Etsy

White Poppy Bridal is a partnership between two sisters, Sharon and Michelle, both of whom have played with sewing and handmade creations in one way or another since childhood.

Sewing was never considered a remarkable skill in their family. Their mother always sewed - curtains and cushions for the house, play clothes and school uniforms for the kids - practical things that were well made, but only when circumstance required them. Never just for the pleasure of it.

Their love of design originated from a childhood spent coveting beautiful ballet costumes. Across the road from their family home lived two little girls who were dancers. The girls’ mother sewed all their costumes in a little room under the house and the walls were covered in gorgeous filmy tutus in various stages of construction as well as costumes already worn, far too small but too beautiful to hide away. The floor was a treasure trove of sequins, tiny beads and glitter. It was in that room that Sharon and Michelle learned that sewing could be so much more than just practical, and a love affair with sewing and crafting began.

Sharon went on to marry her partner, Paul, and they have a beautiful (and somewhat theatrical) daughter named Isabella. She currently runs her own successful Etsy store, dollybirdblythe.etsy.com, producing tiny little custom-made accessories and clothing for Blythe dolls. Meanwhile, Michelle worked as a teacher of Drama, directing many school productions as part of her work, and regularly calling on her sister to work together on the design and creation of some rather elaborate costumes. More recently, she married her partner, James, and it was during the sisters’ long hours of discussion and decision-making involved in planning the wedding, right down to the tiniest and most intricate of details, that the idea for White Poppy blossomed.

Despite absolutely falling in love with all of the gorgeous floral embellishments for brides that were already available, Michelle was on a tight budget, and found it difficult to find a bridal headpiece that really fit her idea of something pretty and elegant that would not look dated in photographs in years to come. The sisters were inspired to design their own simple, romantic and timeless creations for Michelle’s bridal party. The beautiful results led the pair to join forces in a more formal way, and they now spend their days and nights creating fine handcrafted and romantic pieces for flowergirls, bridesmaids and brides.