Mariana Hardwick is coming to Colchester

Earlier this month we made the exciting announcement that we are becoming one of the first boutiques in the UK to stock the amazing Australian Designer - Mariana Hardwick.

ODette

If like us, you spend your time scrolling through instagram for dress inspiration, you are sure to have come across these dresses. They are Australia’s go to designer if you are looking for luxury, modern designs.

Up until now, you have only been able to purchase one of these special gowns from their boutique in Australia. They kept receiving requests for the dresses worldwide so have been working hard behind the scenes to make this happen.

Mariana Hardwick pride themselves on creating gowns with intent. Their design process focuses on crafting feminine, sultry silhouettes that guarantees brides feel confident and radiant on their special day.

Every design line is delivered with purpose, the gowns feature cinched waists, soft, carved out shapes and feminine necklines to flatter every female form. When you put a Mariana Hardwick gown on you will instantly love the incredible fit and feel of the luxurious fabrics these dresses are made with.

This combined with unique construction techniques and contemporary design elements define that distinctive Mariana Hardwick look that is unique to them.

Chantelle

Our sample dresses should arrive in the boutique in July, but if you cannot wait that long we will have the full collection of dresses available to the UK from 24th-26th May 2024. Click here to book an appointment to try these gorgeous gowns, you won’t regret it!

How do I know its "The One"? When to say Yes to the Dress!

Should I be crying? Should my friends and family be crying? Is it really possible to find my dress at the first boutique? These are all questions we regularly hear from our brides, many who are often surprised that is has been so easy to find their dress.

Brides who come to MiliMili have usually done their research. They have looked at our website, followed our instagram and checked out the dresses/designers we carry. Our brides know they are in the boutique that caters for their tastes so it really shouldn’t be a surprise when you find your dress. There is always another dress, stop worrying you might be missing out and enjoy the feeling of finding you dress.

If you find yourself saying/thinking the following when in a dress, then you have found your one:

• I love it

• I can see myself getting married in this

• I feel amazing in this dress

• I don’t want to take it off

• I feel like me in this dress

• This is different to what I thought I would go for but I love it

• I feel so excited in this dress

But what if you or your family or not crying? I hate to say it, but most people don’t cry. They might do so on TV programmes but that is not reality. Obviously if you want to cry then please feel free, we will have hugs and tissues to hand!

If you are feeling good, happy, confident and comfortable then you have succeeded in finding your dress, Easy!

We have been dressing brides for over 13 years, have the most amazing dresses and talented stylists. We will find you your dream dress and cannot wait to celebrate with you over a glass of Prosecco.

Lauren xx

Flourish by Victoria Percival Accessories

If you follow our instagram account you will know that we are obsessed with our new accessories! It has taken me a long while to find accessories that are modern and match the style of our dresses, but I have finally found them.

Victoria Percival is a hair and make-up artist based in London. She has worked hard to become the go to artist for the modern, fashion forward London bride. Starting her career in fashion design and styling, Victoria's unique eye for stunning pieces and keen sense of style has allowed her to create a fresh, new collection of bridal pieces to suit the fashion-forward, discerning bride.

"So many of my brides were asking me if I had any hair accessories for them to try on during their pre-wedding day trial, that it became obvious my service should expand to styling and accessories services for the bride's journey. With such busy lives, my brides were finding the whole process of searching for their accessories overwhelming and confusing. Not only that, but what was on offer online wasn't capturing their imaginations or making them feel like they were making a statement".

She has created a gorgeous collection which is being loved by brides and designers alike. Victoria’s accessories are stocked in the most sought-after boutiques and recently worked with the acclaimed bridal designers Berta on the release of their new dress collection.

Aquilla Crown £165.00

Crystalised Barley Crown £185.00

In the boutique we have a selection of her earrings, crowns, combs and vines for you to choose from. This have already proved a hit with our brides with many of them choosing their accessory first then their dress to complement it.

Lyra Starburst Earrings

Ophelia Crown £185.00

If you would like to try the pieces on please do pop in and see us, we will be happy to help. We are planning on increasing the collection we have in the boutique so keep your eyes peeled for picture of more designs on our Instagram account.

This week at MiliMili Bridal

Hello lovely readers,

Apologies I have been terrible at keeping the blog up to date.  Its been super busy and if I am being honest I sometimes do not what to write about! So, I thought why don't I do weekly updates of whats happened in the boutique.  That keeps you guys in the loop of the latest events, dresses and news.  I can then do specific blogs along the way covering anything else you would like me to cover. 

So lets get started with the updates from the week just gone!  

On Friday we announced the start of our end of Summer Sample Sale.  This is where we sell off some of the samples in the shop to make room for the new dresses coming in.  This is a fantastic opportunity to get one of our designer dresses at a reduced price.  If you also don't have much time to your wedding date this is perfect as the dress is here ready to go.  Here are a couple of the dresses available but we have over 30 styles available. 

Blue by Enzoani Kami Was £1575 now £750 Size 14

In other news, we received some new dresses this week.  I love it when we receive the new dresses, its like opening presents.  Abby also enjoys new dress deliveries as she gets to try them on!  This week we received one dress from Eliza Jane Howell and two from Rosa Clara. 

Blue by Enzoani Kingston Was £1440 Now £650 Size 12

Tracy Lorde by Eliza Jane Howell Was £2997 Now £1200 Size 12

Eliza Jane Howell Pompeii - this is a beautiful hand beaded dress with flattering cap sleeves and sexy low back.  

Rosa Clara Drake - this dress is a real show stopper! A princess gown with long sleeves and a scalloped neckline, finished off with a beautiful long train.

Rosa Clara Abira - a sophisticated and elegant guipure and lace with halter neckline. 

If you would like to try any of these dresses then give us a call.  In the meantime have a fabulous week! 

Lauren xx 

Cydney & Joe

On the blog today we are featuring the Boho perfect Cydney and Joe.  I posted a photo of Cydney on our facebook a few weeks ago and everyone absolutely loved it.  So now you are in for a treat with lots more pictures of their beautiful day. 

Their wedding took place at Newland Hall in Chelmsford.  It is a beautiful setting consisting of a Tudor Manor House with a moat, stunning gardens and a woodland with 4 lakes!  

Cydney has a blog and a popular Instagram account where she posts about all things trendy, so I knew that her dress was going to be something relaxed but fashionable.  The dress she decided on was Inaru by Blue Enzoani.  The dress has a fabulous feature back and is a champagne colour which worked beautifully with Cydney's skin tone. 

Joe and Cydney's photographer for the day was HS Media, so a thank you to them for capturing the day. 

Cydney's hair looked gorgeous!  The loose curls and stunning flower crown worked so perfectly with the dress and completed the boho style.   

The bridesmaids complemented Cydney's look with their cute matching flower crowns.  You all have probably realised by now that we love something a little different from the ordinary and these bridesmaid dresses are a prime example!  The dresses are from Asos and are a step away from the traditional bridesmaid dress. 

Talking of non traditional, has anyone noticed the shoes!  Cydney and her bridesmaids wore Cowboy boots!  Cydney's dad is American (he has a great American accent btw) and this was Cydney's nod to her American roots.  

Joe looked very dapper in his suit as did his groomsmen.  I have to say, this makes me feel very old as I have known Joe's family for many years now and my main memory of Joe is of a little boy running round with a toy snake pretending to be Steve Irwin! 

The flowers for the wedding were by Belle Rose Boutique.  The blue and coral are a gorgeous combination which carry on the Boho look. 

The naked cake was by Sweet Sam and looks delicious. 

Joe and Cydney put so much thought into the extra special touches for the day.  I love the flip flops for guest and the polaroid camera is a brilliant idea. 

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Willis!!  Thank you for allowing us to be part of your special day.

Iyasha & Michael

Welcome to our first blog on our brides weddings.  I wanted to do these blogs so I could show off our amazing brides and also to give brides to be some inspiration for their own specials days. I hope you enjoy reading them and looking at all the beautiful pictures.

For our first blog, we have Iyasha and Michael.  When Iyasha first came into the boutique I instantly knew she was going to be a MiliMili Bride.  She is class and sophistication personified and you could see she knew a thing or two about fashion.  

Iyasha tried on a few different styles but when she put on Hanoi by Blue Enzoani she knew this was her dress.  She looked absolutely stunning and it showed off her figure amazingly even though the sample dress was 3 sizes too big for her.  My pin skills were tested that day! I always say if you love a dress when it doesn't fit you then you know you will love it even more when it does and Iyasha did just that. I'm sure you will agree she looked fabulous. 

The wedding was on 7th November 2015 and the venue was Hintlesham Hall.  If you haven't already booked a venue I would highly recommend a look at this venue, it is a very impressive setting for a wedding. 

Iyasha and Michael's photographer for the day was D&A photography so quick shout out to him for the beautiful pictures. 

I'm not being biased when I say Iyasha is a naturally stunning girl.  So her natural hair and make up really complimented her look.  Her make up artist for the day was Victoria Jones and her hairstylist was Kim Wade. 

You may recognise Michael if you have been buying a house recently.  He is the Michael of "Michael's" Estate Agents in Colchester which I have to say is a very trendy and modern looking Estate Agents! 

Iyasha wanted to ensure that her Indian heritage was brought into the wedding, so she had the most brilliant idea of putting her bridesmaids into saree's.  I was lucky enough to see the saree's up close as she brought one into the boutique when she came in for a fitting and the detail was absolutely exquisite on them.  The dusky pink colour went perfectly with her flowers. 

Her flowers were by Interior Floral Design and I think you will agree that they did a fantastic job. 

Iyasha accessorised her dress with a Cathedral veil from Charlotte Balbier which has a beaded detail on the comb.  She also wore a back necklace from Chez Bec. 

Congratulations Iyasha and Michael!  Thank you for sharing your beautiful day with us xx