Nurse helps brides to feel extra special

Ask any bride to name the most important thing for her when planning her big day and the most likely answer will be her dress.

That was certainly foremost in the mind of mother-of-three Angela Robson, of Wellow, when she and her partner, Kevin, decided to marry after 14 years together.

She visited several boutiques and tried on countless dresses before deciding on the one she wanted. Even then she was not sure it was exactly right.

“For me a wedding is very traditional and very special,” she said.

“I had an idea in my mind about my dress but I didn’t really know what I wanted and I went to five different places until I found one I was happy with.”

Her search for the perfect dress stuck in her mind. She felt she could offer better and decided to open her own bridal boutique — Iconic Bride — so named because she wants to create a bride people will remember.

“I want to help them choose the dress that really is right for them,” she said.

“I will be providing a service that is personal, intimate and luxurious and makes them feel extra special.”

It is a big change in direction because for 19 years she has worked as a nurse. Her training involved time at the former accident and emergency department at Newark Hospital and she has worked as a community nurse based in Southwell and as a school nurse covering The Minster School, Southwell, and the Dukeries College, Ollerton.

Angela also trained as a midwife and her latest role has been as a family nurse working with pregnant teenagers in Newark and Sherwood.

“I have loved being a nurse, but I felt it was time for a change in lifestyle and I wanted to try something different,” she said.

It took three years to achieve her dream. She received help through Nottingham Business Venture, attended business courses and carried out market research.

A start-up loan enabled her to take a three-year lease on a former coffee shop on Edwinstowe’s High Street. The premises were converted into a stylish boutique by her father, Mr Phil Fletcher.

Angela hand-picked her stock from four designers — Catherine Parry, Nicola Anne, Sophia Tolli and Wtoo — after spending time at Harrogate Bridal Show with her daughter, Tiffany, 19, who will be working with her.

“I wanted to get a selection of dresses in lots of different styles to suit all tastes and budgets,” she said.

Prices start at £800 and go up to £2,000.

The boutique also stocks shoes, tiaras and bridesmaids’ gowns.

Angela plans to incorporate her nursing experience by offering non-surgical cosmetic treatments such as anti-wrinkle injections, facial fillers and lip enhancements, which will be carried out by friend and former nursing colleague Eveline Lester, who runs Soft Line Aesthetics in Farnsfield.

The boutique was officially opened on Saturday by Victoria Beckham lookalike Ame Elizabeth Shaw, of Farnsfield.

Angela’s family have been supportive throughout and her husband and children — Tiffany, Ewan, 16, and Libby, 13 — were among those at the opening.

“I really want to make this work and give brides a wonderful experience and a look that people will remember,” Angela said.

For more information visit www.iconicbride.co.uk or call 01623 371174.