Alice answers your bridal questions

When and how was Temperley Bridal born?

'Over 20 years ago now, in 2002, after my own wedding was featured in Vogue, we had so many requests that we started a made-to-order collection to keep up.'

What inspires you the most?

'I'm drawn to ethereal inspirations for bridal; the fairy tale, film noire, laces and high quality fabrics.'

What is the most important element when designing wedding dresses?

'For me, it's timeless elegance. Fabrics and details have to be refined. I would like to think these dresses would be handed down generations, so the attention to detail is vital.'

What is your definition of a beautiful wedding?

'Free spirits, joy, comfort and a feeling of effortlessness, no matter the type or size of ceremony! We all aspire for our weddings to go seamlessly, but ultimately they should be a celebration full of love. The bride should feel the most elegant, comfortable and effortless version of herself, allowing her to revel in the pure emotion of the day. That is what a beautiful wedding is made of.'

How quickly can a wedding dress be made?

'Our bridal dresses are made to order, taking 3-4 months to be made. However, we do offer an edit of archive and ready-to-wear bridal styles too. Archive styles can be found in our Somerset outlet and the latter may be found in our stores or online.'

How did your textile training make your wedding gowns more distinctive?

'For my own dress, I had been collecting lace since I was a child and spent hours appliqueing it to fine silk with tiny gold vintage 1920's sequins and vintage pearls across my back - it was a labour of love and has inspired every dress since. It's now in a box at my house still ragged with hay and mud from the after party in the fields of the wee hours.'

Do you have 'summery' wedding dresses, without sleeves?

'Yes, we have quite a few in our Serenade Collection like the Laelia Dress, Pandora Dress, Bibi Dress and one of my favourite's the Rosalind Dress with a beautiful open back. Plus some strap sleeve options seen in the Aurora Collection like the Sia Dress, Elfie Dress, Edelweiss Dress and Peacock Dresses. I love the halterneck design of the Constantine Dress.'

What is your one tip for the big day?

'Make sure the shoes are worn, tried, tested and comfortable... Super important tip!'

What is your advice for brides-to-be regarding their dress choice?

'Comfort above all... Make sure you feel totally unrestricted and have full movement and can completely focus on your day - not how your dress is behaving! Your dress should make you feel the best you have ever felt and this is in the cut working on your body shape. Length is also very important and something to consider with the venue you choose.'

What is your favourite wedding dress of all time?

'Each season it is full of them... We make sure to cater for different brides of our tribe. I love the simplicity of the tux style Garance Dress from the Serenade Collection, and more recently, from the Aurora Collection the Elisa Dress, it has so many beautiful detailed elements. I am still undecided on my favourite from the upcoming Azalea Collection.'

If the wedding is very soon, do you have any quicker options for bridal dresses?

'We have an edit on our website for just this – Bridal Read-To-Wear. It features dresses, suits and other bits that can be worn for smaller ceremonies and events around the big day.'

Do you have any 'winter' style wedding dresses?

'In our Aurora Collection we have the long sleeved Hadleigh Dress, it features a re-work of the embroidery from the popular Florette Dress but in a floor length option. We also have the elegant Evie Dress and Eleanor Dress and classics like the Toledo Dress, Bella Dress, Constance Dress to name but a few.'