Show and Tell: Maggy Bride – Romantic, Bohemian Wedding Accessories

Today I’d like to introduce you to Maggy Bride, an accessory company who focus on bringing past  mementos from family weddings and incorporating them into your own wedding accessories. ‘Individually created for the meaningful bride’  Jenny the creator of Maggy Bride hand stitches headbands, hair accessories, cuffs floral headbands, veils and bags and creates beautiful boho and vintage inspired pieces for the bride looking for something individual and unique to her. Jenny is based in Australia but ships worldwide so location is no problem for her.  Jenny has been kind enough to answer some questions for me and to share with you some of her favourite pieces from her collection.

‘Jenny Mountford is the creator behind Maggy Bride. Just like the magpie that is attracted to pretty, shiny things and carries them back to her nest, Jenny fills to overflowing the drawers, boxes and glass jars of her studio with vintage fabrics, laces, buttons and jewels.
Family is the most important part of Jenny’s life and she is so happy to have found a beautiful way of giving all brides the opportunity to carry something of their loved ones. With the heart of a romantic but an eye on the latest trends, Jenny likes to add an edge and something of the unexpected to each of her individually designed pieces. Each piece, just like your wedding day, is all about love.’

When did you start and where are you based
I stared in 2012. My studio is in the green southwest corner of Australia, two hours south of Perth. Beautiful rolling wine country edged with amazing beaches. Paradise!

What sort of geographical area do you cover?
Worldwide.
If I can’t meet with the bride in person I arrange skype meetings so we can chat for hours if needs be about their big day! They can show me the dress, or pictures and I can show them drawings and fabrics as we create something amazing together using their special mementos.

What made you start your business?
I have always been passionate about the keepsakes of my family and honouring those who have come before me.
We are all the result of our forebears and it’s at milestones in our lives – like our wedding – that we become keenly aware of the love that has brought us here.
I’m also a bit obsessed with fabric and have worked with it all my life and I’m a complete romantic too. I have always been attracted to wedding dresses – perhaps because of their amazing fabrics. I adore looking at wedding images and confess to being a wedding blog junkie! I have a daughter and two beautiful girls who are partners to my two sons and know that weddings will feature prominently in our family over the coming years! All these things together have led me to Maggy Bride, a concept I had been dreaming about for several years.

What were you doing before?
I have been many things in my life! For the past 15 years however I have managed my husband’s financial planning practice but have continued in my spare time to indulge my love of interior decorating, sewing and creating. For a number of years previously I ran my own millinery business and prior to that worked for many years in PR in television and radio.

How would you describe your style?
Romantic with an edge. My pieces can be anything from bohemian, retro/vintage through to traditional – whatever is required to fit with the bride’s theme. My favourite pieces to create are those that are a little more exotic like the one with red roses, quirky buttons and feather on the home page of my website being worn by my beautiful boho daughter Alex.

What is your biggest achievement so far?
Actually launching the business that I have been dreaming about for a couple of years.

What makes you different to your competitors?
I have trawled the web for years and have yet to find anyone else anywhere using the bride’s own mementos to create a bespoke accessory for their big day.
Many brides add a special brooch or even a little photo of a loved one to their bouquet or their dress, but I don’t think anyone uses a collection of beautiful treasures from the bride to create an individual piece utterly unique and meaningful to them. I can also supply a pre-made frame so the piece can be displayed for ever more as a piece of art, a beautiful reminder of the most beautiful day of their lives.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
The fact that the business is all about love. That I can be part of this amazing day of each bride that is a celebration of love and family.

What sort of couple do you think you attract?
I think all brides tend to get a little sentimental around their weddings so that is universal. Other than that though, I do think my work is for brides who are looking for something a little different, a one-off unique piece that speaks about them.

What would be your ideal wedding to work on?
An all-out joyous bohemian wedding

Can you give me some information on your pricing structure?
I can make little fabric brooches using the bride’s mementos, these are my lowest price pieces and they start at $80AUD. The average price of most pieces is around $150AUD to $200AUD. The price is determined once the bride and I have settled on what kind of piece we are going to create.

What is your ideal way to spend a day off?
A lovely drive to one of the beautiful wineries so close to my home where we’d have lunch and some yummy wine whilst enjoying the beautiful setting.

What can you never leave the house without?
My phone and a notebook to jot down inspiration as it might unexpectedly come!

Who would be your 5 dream dinner guests dead or alive?
Richard Branson, Martha Graham, Frida Kahlo, Katherine Hepburn, Stephen Fry

What would you do if you won the lottery?
Buy a house in rural France, an apartment in New York, build our dream house in the Australian bush and flit between all three!
If you weren’t running your business, what would you be doing?
Designing my next house and finishing the novel I’ve been playing with for years.

For more information on Jenny’s work go to:

www.maggybride.com
[email protected]
FACEBOOK
Phone: +610438818847 or skype ID maggy.bride

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