hard to believe that in a relatively short space of time our shop went from this green apparition to an elegant bridal boutique. The toil, sweat and some tears, have been worth all the effort.



Blush Weddings officially opened it's doors on the evening of Wednesday 30th - celebrated by a gathering of friends and family. Claire and I truly feel blessed to have such a wonderful boutique and our first few days of trading have been evident of that blessing.



We opened our doors to the public on Thursday morning and throughout the day well wishers, from the centre and the public, popped in to give us their support. We were thrilled at the response and the tremendous support has not waned since.



Our first four days have been filled with brides-to-be calling on us to view the beautiful gowns, to look at the catalogues, enquiring about shoes and some just to browse. Even just interested passers-by have dropped in to see the boutique. We have been so busy that the days have flown by and we are thoroughly enjoying the experience.



Claire and I would like to thank everyone who played some part in getting the boutique ready for the opening, but most of all we would like to thank Clive (husband and dad) for the many long hours he spent working in the dust to transform our ugly duckling into the swan it has become.

A BLANK CANVAS

Penny says:

"Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos" Stephen Sondheim

The weeks are flying by and our opening day is fast approaching. Just like an artist with a blank canvas, it is hard to know where to begin.

Our shop has been empty for about two weeks now but we have not been able to begin work as the previous tenants had some repairs and restoration to do - like replacing the grass green ceiling!

As an artist researchers his topic and plans his work we have had to do the same. Our shop is coming together one brush stroke at a time - one idea developing into another with the whole picture coming together.

Through this new experience we are learning all the time - learning how to be an importer, become an expert on tiling, understanding the challenges of electrical installation and much more. Many, many hours have been spent on the Internet researching decor, shop fittings, marketing and a bride's wants and needs. Late nights are the norm at the moment. After hectic days running around looking for the right decor for the boutique, Claire and I spend most nights catching up on what we have discovered during the day and making decisions about what is right for our store.

The contractors started yesterday! The tiling and painting should happen over the next week and then the finishing touches. Tons to do in only 15 days! Yikes!!!

So our work is underway - one baby step at a time. Hopefully when all is done we will be able to stand back and admire our work............ just like an artist.

" Art is the desire of man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in" Amy Lowell

To Dream, continued...

Claire says:

“The key to happiness, is having dreams. The key to success, is making your dreams come true.” Anonymous.

I am an ex-art student. Never furthering my art career has always bothered me, that I didn’t pursue my dream of becoming a full time artist. Now, I have the perfect break of expressing my creative side in something that I have become so passionate about: Blush Weddings!

I have spent the past 9 years in the sales, service & hospitality industries. I was taught, from an early age, what it means to work, work hard and earn my own cash. Not only to buy the things I wanted, but to really know and experience the “real world”! To my folks, Penny & Clive, I am eternally grateful! They have been grand teachers.
At the age of 16, I worked as a shop assistant on weekends, selling kiddies’ furniture. This was my very first job. In my Matric year, I held four different jobs. The reason for this, there was a new, exciting adventure on the horizon for me…
I gained my independence because my family gave me the wings to fly. In December of 2002 at the tender age of just 18, I flew to Aspen, Colorado to work on a Winter Ski Exchange Program. This was the best 6 months of my life to date! Shortly after my return to South Africa, my sister, Lyndsay and I, flew together to the UK. There I was, for two years on a Working Holiday.
Since my return to South Africa in 2005, I’ve had three different jobs, experiencing four different types of industry. The exposure and experience gained from these industries, has brought me to where I am today. Whilst abroad, I always dreamt of getting back into the art scene. Sadly,this never happened. When mom recently came up with the idea to start a “One – Stop – Wedding – Shop”, I was thrilled! For years, she’s wanted to do something in the Wedding Industry. When mom asked me to be her partner, I was over the moon! And here we are, starting a new and exciting adventure, together.

There are many people I would personally like to thank that have helped make the Blush dream come alive:
To Michelle Hobson for her creative streak in designing the floor plans and helping out with colour schemes.
To Michelle Tyson for her creative input
To Lena of “Brides Only” for introducing us to the “Eden Bridal” collection
To Samantha of “Everything But The Groom” for all the advice and assistance.
To Diane of “Bonny” for all her assistance
To all our family & friends, for their undying love & support
And I would like to thank my parents, for giving me wings and letting me fly! I love you, Mom & Dad!

To end off, I found a wonderful quote that I would like to share with all our Blush Weddings fans.
“Wind to thy wings. Light to thy path. Dreams to thy heart” – Anonymous.
When I read this, it meant so much to me. I can’t wait to start a new adventure with Blush Weddings. A dream, truly lived.

To Dream........

Penny says:

C.S. Lewis said: "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream"
Well that could not be closer to the truth for me. For many years I have thought of, or perhaps even dreamt of, being in the business of wedding planning but the time was just never right .......

......but it is now!!

My dream is now becoming reality! Some months ago I was looking for a new project or a new venture and came across an opportunity to open a wedding boutique. It has been a steep learning curve and many hours have been spent researching..... on the Internet, in magazines and in various other media to learn all about the industry. My best inspiration seems to come in the darkest, quietest hours of the night.

Realising that this was a giant step, I felt that this was not something I could do on my own and a partner was what was needed. My instinct was to ask my youngest daughter, Claire, to join me on this journey. She is creative, enthusiastic, energetic and can identify with the young brides and grooms. Claire was delighted and I was thrilled that she didn't hesitate in agreeing to join me in this new venture.

Our planning started only two short months ago and can be quite overwhelming at times. First on the never ending "to do list" was to find a name for the business, get the name registered and design the logo. We both came up with the name virtually simultaneously and all the exciting ideas just grew and evolved from there. The logo was also a joint effort and we are thrilled with the look. Hope you like it too.

And so Blush Weddings was born!

The next task was to find premises. One would think in a recession empty stores would be plentiful, but this is not the case. And you know what they say: "Location, location, location....!"

We found a store which was becoming vacant. The challenge was to imagine the bright green and orange store being transformed from its present state into a sophisticated, upmarket bridal boutique. Our Blush Weddings Facebook page has some pictures of the store before the renovations.

Lying awake at 3am seems to ignite one's creative process and with help from a creative interior designer, Michelle Hobson, a plan was drawn to transform the store into a stylish, welcoming boutique. Watch this blog for our progress and news!

The opening of Blush Weddings at the beginning of October in the Linksfield Terrace Centre, on Linksfield Avenue, just off the N3 motorway, is no longer a dream, but reality!

" A life without dreams is like a garden without flowers" Unknown-