A NEW bridal shop in Ellesmere has been officially opened.

Forever After, in Scotland Street, was formally opened after a short time in business in the area.

Owner and manager Michelle Braden opened the shop after dealing with anxiety for a period of time and used it as something to concentrate on.

After working at a hospital previously, she is enjoying the difference in environment by helping people prepare for their special day.

She said: “This is the first time I have had my own business.

“I was looking for something to concentrate on and I decided because I had always wanted to do something on my own, I should focus on my passion for the wedding industry.

“I’ve always loved the wedding industry and it’s always been something in the background in my life – I used to make all sorts, jewellery and other wedding accessories, so I thought something like this would be great.

“I decided to put this all together with the help of family – it’s going good but we could do with more clientele, which is why we have now decided to have a grand opening now everything is ready, in order to get more people to come along.”

Not only does the shop cater for brides, but it also supplies dresses for the mother of the bride, prom-goers and bridesmaids.

Michelle said she is looking forward to seeing how the first year of business goes.

She added: “I’ve got this place for a year now, so in that time we will decide if we need to change anything.

“We will look at whether we need to focus primarily on bridal dresses or maybe less so on those and more so on other items.

“We don’t know how things are going to go so we’re going to trial ideas and see what works.

“It’s going ok so far though – it’s nice to know you’re doing something to help someone enjoy an important moment in their life.”

With her vast experience of caring for people in the past, Michelle wants to bring that level of care to those who use her shop.

“It’s different to caring for people in a hospital environment to now caring for people in more of a customer service way,” she said.

“I pride myself on the customer service we offer here, I do go the extra mile for people who come here.

“If they come here and can’t find what they want, I will do my best to look for something they will like for them.

“I really like to help people out whenever I can. I like talking to people, it’s nice to have a chat with customers.

“I chose Ellesmere because although the footfall may be better elsewhere, the people here are really nice.”