Modern East London bridal studio Heart Aflutter

Heart Aflutter are a bridal boutique who may just save your bridal shopping experience. They specialise in ‘fuss-free glamour’, meaning they’ve swapped meringues for modern, moveable designs that are no less stunning, but much more streamlined and wearable! They handpick all of their designers - brands such as Sarah Seven, Lena Medoyeff, and Vagabond Bridal - for their innovative aesthetics and eye for detail, and showcase them all in their gorgeous bridal studio in trendy Hoxton. We chatted to founder Cecilia all about what is the beating (or should that be fluttering) heart of the business…

Tell us about your business – what do you do?

We are a unique independent bridal boutique with a superb portfolio of international independent designers that are aesthetically different. We like to cater to brides that are looking for something alternative to express their own flair and style. We find our brides are leaning towards a free bohemian vibe, one that suits their own personality, whilst offering the personal styling experience all brides need in our new showroom near Shoreditch in London.

Why & how did you start?

I started the business because I realised when I was looking for my own wedding dress that I couldn’t find anything unique and to suit my individual personality. Therefore noticed a potential to start this business. This year marks our 5th anniversary which is amazing! I wanted to reach out and speak with / help like-minded brides that were searching for a point of difference and express their individuality with their perfect dress. I also wanted to give them a studio environment that was friendly, had the right expertise and a selection of designers and styles that would excite them.

Who or what inspires you (don’t be afraid to be specific & bold!)

I am quite strong-minded and independent so there aren’t many people that truly inspire me! Generally speaking though, the wedding industry is full of strong, talented and inspirational women who often juggle their own business with motherhood/family, and I get a lot reaffirmation and validation from connecting with them!

Talk us through a day at the office/studio/wherever you work from.

For us, a day at the office doesn’t just go 9-5, so there is always something to do - even outside of welcoming our lovely brides-to-be. If it’s hosting an appointment, or taking in new orders, steaming dresses, quality-controlling or even boxing up trunk shows, etc. along with the countless emails and phone calls that we receive… there’s always plenty of action taking place which we love! It definitely keeps us always engaged! And that’s without mentioning the social constant social media posting that we do on a daily basis to give our followers more on an insight into our BTS.

As a working mum of a 6-mont baby and an almost 4-year old, I’m always on hand for the team - they are a fantastic support, but there are always business needs to attend to. We all pitch in and ensure that every bride and every order and all of our designers are always looked after, which is the main priority. For example attending the New York bridal shows last year - whilst taking a 3-month old with us! - was so important to the business and it worked brilliantly as from that we have some very exciting new designers and styles coming to London in 2020.

What’s your fave part about what you do?

Seeing a bride so happy she’s found her perfect dress with us and that we’ve been a part of her journey. I mean, carefully selecting collections and liaising with our designers is a brilliant and exciting part of what we do, as is showcasing the trends, styles and designers that are in the showroom. But ultimately seeing all of that work come to fruition when a bride is so happy makes it all worthwhile and all of our brides always send us wonderful pictures of their special day – which is truly the icing on the cake!

What are you excited about for your business?

We’re very excited as we have a few new milestones to celebrate.

• Our 5th birthday!

• Expanding…moving to a brand new – superb showroom recently in Hoxton – which is a more central location and easier for our brides and their guests to get to. It’s also how I really envisaged Heart Aflutter to look as a showroom, meaning we’re able to showcase the collections even more beautifully and take more appointments now to help even more brides out with our extra space.

• Taking on new designers from the New York shows which our brides are already very excited about

• I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved in the past year, which includes extending the team with some new fantastic stylists and back of house help and in general the feedback we get from brides is so rewarding.

• Also from the designers we work with – they have been (as are we) so proud and excited of the relationships we have, so it makes me so proud that we built a business from scratch 5 years ago to what it is today. We are all very much looking forward to where the bridal market takes us over the next year and beyond.

Who are your fave 3 wedding suppliers?

Oh my there are so many talented peeps in this industry, choosing just 3 is tough!! However here goes:

- Laura Anne Hair & Make Up Artist: she is just THE best, friendliest, most organized and professional HMUA you could hire for your wedding! She occasionally does my make up and hair if I’m doing headshots etc and we regularly collaborate on styled shoots as well! She’s literally the queen of effortless, modern bridal hair and make up and we have had countless brides using her services and being over the moon with the result.

- Anna Ambrosi of Bianco Photography: I’ve known Anna since day 1 of owning the business, we are both Italian and both mums, and she’s just about one of the most talented wedding photographers I know! We’ve worked together on a few occasions and she’s shot some truly stunning, visually mesmerising weddings.

- Cinzia Bruschini is also an Italian wedding photographer based in London who shot our lookbook a couple of years ago, and I still have to pinch myself that we did because she’s constantly featured in magazines like Vogue and Brides! Her work is so different and inspiring and truly artistic!

What’s your top advice for couples getting married?

Please plan ahead! We have a lot of brides that don’t realise that you have to order a dress far in advance. We try to accommodate as much as possible but 6-8 months is realistic. Especially if a bride thinks “great’ I’ve booked the photographer, the venue etc etc… and then forgets about the dress until it’s last minute. Of course we do have some sample options, but if you want the full experience of ordering your perfect dress you need to be prepared in advance. Also allow for a seamstress in terms of timing and budget! Please also think about wedding insurance – If anything goes wrong. For example, something happening to the venue to travel, or any unlikely event that could spring up - it’s highly recommended – we do speak to our brides about this.