Little Wedding Space is a pop-up shop brimming with creative ideas for weddings – at Cabot Circus until the end of February 

The wedding business in Bristol is a community, a wealth of talent – cake, sequins, flowers, silk, embroidery, photo booths, the prettiest table arrangements, stationery design – lashings of creative ideas to inspire couples for their Big Day. Little Wedding Space brings together a selection of Bristol’s creatives, specialising in weddings, in a pop-up shop.

The Little Wedding Helper – aka Kirsten Butler, set up the shop with her fellow wedding business friend and photographer, Ruth Garner, after successful Little Wedding tweet ups at Goldbrick House built a wedding community in Bristol. “The tweet ups stemmed from me wanting to chat about the industry and meet other people. You don’t see anyone working from home!” says Kirsten. “That’s when I found out that Ruth lived on the road next to me. We thought, why not create a space for small businesses that wouldn’t be able to afford a shop.”

Kirsten has seen the desire for every element of a couple’s day to be bespoke – from the table settings, to the table cloths. “The tide has turned for weddings, things are about DIY and collecting items now,” she says. This has meant that wedding businesses communicating with each other makes for a smooth and happy outcome for all concerned. Ideas bounce around and people help each other out. 

For example, says Kirsten: “Helen [who has a stall in the pop-up] has her own business, Pudding Bridge – Booth in a Box. There was a wedding I couldn’t find any sequins for and Helen sews and hems. So we ended up starting The Sequin Collection together. It’s about making really lovely relationships and it’s nice to know that everything is from the South West. It’s just grown. Bristol is such a creative place – there are so many creative men and women from home working. So link ups and support for each other, as well as shouting out to each other, is great. The pop-up brings people together.”

Vendors include jewellery designer makers Biba & Rose, Sewn by Rachel, Vintage Button Bridal Design, Ido Wedding Films, candy buffet and wedding favours company Sweet and Pretty, Anna Tyler Cakes, Papadeli and Cocktail Natives.

“We hold consultations at the pop-up, in ‘Inspiration Corner’. We have had bookings already – people love it,” says Kirsten. “We know every person in Little Wedding Space and that’s key. We know the calibre of suppliers – both emerging and established, They are fashion forward. Most people like to work their way round, picking up a pile of cards by each stall. It’s relaxed and informal. From a suppliers’ point of view, it’s three weeks in one place – not a day at a fair. It’s a nice balance.

“It’s also nice to go to work and leave the house! To get on the bus to get to work. For three weeks we are shop keepers, which is lovely. We are very proud of our community and it’s amazing to be an independent in Bristol. I love it,” says Kirsten. 

www.littleweddingspace.co.uk
Unit SU10 (next door to Carluccio’s), Quakers Friars, Bristol, BS1 3BU

07779 008 245

Images c/o Martin Dabek photography