Heart Aflutter: That Moment of Excitement When You Find Your Perfect Dress!
Between endless fittings, first appointments, and all of the heart-fluttering moments in between, founder and owner of Heart Aflutter Bridal in London, Cecilia, joins us for a Q&A all about her thriving business!
Who are you?
Cecilia Di Vita, owner and founder of Heart Aflutter Bridal. (Her / She)
How did you name your business?
The name Heart Aflutter really sums up that moment of excitement you get when you find your perfect dress!
Where are you located?
We have 2 beautiful studios in a cool building called Brickfields in Hoxton.
It’s here we showcase the stunning collections - carefully curated with the designers we have on board - and get to work with all our wonderful brides.
How long has Heart Aflutter been open?
7 years so far.
We’ve moved 3 times – expanding our studios and space and our portfolio of designers, collections and team along the way.
What inspires you?
Really listening to our brides, whom we love working closely with to ensure we have a great relationship and make them feel as special as possible when choosing the perfect dress.
Also - inspirational people who are proud to stand up and encourage change, conversation and make a positive impact. We always advocate diversity, inclusivity and have a very varied client base to reflect that, which we are super proud of.
Who is your ideal client?
Really anyone who is looking for something a bit different from the traditional wedding dress! But we do love a bride who has done some research, and who is willing to give us information ahead of the appointment and has an idea of what they are looking for. However, as we have a team of amazing stylists, we also love to provide guidance and direction to anyone who doesn’t necessarily know what they’re looking for.
How has the pandemic changed how you operate your business?
It’s been a learning curve on many accounts. When we reopened, we introduced a zoom pre-consultation meeting with every bride, which has been really successful as we engage with every bride before she even enters the studio. We’ve found this really helped with connecting with each other and calming the nerves of those who may be intimidated by the whole wedding dress shopping experience.
What’s special about your space in Shoreditch? What does working in your space mean to you and your clients?
Our studios are light and spacious, with a cool ‘New York’ loft style feel, where we can really showcase our collections in a stunning way. We are very happy here and our brides love the space. Even entering the building has a wow factor we receive great feedback on, with a stunning turbine hall / gallery style feel and a very cool coffee shop / reception area.
What trends do you foresee in wedding fashions? What would you like to see more of in wedding fashions?
More colour, pattern, texture and fabric innovation – as well as more inclusive design and sizing for sure.
Importantly though, welcoming more diversity and inclusivity from designers, whether that be through marketing, social media etc and of course be as ahead of the game as possible in terms of environment and sustainability going forward.
Talk to me about your stock—what do you look for in a designer?
We like to work with designers who are independent, have an edge to them, share our beliefs and goals and take a few risks with their designs, whilst being open to our suggestions.
Tell me about the process of working with you as if I was booking to try on your styles.
It’s simple – we have a great interactive website.
On here you’ll see all our designers and collections and our on-line booking system is easy to navigate. All you do once booked is click on the links we send you so we have information on your file and then book your zoom consultation, then once you arrive our team will look after you and work with you on finding your perfect dress. The zoom consultation is such a brilliant icebreaker and means each bride feels less nervous about coming in.
What’s something you wish more people knew about bridal fashions?
The time frame of ordering a dress, which we would suggest is always around 8 months, so being organised and trusting us is key. Also, we suggest a bride not to book in too many appointments across boutiques / studios as it usually ends up confusing things. Just do a bit of research and plan ahead if you can and be aware of your budget.
Talk to me about inclusion in the weddings world—what does that look and feel like to you?
We always advocate for inclusivity and diversity across the board, so it’s very important to us. Even when partaking in any photoshoots or collaborations we only do so once we know that is part of the agenda. Also, all the designers we work with internationally share the same values.
What are you most looking forward to about the Most Curious show in March?
We always look forward to meeting new potential clients. Most Curious is always a fun environment and most of all we love the fact that we can showcase our designers on the catwalk in different sizes and shapes and let brides know that our doors are open to diverse collections and a happy, safe place to visit.
