New bridal shop opens in Sowerby Bridge, Halifax: Designer dresses in Yorkshire

There’s a new name on the scene, a bridal boutique showcasing a wide variety of styles of dresses, including top English designer brands.

This new venture has opened at a stunning location near Halifax, and is run by a woman who has dressed thousands of brides – including TV stars – and learned business from the world’s best known entrepreneur.

Jenny Foster is the owner of Cloelle Bridal, which has just opened in purpose-designed premises near a picturesque canal and river in Sowerby Bridge. Against this idyllic backdrop,

Jenny aims to make Yorkshire brides’ dreams come true, and stocks dresses from top designer collections.

As a couture seamstress and bridal expert she has been in the wedding business for over 25 years, and is now seeing brides she once worked with coming back to her, keen to see their daughters or daughters-in-law to receive the top quality service and warm, welcoming approach she prides herself on.

Cloelle Bridal stocks the exquisite British-made award winning Alan Hannah Bridal and MiaMia Bridal collections. These luxury couture dresses are not available off-the-peg, but are available to order for early summer weddings onwards.

And, at her brand new spacious emporium in a stunning mill conversion, she is able to stock a variety of dress styles, in a wide price range, ensuring she should be able to find the perfect dress to suit every bride and budget.

And as well as selling bridal gowns, she is a bridal shoe specialist, and stocks a range of accessories, including veils and tiaras.

“We had well over a hundred brides every month from spring right through till late Autumn each year, every one of them looking for something unique to them. It was such a privilege to work with every family,” says Jenny.

Having worked with bridal designers in Manchester and Northumberland Avenue, London, Jenny managed Richard Branson’s wedding brand, Virgin Brides, in the North West for eight years.

Links with top industry names

Her early connections with the industry were through a famous name in wedding dresses – multi award-winning British designer Beverley Summers. Beverley, like Jenny, is a Yorkshire woman whose designer dresses were worn by many a well-known bride at the height of her fame in the 1980s and 1990s. Having initially started out in Halifax Beverley expanded to own bridal boutiques in Covent Garden and Harrogate.

Jenny’s connection began in Beverley’s early days, when she worked for her as a seamstress. Later Jenny was assistant to Beverley Summers, when she became in-house designer for Virgin Brides, London. Jenny recalls this was a bespoke design services curating and fitting dresses for the brides for their wedding days.

From there she moved back to the north, to manage the Manchester brand of Virgin Brides for almost a decade. Now she has consolidated all her experience and expertise to set up her own bridal boutique back where she started, at Sowerby Bridge, near Halifax.

Years of experience

Jenny added: “Working with some top designers, then managing Richard Branson’s brand for so long, has been an excellent experience and has given me all the skills I need to go out on my own. As a seamstress I have been altering and making dresses, including prom dresses, for several years and have built up a strong local network.

“Richard is a remarkable man to learn business from, and one of the big things I learned was connections. Most people only ever have one wedding day, but by working with brides over the generations, and with prom students in more recent years, I am seeing people coming back to me for repeat business. It’s such a lovely industry to be part of, and I’m very much aiming to put brides at their ease and make them feel welcome in my friendly shop.”

Appointments are available at Cloelle Bridal seven days a week – just reach out to find a time that suits.

You can read more here, email [email protected] or call 07519 246648.