New chapter for mother Cara-Lee Whyte as every dress tells a story in her Story of My Dress shop in Bearsted
00:01, 29 March 2014
A mother-of-three is opening the book on love stories from years ago to help brides-to-be rewrite the endings with their own romantic tales.
Cara-lee Whyte, from Bearsted, is the owner of Story of My Dress – a business which specialises in vintage wedding dresses with an idea to share the gowns’ unique history with their new owners.
Mrs Whyte, 29, said: “I’ve always wanted my own wedding shop but it was only when I started to research the vintage styles that I thought it would be nice to be able to give these beautiful gowns a new lease of life.
“It can be really hard to trace the story as some of the ladies have passed away, but I have been able to track down some of them.
“It’s lovely to be able to say where it was worn or who it was made by.”
The businesswoman sources her timeless collection from private sales and other sources.
The stock ranges from the 1930s through to the 1970s, and Mrs Whyte has noticed many of the trends are making a comeback.
“I think more people are looking for something a bit different to the traditional strapless cut and that’s exactly what we are looking to offer" - Cara-Lee Whyte
“I’ve got one dress with a peplum waist and peplums are everywhere at the moment,” she said. “There’s also a lot of lace because of Kate Middleton’s dress.
“I think more people are looking for something a bit different to the traditional strapless cut and that’s exactly what we are looking to offer.”
Mrs Whyte opted for a vintage-style gown when she married husband Gary in 2007.
The couple have three children together, seven-year-old son Jude and daughters Lola, five, and two-year-old Florrie.
The former Cornwallis School pupil plans to use her experience as a production assistant at Karen Millen, when the head office was in Maidstone, to create her own gowns, with the help of Snodland-based dress maker Gillian Andrews.
The entrepreneur, who launched her company in August after being a housewife since the birth of her first child, is planning to open her own store this summer in West Malling, where she held a pop-up shop on Sunday.
