How It All Started
All good things begin with dissatisfaction. Well, almost all anyway. ;)
In my case, Madame Tulle began, unknowingly, when I found myself marrying the love of my life in 2013. In the midst of wedding-planning fever, my perfect dress was without a veil. Believe it or not, I couldn't find one that fit into the look I had in mind. It was the classic case of having a wardrobe full of choices yet having nothing to wear. In the end, of course, I picked a veil to wear down the aisle. You can guess this - it didn't feel special and I wasn't over the moon having purchased and worn it.
This experience lingered after my wedding day and it got me thinking - surely I wasn't the only bride feeling this frustration and dilemma over her veil?
Around the same time, a friend mentioned Etsy to me. It was, and still is, an online marketplace heaven for the creative-minded. The platform was there, waiting for me to do something about this global veil crisis (a tad dramatised… but not completely untrue.)
With a lot of pattern and material research, as well as my hand-sewing skill acquired as a child (thanks, grandma!), I made my first set of veils. I also took sewing lessons along the way to make the sewing machine my best mate. In March 2014, my husband Julian kindly volunteered to be my photographer while a friend modelled for the 28 sample designs. I opened my Etsy shop the following month. It took another year to set up the website for Madame Tulle.
It wasn't a bed of roses to business success from there. In fact, far from it. Materials and the sewing machine took over my dining table (sorry, Julian) and I soon found myself juggling a day job and a small business. It was only in 2018 when I took the leap of faith and dedicated myself fully to Madame Tulle.
In case you're wondering, I sincerely find veils to be equally important as all the other accessories a bride chooses to wear on her wedding day. Historically and symbolically, veils may have collected a negative rep here and there, what with being traditional, outdated, and even sexist. However, I've decided to put all of that aside and focused on the fact that veils are and should be worthy of attention and love. After all, haven't veils been responsible for countless tears of joy and gasp-inducing awe?
So here I am today, with tulle and a sewing needle in my hands and a full heart. I hope you'll have a lot of fun and even more love as you envision yourself crowned in a wedding veil… especially made for you by once-a-bride, yours truly.
Kay xx
