Creatiques Bridal Boutique in Southsea finalists for Wedding Industry Awards and Bridal Buyer Awards 2024

Creatiques Bridal Boutique, located in Albert Road, has been recognised for its incredible work in the industry over the past three decades and the owners Andrew and Rob Pearce are over the moon. The bridal boutique has bagged a spot in the final for two huge bridal awards - the Wedding Industry Awards for the South East and Bridal Buyer Awards 2024.

The couple began their career in the bridal industry after discovering their passion for helping women find the perfect dress for their big day - and it all started when Andrew was asked to make his friends wedding dress.

Andrew said:"A friend of mine asked me to make her wedding dress because I used to make ballroom dresses and she asked me to make this dress for her and I did and that's how it all started."

The couple are eagerly awaiting the results for the Wedding Industry Awards for the South East and the final will be taking place tonight (January 24) - but that is not all. The couple are also finalists in two categories, the longstanding retailer of the year and the inclusion and diversity award, for the Bridal Buyer Awards 2024. The pair have described the buyer awards as the 'Oscars' and they are incredibly excited to be going against a number of popular shops across the South East.

Andrew added: "We are absolutely thrilled, all of the girls are asking when the finals are. We are thrilled because we are finalists for the bridal buyer awards for inclusivity and diversity because we are one of the only married gay couples that own a bridal business in the UK - we have been through a lot, more than others in the industry so we are really proud of that.

"There are a lot of shops that have been in the industry for a long time but it is about us being in Portsmouth - and we are so thrilled.

"The eight shops that have got through from the region are really good shops and we know all of them so for us to be up against businesses like that is amazing - we are really proud to be part of this group of people."

The boutique has also recently completed a refit which has given the shop a new lease of life and it is the perfect place for a bride to pick out her dress ahead of her wedding day. Andrew said that he is proud of what the shop has accomplished - but he is also proud of the fact that it is putting Portsmouth on the map. He said that a lot of brides travel miles to have an appointment at the boutique and, as a result, other businesses are benefiting in the area.

He said: "The retail sector is really hard but we are one of the biggest bridal retailers along the South Coast.

"We had a girl that stayed over night at The Queen's Hotel so that she could come in on Saturday so we also use a lot of local businesses in the area."

The pair will find out the result of the Wedding Industry Awards tonight. Click here for more information. They will also find out the outcome of the Bridal Buyer Awards in March and for more information, click here.