Eternally Yours Bridal Wear to relocate from Baldertongate, Newark, to the former Beanblock premises on St Mark’s Place

An award-winning wedding shop that has been in the town for more than 30 years and helped over 3,000 brides is expanding into bigger and better premises.

Eternally Yours Bridal Wear first opened its doors on Barnbygate, Newark, in February 1994, combining the passion of mother and daughter Margaret Pailing and Helen Henderson, for creativity, design, and spreading happiness.

This Saturday (November 1), the shop will officially open its doors in its new location at Unit 24, St Mark’s Place, on the former Beanblock building.

Ever since creating her first bespoke wedding dress at the age of 19, which sold for £250, the business owner, Helen Henderson, has seen it go from strength to strength and grow in size.

Leaving the ‘tiny little shop’ where the kitchen shared a room with Helen’s sewing machine, the business relocated to Cartergate - the current Ambitions Personnel building - where it stayed for around five years.

After those years, the shop moved into Baldertongate, which has been home to the bridal wear shop for 25 years.

Helen said: “I remember laying carpet when I was heavily pregnant with my daughter.

“We have been there quite a while, but we've just moved furniture around in there, and it's just got to a point where it's just got too small now.”

Helen’s late mother, Margaret, sparked the shop owner’s creativity and passion as a young woman when she used to help her own mother create costumes.

From there, Helen studied textile design and started creating wedding dresses, which grew from her home into the mother and daughter’s first business.

“It has been a lovely journey, because I have so many people that tell me ‘you made my dress 20 years ago’, and I feel very old.

“But for some, I've done the wedding dress, then I've done the christening gown for the baby, then I've done the communion gown for the baby, then I've done the prom dress, and then I've done the wedding dress for the daughter.

“That makes me feel very, very old, but it has been really nice to be part of the community.”

The new shop will have about 300 dresses to try on, four private changing rooms and even a big throne, aimed at making all brides’ experiences in the shop memorable, without losing the homely and comfortable touch that has been part of the brand from its beginnings.

Appointments will also be extended from an hour and a half to two hours.

Helen said: “I want people to have an experience when they come here, and hopefully bring a little bit more into the town, because as we know, there are a lot of shops closing.

“We are a destination shop, not a people people go to because they just happened to be in the market, we do bring some people into town.”

Some of Helen’s previous customers have travelled from as far as Wales, Scotland, London and Cornwall.

She added: “We want people to come here and be able to relax and enjoy it, because it is nerve-wracking.

“We’re here to guide brides and not push them into something.

“Our passion is to find the right dress for people.”

Despite being mainly a bridal wear shop, Eternally Yours also sells a range of other clothes, such as bespoke mother’s outfits, guest outfits, prom dresses, and Ascot.

Helen also does alterations to dresses and creates bespoke dresses, focused on the customer’s idea.

When asked about of the highlights of her business throughout the years, Helen said she couldn’t think of a specific memory, but the feeling.

She added: “There are times when I'm sitting at home having a nervous breakdown at home because I'm still beading a dress at three, four o'clock in the morning thinking, ‘why? Why am I doing this?’

“But then the next day you put the dress on and they're like ‘Oh my God, I love it’ and it reminds me why it is worth it and why I love doing what I do.

“I just really like it when you can tell that people are happy.”

On Saturday (November 1), customers will be welcomed into the shop with cupcakes and sandwiches plus there will be opportunities for people to win some prizes throughout the day.

The new shop will be open Tuesday to Saturday from 9am until 5pm.