Ellis Bridals was founded back in 1912 by Ada Ellis, making it the oldest bridal company in the world having just celebrated their 100th year in business. It all began when Ada created her own wedding gown with the belief that glamour, luxury and hand-craftsmanship were key. After her gown debuted, others wanted her design for their wedding and the rest is history. Take a look back over the many years of Ellis Bridals.
To get the inside scoop, Creative Director Regine Ellis shares her thoughts on the wedding business then and now.
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What was the "Ellis Style" when you first established in 1912 and has that changed over the years?
I believe the Ellis signature has always been our craftmanship. Throughout our 100 years we have become well known for our handmade embellishments and attention to detail is still key today as much as it ever was when Ada Ellis started the business from her London studio all those years ago.
You must be in a unique position to see how wedding dresses have changed over the years. What have the trends been like and is there a style that has endured over the century?
Not all brides desire a large princess gown with heavy embellishments and endless layers of fabric, more recently we have seen girls desire a dress that is more understated. A gown that is simple, but with fine and delicate detailing creating an elegant overall look.
What are your favorite fabrics to work with?
I particularly enjoyed working with lace in this collection. It is a classically romantic material, a big trend for this coming season and a major part of our upcoming collection. Echoing the royal wedding we have included some delicate lace long sleeves, cover-ups and a beautiful short lace wedding dress, which was directly inspired by a design from our extensive archives.
I particularly enjoyed working with lace in this collection. It is a classically romantic material, a big trend for this coming season and a major part of our upcoming collection. Echoing the royal wedding we have included some delicate lace long sleeves, cover-ups and a beautiful short lace wedding dress, which was directly inspired by a design from our extensive archives.
What do you think is the secret to your success?
Ellis has always designed with the bride in mind. Something which sounds obvious, but it can be easy sometimes to create garments that look beautiful on the hanger but do not work on a real woman! We believe this is key to our longevity along with our contemporary styling and heritage inspired designs.
Ellis has always designed with the bride in mind. Something which sounds obvious, but it can be easy sometimes to create garments that look beautiful on the hanger but do not work on a real woman! We believe this is key to our longevity along with our contemporary styling and heritage inspired designs.
