CUSTOMERS will have the chance to find the bridal dress of their dreams when a town's wedding boutique opens.

Hugo & Elliot Bridal will open on Rhos Road, Rhos-on-Sea, on Saturday, January 13. An invitation only event will be held a few days before. 

This is Sean Roberts's second Hugo & Elliot store and it will be the only wedding shop in the village. His other boutique is located in Norton. 

Hugo & Elliot is named after Sean's "wonderful four-legged boys".

Sean, owner and founder of the business, said: "I'm naturally excited about the opening of my second boutique but nervous too. I was unsure of how it would be received locally but the positive response has been amazing.

North Wales Pioneer: Sean's sweet dogs! The business is named after the pupsSean's sweet dogs! The business is named after the pups (Image: Permission granted)
"I've had so many supportive messages from local businesses and the wider community. Even other bridal businesses have been incredibly welcoming and supportive. It's helped solidify my feelings that this was the right thing to do."

Since university in 2001, Sean has lived in the North East of England.

He grew up in Rhos-on-Sea and has family in Rhos-on-Sea.

"I visit many times a year," Sean said.

"Since starting my bridal business back in 2018, I always said that if I was lucky enough to obtain a second boutique, that I wanted it to be close to home. I couldn't really get much closer than a five minute walk from the house I grew up in.

"When I heard that a shop unit was becoming available I went and met the proprietors and we hit it off immediately. It felt perfect so I decided to take the leap.

"The shop at 13 Rhos Road was in the ideal location for a bridal shop with a huge double fronted window space to display gowns and just 30 seconds walk from the beach.

"The village is small and I am the only bridal shop there which is great for me but I think that it will complement the other businesses in Rhos-On-Sea really well."

Sean, a former Ysgol Eirias pupil, entered the bridal business in early 2018 when he became a business partner in an existing bridal store in the North East.

"During the pandemic, the previous owner decided that she no longer wanted the business - as with a lot of people during Covid," Sean explained.

"I decided to take the leap and go it alone. I rebranded and opened as Hugo and Elliot Bridal on April 14, 2021."

Sean said: "People often come into the store and ask if I am Hugo or Elliot but the business is actually named after my two six-year-old Chihuahua brothers.

"When trying to come up with names for my business, they were running around getting unusually excited and so I figured they must have wanted a bit of fame and Hugo and Elliot Bridal was born."

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Since opening his store in Norton in April 2021, Sean has had about 400 brides say 'yes to the dress' in his boutique - no mean feat for someone who initially had very little knowledge of the bridal Industry!

Sean said: "I have made connections with some of the biggest bridal names in the world and get to travel to locations like Milan, Barcelona and Melbourne to visit designers and choose gowns.

"I wasn't sure what brides would think of a male bridal consultant. I initially worked alone and so was the only male ran bridal salon in the North East, but girls responded really well to it and told me how comfortable they felt with a guy helping them find their dream dress.

"I truly feel that the experience you get a Hugo and Elliot Bridal is second to none."

Speaking about his Rhos shop and what brides-to-be can expect, Sean said: "Customers can expect to find a huge array of gowns in Rhos-on-Sea from globally renowned designers. I will be offering dresses for both brides and bridesmaids as well as all the accessories you may need for their big day - everything from veils to shoes.

"In my first boutique, I offer bridal experience packages in which you can get your hair and makeup done prior to choosing your gowns. I'm hoping to eventually be able to offer something similar in Rhos.

"Before starting this business I never understood what an emotional purchase a wedding gown is. A bride may come in who has had a bad experience elsewhere, or may have body issues, or has tried on so many dresses and still feels she may never find what she's looking for. In these cases, we start the process by working out what made the experience bad and how to improve that, or where her lack of confidence comes from or what it has been about the dresses so far that has meant they haven't been 'the one'.

"It's the simplest thing to do but what so many people do not do is just listen to what a bride is telling you. It's one of the most gratifying feelings to watch a bride-to-be's face change when she looks at herself in a dress that is everything she's dreamed of.

"My brides become my friends and when we message, even a year after their wedding days, they tell me they've never felt as wonderful as they did that day and that they still love their dresses.

"It makes me incredibly happy to know that I played a key role in helping them feel that way.

"I just want to make my Rhos-on-Sea store as welcoming as my North East store.

"It'll be nice getting to know a whole new bride type and reconnecting with my home town too."