With her wedding dress gathering dust in the wardrobe, Annalisa Jones was only too happy to offer it to a friend who was getting married on a limited budget. It was an offer she didn’t give much thought to, but one that has led to her giving up her job at Cardiff University and setting up her own wedding hire business in Cardiff city centre. “My friend had three children and had been with her partner for 10 years when they decided to get married,” explains Annalisa. “She didn’t want to spend masses on a dress and had looked at hiring a wedding dress, but they were all a bit cheap looking and she couldn’t find anything suitable. “We were talking about it and I just said that mine was upstairs and that she should go upstairs and try it on to see if it suited her. “It fitted her really well and it got me thinking about the fact that I had spent a crazy amount of money on it, about £2,000, and it was just hanging there gathering dust. “I did not really have any major emotional attachment to it and I felt that I would be proud to see my friend or another bride wearing it on their big day.”

An idea started forming and Annalisa sent text messages to some friends to see if they would be interested in forming a group to hire out their wedding dresses; if it was something they would be interested in. “I thought most of them would say that they were really attached to their dresses, but it was the complete opposite,” laughs Annalisa, a mum of three from Penarth. “Like me, a lot of them said that they took up too much room and they were a constant reminder of how much money they had spent.” After thorough research, Annalisa took the plunge and gave up her job as a business development manager at Cardiff University to set up her own business she called To Have & To Hire. The idea is that she hires out top-end designer wedding dresses to brides. Annalisa doesn’t own the dresses – they still belong to the brides who are happy for their dresses to be used again and they receive 50% of the hire fee each time they are used. There are lots of safeguards and insurance in place in case of damage and the dresses are only hired out three times.

It has taken off so much, the business outgrew her spare room and she has taken up residence in Castle Arcade in Cardiff. “It is a great way of having a Jenny Packham or Vera Wang dress for a fraction of the list price,” explains Annalisa, who has people coming to her from across the UK. “You can have a dress that would cost around £6,000 for as little as £395. “It is great because, by accident, with all the other wedding shops nearby, like the florists and wedding hat businesses, it has turned into a fantastic wedding destination and it is very exciting.” ‘I like the idea of my dress seeing the light of day again’ Amy Williams loves the fact that someone else got to share the joy of her wedding dress. The 36-year-old, from Splott, Cardiff, spotted details of Annalisa’s bridal hire shop on Twitter and decided to get in touch. “I thought it looked really interesting,” she said. “It was something that really appealed to me because I didn’t like the idea of my dress gathering dust in a box.

I got in touch with Annalisa and was happy that she had got everything covered, plus I like the fact I could get it back at any time.” Canon Digital Camera With Color Accent FeatureAmy was one of the first lenders and she was delighted when her dress was hired by a bride from Reading who also happened to be called Amy. Free Puppies For Sale In Pensacola“I realise it is not for everyone and that for a lot of people their dress is precious and they wouldn’t like the idea of someone else using it,” says Amy, who married husband Llyr in June 2011. Solid Rubber Skid Steer Tires For Sale“But I like the idea of my dress seeing the light of day again and plus I was able to buy a very nice handbag with the money I got from the hire.

I had to make sure that my mum was happy with the plan because she had been with me to get it and helped to pay for it, but she thought it was a great idea.” The bride sent some pictures of her big day to Annalisa, and Amy was more than happy to have a look. “The other bride looked so different in the dress from me that it was like looking at a different dress. Her shape and hair were all different and she looked so pleased. “It was funny that she was called Amy too and it was nice that my dress got to be worn again.”Choose a Supplier category for Merthyr Tydfil Album and Guest Book Beauty, Hair & Make Up Hen and Stag Nights Featured Wedding Suppliers that cover Merthyr Tydfil Taxisnaps - Vintage Taxi Photobooths Secret Exposure Boudoir Photography The Barrel Hire Company Latest Wedding Supplier Reviews "Hair & Makeup experts" Review by Eloise on for Lipstick and Curls I can highly recommend this team. Amanda and her assistant Hannah did marvels for my hair & makeup and the hair and make up of my 6 bridesmaids.

They had a ... Review by on for Hire A Band "WEDDING RECEPTION - 20TH AUGUST 2016" Review by Jo & Kris on for The RockPins - Live Party Band + DJ Thank you - you guys were absolutely brilliant, so many people were commenting on how great you are! Will definitely be recommending you.Two more women have made their wedding dresses available after a bridal shop suddenly closed earlier this week. Kelly Willetts and Katyann Owens, both from Fairwater in Cardiff , were inspired by Deborah Clarke, from Barry , who is offering to give her dress away for free. The three made the decision after Anna Sara bridal shop in Newport closed its doors, leaving more than 100 brides-to-be facing wedding hell - one of whom was Katyann’s cousin. Kelly, 36, got married 10 years ago, and as well as her size 12-14 wedding dress, she is also offering the four bridesmaid dresses from her big day too. The bridesmaid dresses are sizes 10, 12, 14 and 16. Kelly said: “I was inspired after reading Deborah’s story.

I thought it was such a lovely thing to do. “My dress has been in the cupboard for such a long time. I’m not going to wear it again - it’s sitting there doing nothing. “It would be nice to put a smile on somebody’s face. “They’ve probably spent their last buck on the wedding, and this is probably one of the worst things that could happen to you.” Kelly said her wedding in 2006 went smoothly but she added: “The stress they must be under is massive. The dress is definitely one of the most important parts of the whole day. They’ve found their dream dress so to be let down at the last minute would be awful. I just feel completely gutted for them.” She said although she would be happy to give the dress away for free like Deborah is offering, she said she would appreciate if the woman who takes it made a donation to Velindre Cancer Centre. She said the charity is close to her heart because her brother, Simon Ford, is an ambassador for the hospital, and the money would go towards a fund called Looking for Linda, set up in memory of Simon’s fiancee, Linda, who died from cancer in 2013.