Faces of Kidderminster – Tamsin’s Bridal Boutique
Tamsin Hancocks-Guinan can’t go to the supermarket without bumping into someone that she’s dressed for a wedding. Tamsin has dressed thousands of brides since she opened her Kidderminster bridal boutique in 2013. She also goes to around 15 weddings a year, introduced as: ‘the lady responsible for the wedding dress.’
Tamsin’s Bridal Boutique in Oxford Street is one of Worcestershire’s leading bridal boutiques, devoted to exceptional customer service and offering brides a stunning range of gowns from carefully selected award-winning designers.
The boutique is situated over three floors and has welcomed customers from all over the UK. They have been on television too. They were featured in an episode of Don’t Tell the Bride.
The boutique offers everything from wedding dresses, to mother of the bride dresses, bridesmaid dresses, prom dresses, gentlemen’s suit hire and even the option to hire wedding cars and a bouncy castle. They are well known for their large selection of tea length wedding dresses.
‘We give the best experience we possibly can to every single person who comes through our door,’ said Tamsin, a mother of two. Tamsin had never been to a wedding before her own wedding in 2011, and it was this that saw her fall in love with the wedding industry.
‘Choosing a wedding dress is an extremely important event in someone’s life,’ she said. ‘We see the whole process through, right up to the day and beyond. We now also offer an aftercare service doing wedding dress dry cleaning and boxing. It’s a journey and an experience.’
Tamsin was in senior management in retail before she set up the bridal boutique. When her son was born she wanted to be closer to home so that she could be closer to him. It’s a family run business.
Su, Tamsin’s mum, helps with the window displays, Matthew, Tamsin’s husband, is responsible for the wedding cars and the bouncy castle and Ed, Tamsin’s dad, made the bespoke shelving and rails in the boutique.
‘I love meeting people and giving them an experience they are going to remember forever,’ said Tamsin. ‘I will always do anything I can to help.
‘When someone choses to come here it’s an absolute privilege. They have chosen us to be part of their lives, usually for the next 12 months, if not longer. I have made some really good friends over the years.
‘We do absolutely everything we can to make sure they are happy with the experience they have with us.’
The boutique is employing more staff, to cope with demand, and has won two awards in 2021 for the customer experience and service they offer.
‘We are doing really well, and I’m so pleased about that,’ says Tamsin. ‘I couldn’t ask for more especially during the current pandemic.
‘We are getting recognised more and we have had amazing support from our customers.
‘There are some people who came for prom dresses and are now coming for their wedding dresses years later.’
Tamsin was born in Kidderminster and grew up in the town. ‘I will do anything I can to support the town and make it better,’ she says.
‘The BID is moving things in the right direction. The more people we can attract to come into the town the better.
‘I have no intention of taking my business anywhere else. Kidderminster is my home.’
You can book an appointment with Tamsin’s Bridal Boutique online through their contact page or give them a call on 01562 746607.