What does a bespoke designer actually do?
“State the obvious. Who are you? What do you do and who do you do it for?”
Those were the words I scribbled down in my little notebook during Maddy Shine’s SEO masterclass a few weeks ago.
I say I design bespoke accessories, but what does that even mean? And, if you’re visiting my site for the first time, you may be wondering who I even am!
Let’s start with that: My name’s Sarah (not Elsa Rose, you can read more about her here!) and I’m a self-taught accessory designer who used to teach French and Spanish to secondary school students. I live in the seaside town of Weston super Mare, which, if you’ve never had the chance to visit, picture a Carry On film by the sea and you’ll get the idea!
Because my work isn’t tied to location and pretty things can be posted worldwide, I’m fortunate to be able to work with brides all over the world (and with the power of technology, talk to them on video calls without any of us having to leave the comfort of our homes!).
What I do though is the big mystery, right? Here are the five things I do when we work together:
I listen to you
The most important part of what I do is listening to your ideas and everything you say in our consultation and through our messages and emails.
It runs deeper though. It’s the things that come out through the stories you tell me about how you met your fiancé, or how forget me nots remind you of your grandad; the things you love to do, how much you love your pets and how your favourite drink is a pumpkin spiced latte (and you wish they were available all year round!).
They may sound random and completely unrelated but they capture your personality and give me a better idea of who you are and what’s important to you.
I ask questions
Things like: “What do you normally do with your hair?”, “Have you had any ideas for your accessories?” “Do you have a Pinterest board with ideas?” “What’s your dress like?”
If you have no idea what you’re looking for yet, this is where we’ll find the answers together!
I design
I sketch little designs to give you an idea of what’s inside my head but more often than not, if we’ve already connected on Instagram, you’ll have the chance to see some details mocked up based on the ideas you’ve shared on your Instagram feed.
Not in a stalker-ish way of course! It’s important to do research and sometimes it’s hard to put those things in to words when it comes to your consultation. It also gives you a chance to see something real, so you feel safer putting your trust in me to create something from scratch for you.
I check in
With updates on your order, work in progress images, personalised video messages and general “how are things going for you?” messages.
Connecting with you is the highlight of my job and keeping you in the loop helps you to feel more confident in the process. It’s really special to see your accessory come together and I like to make the experience as memorable as possible for you.
I surprise!
Working with an independent designer means a completely personalised approach and experience and the magic doesn’t stop once your accessory is in the post!
Think handwritten notes, something blue and a story about how your accessory was made that arrives in your inbox on the day of your wedding (like this!), alongside being the star of my blog too!
If you’d like to find out more and see if we’d be a good fit to work together, why not schedule a free consultation? There is no obligation to work with me and my advice is completely free, so you have absolutely nothing to lose (and potentially, a one-of-a-kind shopping experience to gain!)
With love,
Sarah x
