Charlotte achieves a dream by opening business in the High Street

Hadleigh High Street now offers a one-stop shop for brides-to-be thanks to an ambitious owner – and a helping hand from NatWest.

Charlotte Reeves set The Bridal Lounge up three years ago from her home in East Bergholt and sine then, with lots of hard work, the business has grown rapidly.

She decided that the time was right to move into a shop to showcase the offering and approached Simon Nicholson, relationship manager at NatWest, resulting in a loan towards the purchase of the new shop.

The Bridal Lounge will showcase collections from Spanish designers Novia D’art, Lilly and Enzoani.

Charlotte said: “I choose designers who create beautiful dresses and concentrate on providing exceptional customer service. My favourite designer is Stephanie Allin who hand-makes all her dresses in the UK and I’m always looking for different designers to add to the collection.”

With the move to the High Street location and the expansion of The Bridal Lounge, turnover is predicted to triple with two new staff members being employed over the next six months, growing to a team of ten by 2018.

Charlotte added: “I depend highly on word-of-mouth to gain new customers. This is achieved by focusing on customers and providing them with an exceptional service. I will ensure my staff are trained well to maintain this high level of customer service and want them to have a direct input into the business to help it grow.”

Having a larger premises means Charlotte will be able to display more stock and attract more customers particularly at peak times. She also hopes to renovate the additional space in the building in the future to increase the variety of products on offer.

And her previous management training and experience with a global company means Charlotte understands the importance of building strong and long-term relationships with her suppliers and the local business network which complement each other in the weddings sector.

Simon added: “We are delighted to have been able to support Charlotte’s vision for a bigger and better home for her dresses and accessories. The shop looks absolutely beautiful and we’d like to wish her well with her venture.”