“When you see someone put on a gown and their face lights up in front of the mirror, that is really special,” says Angelic Inspirations owner Julie Ross.

Angelic Inspirations owner JULIE ROSS says she provides a positive experience for brides trying on wedding gowns.

ANGELIC Inspirations owner Julie Ross says finding the right wedding dress is about the bride’s experience.

“We are a small bridal boutique that loves to help women find the right dress for their special day, while providing a positive experience,” she says.

“Angelic Inspirations has been around now for about 30 years, but I took over nearly 11 years ago.

“I have contributed my own personal touch, which is a focus not so much on selling a dress, but giving people an experience.

“It’s about getting someone to actually love themselves sick in the gown, which can be a little bit difficult. 

“There’s a lot of girls who actually dread coming bridal shopping for a number of reasons, but it comes with this predisposition that it’s the happiest and best thing that anyone can do.”

Julie says that’s why she loves working with these women, to build their confidence, so they look and feel good.

“When you see someone put on a gown and their face lights up in front of the mirror, that is really special.”

Julie knows Angelic Inspirations won’t have the perfect dress for everyone, but promises they will try their best.

“We understand that we’re not going to have every dress for every person, that’s virtually impossible, but again it’s about them still having a nice experience with us,” she says.

“We also make sure we’ve got a really good range of dresses, we don’t pigeonhole ourselves, because different people will obviously want different things and we have a range of really good suppliers who can help us with that.

“If people have a nice experience and walk away with an idea of what they’re looking for, that is absolutely not a bad thing, and we find those women always come back to us, whether it’s for bridesmaids dresses or mother of the bride.”

What makes Angelic Inspirations unique is their private fittings, says Julie.

“Our brides don’t ever have to share the fitting room space with anyone else, and I just think that’s really important,” she says.

“Particularly if you’ve got someone who is feeling a little less-than-confident about themselves. The last thing they need to be doing is comparing themselves to the next girl in the mirror.

“When our brides first arrive we offer them a glass of champagne, and nerves disappear quite quickly when someone’s got a glass of champagne in their hands, even if they don’t drink it.

“We allocate a staff member to each bride so they will have a dedicated consultant for the duration of their fitting, and if they need to come back a second time we do our best to pair them up with the same consultant again to continue their rapport.

“When they do say yes to a dress, we have a few surprises for them but, of course, that will have to be kept secret, but it’s just about the personal, individual service.”

Julie says they have something exciting being introduced next year, too.

“It’s a VIP experience, after hours, where they bring a group of people and share some food and some champagne,” she says.

“These VIP appointments will be slightly longer than the normal appointments, running for an hour and a half rather than just the one hour, and there is a small fee that goes with these sessions, but that’s more to cover the catering.

“We are going to use the VIP sessions to see if there’s a want for this in the market.”

Having previously had no experience in the bridal industry, Julie says her decision to buy the business was something of a mid-life crisis.

“This is actually where I bought my wedding dress, so I obviously knew it existed, but my background was in HR,” she says.

“I have two small children, so when it was time to go back after maternity leave I kind of just did a bit of a life reassessment and I thought I’ve always wanted to work for myself.

“I saw this business for sale and I thought it would be just so much fun, and fortunately I have a really supportive husband who said if I was going to give it a crack, it was now or never.

Since taking over the business, Julie says Angelic Inspirations has been successful.

“We’ve been Winner Bridal Accessories – Canberra, Southern Tablelands and Snowy Mountains, Winner Bridal Gown Boutique – Canberra, Southern Tablelands and Snowy Mountains, Winner Bridesmaids and Formal Wear – Canberra, Southern Tablelands and Snowy Mountains, Top 10 Bridal Boutiques in Australia, and Top 5 Bridesmaids and Formal Wear Boutique in Australia,” she says.

Angelic Inspirations, Shop 1, Federation Square, Nicholls. Call 6230 2333, or visit angelicinspirations.com.au