Your wedding dress & Coronavirus
Dear lovely brides
A little note about Your Dress in the light of the unsettling coronavirus situation. Please refresh this page, to ensure you find the most up to date info.
I need to let you know that my doors are now temporarily closed until we’re advised that we can resume social contact, and our schools and pubs re-open (which seems to me a logical safety benchmark).
The moment this happens, I will throw open my doors and welcome you with open arms. Whether this is in May, June, or beyond, I assure you I will be poised and ready to do your fitting, with greatly extended opening hours including evenings and weekends, to alter your dress and have it beautifully pressed for you to collect within 48 hours if necessary.
Meanwhile, I am here by, email info@carolinearthur.com , on the phone 01428 681727, by insta messaging @CarolineArthurBridal, and by appointment on skype: caroline.arthur007 (eat your heart out James Bond).
It seems likely we may still have an interim period, when we’re out the other side of isolation, when we need to all be careful – so I have kept my notes below as an indicator of how I will be managing your and my well-being during fittings, until we’re all out of the woods:
Your health and well-being are just as much of a priority to me as your dress.
Once we are advised we can resume social contact, and the schools and pubs re-open, I’ll return to doing fittings and appointments immediately. So please do get in touch if you’d like to chat about your ideas for having your dress made, or you have a wedding dress which needs alterations: info@carolinearthur.com
What happens if I make a dress fitting appointment and the wedding plans change?
Each situation is different, and I’ll do all I can to be flexible, practical, and to support you during the coming weeks.
In my experience (and there are many situations which cause wedding plans to change unexpectedly) – the decision to marry remains unchanged. Many couples choose to go ahead with a very intimate ceremony, on the intended date where possible, in order to do the bit that matters for their life ahead.
For this, you will need your wedding dress to fit beautifully, so provided social distancing advice has been lifted, I suggest we stick with our plan and go ahead with your appointment.
It may be necessary to postpone the celebrations, and if so, this is a chance to wear your beautiful dress again. Should this be the case, I’d be delighted to adjust your dress for free should your weight have changed, since the time I completed the adjustments on your dress for your ceremony.
If you find yourself in a situation where the ceremony and celebrations have both been postponed, and you decide you’d like to hold fire on your dress alterations, but you’ve already had your fitting with me, then please let me know immediately you’ve reached this decision.
If I have not started the unpicking and stitching on your dress, then you can come and collect it with no payment being needed. Please note, I regret I am unable to offer to store your dress beyond the date we have agreed for you to collect it.
If I have completed the alterations already, I would ask you to kindly settle the payment for this work and collect your dress as arranged, but assure you that I am more than willing to re-fit and if necessary re-alter the dress for free, when you have a new date and wish to book in your fitting.
Making an appointment
I explain to each of my brides individually how my appointments work, and should we be advised to still take some extra precautions after the social distancing advice has been lifted, we can discuss where we might prune unnecessary social contact between us, and thereby reduce risk at this time.
For example, it is possible to enjoy a skype wedding dress design consultation, in which I show you round my studio, we can discuss design ideas, I can sketch your own ideas for your dress, and we can even look at fabrics together. I will then post your sketch to you with a quotation, along with some fabric swatches, and arrange a follow-up call to chat in more detail.
For wedding dress alterations, I will need to see you in your dress in person in order to do your fitting, but you can collect your dress “at the threshold”, so you can settle your invoice online, and I can then pass your dress to you in its bag, for you to try on at home, without the need for you to come into the studio. If there is anything that needs a tweak, we can arrange to meet up, but this is very rarely needed.
Fittings
Usually wedding dress fittings are a leisurely and relaxed affair, and were we to be advised to make our interaction a little more swift , I would endeavour to continue making your fitting as enjoyable and special as you’d expect.
During these likely interim weeks, I’d amend my process a little for your well-being and mine…
• When you arrive, I’ll take your dress from you, hang it up in your private changing area, ask you to wash your hands and will do so myself.
• I would kindly ask that you limit the numbers of guests that you bring to your appointment.
• My studio is spacious, and where possible, I’ll have the heating on and the windows open to ensure fresh air circulates.
• Pinning your dress involves a very limited amount of physical contact – most of which involves there being an arms’ length between us. Pinning usually needs to take no longer than 20 – 30 minutes.
• I wash my hands and dis-infect all door handles, light switches and surfaces in between each appointment.
Your health and well-being
If you or any member of your bridal party are feeling unwell or have been in contact with anyone affected I wish you all the best for a speedy recovery, and would kindly ask that you re-schedule your appointment and I will happily see you at another time.
If you have a dress that needs altering, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Every bride is different, every dress is different, and every situation is unique. So let’s work together to find the perfect solution for your gown.
Look forward to hearing from you!
Love Caro xx
info@carolinearthur.com
https://carolinearthur.com/wedding-dress-alterations
01428 681727
