By Grace Kwinjeh|’Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’ – a day every girl looks forward to. Walk down the aisle, in that magnificent, elegant, impressive, wedding gown, a centre of attention, as she makes that final step into her future – sealed by an ‘I do.’
A traditional rite that has been followed from generation-to-generation in sealing the union between woman and her man. It is a fairy tale every girl dreams of which transcends age, one’s past, previous hurts or even experience – a world full of all possibilities. Each girl has in her heart that romantic vision of her ‘prince charming’, who will one day whisk her off her feet, make her feel special and walk her down the aisle. There is beauty in weddings, more so, in capturing that perfect moment, savouring every bit of it, from the make-up, the gown design, to photo shoots, smiles, tears, you name it. – ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW…
Today Women of Steel (WOS) looks at the bride. What matters for her most on this day, is her wedding dress, her gown, her affirmation of love and having found the significant other, just as God ordained it, from the creation. Sandra Chinogurei whose sole passion is creating bespoke bridal wear tailored to fit, talks to Grace Kwinjeh. Chinogurei in her daily work is motivated by such big names as Mori Lee, Sophia Tollie and Sadek Majed, who in their designs cater for every bride, from the curvy to the tall and slender, bringing out the best in a girl on this special day. Chinogurei can be found on www.Facebook.com/Sandyloubridalwear, www.sandyloubridalwear.co.uk and Instagram : @Sandyloubridalwear.
Below was the interview:
WOS – Who is Sandra?
SC – Sandra is passionate about weddings and about ministry. Great at motivating other people to build themselves up to progress in life.
WOS – What motivated you into wedding planning and bridal gown design?
SC – I got motivated after purchasing a custom gown for my sister who was getting married. The idea of seeing a bride celebrate such a special event wearing a gown that you are a part of developed my desire for wedding gowns. My sister was the other driving force as she continuously motivated me to go for it.
WOS – What was your next step afterwards?
SC – The next step was dealing with fear inside. Yes I had the passion but there was also the fear. I finally took a step of baldness and opened a Facebook page which now has over 150,000 followers and I also set up a website. So from there I started advertising worldwide via Facebook and got my clients via social media and have never looked back ever since.
WOS – Who would constitute your clientèle?
SC- At the moment it is the bride who is on a budget and cannot afford the £1000 gown. It is brides of all ages because they present the picture of the gown they want and we work with that. It is also the bride who has fallen in love with 2 designs from 2 different dresses and wants the designs to be put together to make 1 gown that type of clientèle as well.
WOS – What is your best wedding story? Growing up we called them fairy tales, as you work what inspires you most?
SC – The best wedding story for me is about two people who are truly and genuinely in love. Two people who are willing to fight for their love regardless of the opposition or challenges they face.
WOS – What is your daily engagement?
SC – Every week I send out weekly email tips to a data base of brides who signed up. In some cases some of them ask for my advise which I give them even though I am not a wedding planner. After some of them tie the knot they get back to me and give me positive feedback on how the tips I have given
them helped during their wedding planning journey.
WOS – What are some of the best wedding gowns, say that hit celebrity headlines in recent history?
SC – I will start with Kim Kardashian’s gown, the one she wore on her wedding with Kanye West. She wore a stunning custom made by Givenchy.
Chrissy Teigen: her gown was fit for a Princess. She wore a couture gown by Vera Wang with a voluptuous tulle skirt.
Kate Middleton wore an Alexander McQueen Gown designed by Sarah Burton. It combined both the traditional and the modern. Her gown was similar to Princess Grace Kelly.
Lastly the bridal jumpsuit worn by Solange Knowles with a cap I cannot say it was not one of the best gowns but I can say her bridal jumpsuit paved a way to a new trend of bridal jumpsuits in the wedding gown industry right now.
WOS – Wow and in all this what is your Vision?
SC – My vision is to have a worldwide name for myself. I want to have a brand that will be known world-wide. I also have a vision to also branch into a different route in my bridal business and aim for the high paying clientèle as well. This is all in on the vision board at the moment and hopefully will achieve this vision in the near future.
WOS – Oh wow I love weddings what is your advise to women, who have been there, willing to start again?
SC – My advise is never give up. There is no age or time limit set in life to get married or remarry. Just because it failed once don’t mean that is the end. Life is a learning curve. We fall but we all have a second opportunity to learn from our mistakes and try again. Every one deserves happiness regardless of age.There will always be that special someone meant for you out there.
WOS – Previously it was customary for a girl to wed before leaving to stay with her husband that is how he honoured her, it seems times have changed. What would you say?
SC- It is no longer the case for every bride now. Some of the girls are now staying with their boyfriends before marriage and in most cases end up getting married because the girl is pregnant or some of the guys propose when the children are grown. In other cases yes there are girls who are still following the custom and will only move in when he puts the ring on it.