Wedding dress shopping is hard. So when Sophie Westley founded Love Find Co; an online personal bridal stylist website, we practically wanted to meet her at the end of the aisle.
We had the pleasure of speaking to Sophie, and found out more about how her business helps out the contemporary and fashion-forward bride.
Who are you and what do you love?
My name is Sophie, I am the founder and creative director at Love Find Co + LFC Creative Studios. I would describe myself as a driven, positive and energetic person. I am a keen netball player and would never say no to a glass of Rose.
What problem is your business solving?
We are your online personal bridal stylist. We will find your dream wedding dress and the accessories to compliment your look. It can be a completely overwhelming process with all aspects of the couples wedding so I wanted a destination that was purely focussed on the bride.
What was the brainchild that started the business?
There was nothing for the contemporary and cool fashion forward bride. LOVE FIND CO was created with the intention of still being attainable but also focussing on the modern bride. I wanted to showcase to her up-and-coming wedding dress trends and everything in the bridal fashion sphere.
What do you think is the hardest part of finding 'the dress'?
Firstly being overwhelemed with options. There are so many incredible designers in Australia thatI think it is really hard narrowing it down. Another hard part to finding 'the dress' is having too many opinions - while it's great to bring alone your mum, best friends, bridesmaids, mother-in-law to be, we recommend only bringing two people with you to your appointments.
Do you think brides put too much pressure on the dress?
It really depends on the bride. I think that there is a common misconception that the more expensive the gown is, the more beautiful it will be. That statement is so untrue as you can find incredible gowns for a lower budget these days. On our Dress Concierge we feature designer like Made with Love Bridal, Grace Loves Lace and L'eto Bridal that start as low as $800.
How does a wedding location impact the dress choice?
Without doubt, a wedding location is one of the greater parts of influencing a brides dress choice. If you are getting married on the beach, brides tend to wear something floaty with no structure so it is fluid with the environment. Identifying your location and what type of wedding you want is an important place to start before your wedding dress search begins.
What do you think of the trend towards destination weddings?
I love it, it is a great way to cut down on numbers if that is a problem for you. Destination Weddings are a great way to have your nearest and dearest around and also guests could tack on a sneaky holiday as well. Personally, I would love to get married in New Zealand or the South of France!
Your favourite wedding tip?
For Wedding Dress shopping, it would be to not visit more than 3 boutiques or designers in one day. It is such an overwhelming and emotional process. You can see more of our tips to Wedding Dress shopping here:
www.lovefind.co/blog/our-tips-wedding-dress-shopping
Your favourite travel destination?
Lake Wanaka in New Zealand. I went there last year with my partner and it was such an incredible destination. The natural beauty of it really blew my mind.
Where is your next holiday?
I just came back from travelling around Japan for 10 days. It was such an unbelievable place, one minute we were in a tiny coastal town that is hundreds of years old that still upheld the traditional Japanese way of life, and next we were on a high speed rail in Tokyo where every corner is filled with bright lights, noise and incredible fashion.
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