MANDY Abramson has “the best job in the world”. As the owner of wedding dress boutique Cinderella’s, she helps brides to look perfect for their special day - and with couples keen to tie the knot after the pandemic put nuptials on hold, she’s predicting a bumper crop of weddings for 2022 and 2023.

Cinderella’s is at Skipton’s historic High Corn Mill, which dates back to the 12th century. Mandy, who started the business 22 years ago, is busy not just with re-booked weddings, but with even more couples clamouring to say “I do”.

She started out working in her father’s menswear shop, Time and Time Again, in Ilkley. Her job involved altering stock and she went on to open her own alterations shop. She later moved to bigger premises and opened Cinderella’s.

Last year’s Covid restrictions meant 150 of Mandy’s customers put orders on hold. “I normally alter 400-450 dresses a year, last year it was about half a dozen,” she says. “It was very difficult for our brides having to re-arrange wedding dates multiple times. When lockdown hit, everything stopped in three days . On the flip side, after lockdown people had set dates and were ready to place orders. The first month post-lockdown saw a spike in sales. We’re now in a period of catch-up, it will take two to three years to clear the backlog of postponed and new weddings. After a tough 18 months people have emerged with a “life’s short, let’s get married” mentality.”

She made two main changes: “We now work to appointment, to control customer numbers in the shop, and we jumped onto Facebook live to interact with future and existing customers.”

Mandy loves her job: “Helping brides choose their dream wedding dress is so special. Not only do I help them in trying-on sessions, I alter the dress once it’s made. It’s a magical time when a bride tries on her fitted dress before her big day.

“Designers lean towards different styles, this keeps things fresh, with new styles arriving twice a year. But we also have styles that are timeless. Our unique selling point is our website; every dress in the shop is pictured with a video suggesting how it can be customised, a service we offer in-store.”

She adds: “A good thing to come out of lockdown is the way bridal businesses pulled together in a ‘Blitz spirit’. In more than 22 years in business I’ve never seen such camaraderie, with shops organising swaps to ensure they can get a dress in the right size for customers.”

Cinderella’s is part of the community, says Mandy: “We donate fabric off-cuts and empty cotton reels to local primary schools and take part in events such as the Santa fun run. We’re a family business with family values, and we go above and beyond to make sure our brides have a fabulous time.”

* Cinderella’s, High Corn Mill, Chapel Hill, Skipton. Tel. (01756) 791007. Visit dreamdress.co.uk