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Imagine this: Your man (soon-to-be husband, of course) just proposed, and suddenly, you’re swept away in a whirlwind of wedding dreams.
Now, when it comes to the most important part – you and your wedding dress – there’s one name that comes to mind for GRAZIA: Hollie Briant.
Brining a bespoke experience for brides in the UAE, the Dubai-based entrepreneur launched You&I Bridal in 2023.
Having worked at a bridal boutique for her Saturday job when she was at university, Hollie decided to bring her career to a full circle moment launching her own bridal boutique.
“My dream was to create a bridal boutique where women can feel at home, beautiful and confident while searching for the perfect wedding gown,” she tells GRAZIA. “I wanted my boutique to be a place that builds an unforgettable experience with each bride-to-be who walks through our door.”
In this edition of GRAZIA’s career edit, Hollie walks us through her career path and how the UAE has forged her journey back to the bridal industry where she began her Saturday job all those years ago.
My current role is…
HB: I am the founder and owner of You&I Bridal Boutique. We are a bespoke bridal store experience based in Media City, Dubai. For a glimpse of my role, I work closely with brides from start to finish to help them find their dream dress. I become their ride-or-die as soon as they are engaged. I love making a bride feel special, I never want her to forget the feeling of visiting You&I Bridal and finding her gown. At You&I Bridal, we believe that every bride should feel like the most beautiful and confident version of themselves on their wedding day. That’s why we offer a personalized shopping experience for each of our brides. We will work with you to find the perfect gown and accessories to make your wedding day dreams a reality.
When I was younger, I wanted to be…
HB: It was completely random and had nothing to do with the bridal industry. But, I wanted to be a detective! Growing up, I watched so many American FBI and detective TV series’ and I always wanted to solve crimes. Now being a business owner, I mainly solve problems which is kind of the same thing.
My favourite subject at school was…
HB: Is it greedy to say that I loved two subjects at school? Growing up I was very blessed to have amazing teachers that inspired me to learn and made me want to go to school. I was obsessed with history, I loved hearing about Henry the 8th, and World War 2. I remember the history channel was always plastered on the TV in my home, my father always said you need to know and understand history and watch the news every day so you know what is going on in the world.
A subject that is dear to my heart and made me love dressmaking was textiles and art. I was never an academic child. I am severely dyslexic so I have a very creative brain and a very hands-on personality. I love the thought of having a blank canvas and I create something from nothing and unique. Anything to do with numbers and big heavy science textbooks was always last on my priority. Give me a needle, thread, paint and canvas any day!
My first job was…
HB: Working as a Saturday girl in a bridal boutique steaming and re-hanging dresses. The same thing I am doing 20 years later. I love all things wedding gowns! On my first day, I learnt the hard way how to steam a wedding dress correctly and pin a bride into a gown. I burnt my hand and pricked my finger so bad, blood transferred onto the sample gown. The next Saturday, the girls I worked with brought me a pair of oven gloves and Disney princess plasters as a little joke. As my father always told me, if you don’t laugh you will cry.
My career path so far has been…
HB: It’s been very consistent, for most of the years. I graduated with a BA Hons in retail design. Four days after graduating, my bags were packed, and I had a one-way ticket to Dubai. I have been very blessed to be given so many amazing opportunities in my career. I had a high-powered role where I launched a very well-known beauty brand globally. It was an incredible journey, but I was never fully filled. I felt like I was missing my purpose. I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset and drive. I hit the age when my friends were getting married, and I joined my friends on the journey of finding their wedding dresses. Whilst shopping with them in Dubai I found that they did not have many options and the experience was not the same as you would have back home. We miss out on so many life moments when being an ex-pat and finding your wedding dress is one of them. Going to look for dresses with my friends took me back to my first-ever job as a bridal stylist. I still to this day remember the brides that I helped find their dream dress. I missed that feeling and that magical moment. That’s when I took the leap of faith and followed my gut to open my own bridal boutique in Dubai. I left the corporate world and went back to where my career all started, working with beautiful brides.
The role the UAE has played in my career is…
HB: Ten years have passed very quickly since I arrived in the beautiful land of opportunity. It feels like only yesterday I stepped off the plane. I have never looked back and am incredibly grateful for the opportunities UAE has given me. When you live in a place where they always want to do better and evolve, develop, and embrace change without losing your purpose and morals, it only rubs off on you and you become a reflection of where you live. The UAE has been a huge part of the woman I am today as it has allowed me to meet so many wonderful people from all walks of life and all over the world whom if I stayed in the UK, I never would have met. I am a strong believer that your career will only grow when you grow as a person. Living in the UAE makes you grow in such a positive way as you always want to do better and strive for better. I have a beautiful home, and business and found the love of life in the UAE. I don’t know how I will ever repay this amazing place I proudly call home.
The story of You&I Bridal is…
HB: I was itching to start my company, wanting to work with women, make them feel amazing and build a bridal boutique where women can feel at home, relaxed, confident, and remember the day they found their dress. Using my bridal experience, graduating with a BA Hons Degree in textile design and working with so many inspiring, boss women in the beauty industry. I set off and travelled the world to find bridal designers who are not yet in Dubai, and I know Dubai bridals would love! You&I Bridal was born.
My dream was to create a bridal boutique where women can feel at home, beautiful and confident while searching for the perfect wedding gown. I wanted my boutique to be a place that builds an unforgettable experience with each bride-to-be who walks through our door. The name ‘You&I’ signifies it will only be ‘you and I’ when you come in to find your dream gown. From start to finish, you will have one point of contact to guide and support you. I simplify a very complicated and unknown industry that women only enter as soon as they get engaged. Anything before that they would have no interest in lead times, designer, fabrics, silhouettes, taking measurements, alterations, etc.
I was inspired to enter into the bridal space because…
HB: There is nothing like it. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime purchase and decision. It is a dress that will be in their wedding photos for years and women have dreamed of this moment. There is so much emotion to such a moment and being a part of it is a privilege. I want my boutique to be a place that builds an unforgettable experience with each bride-to-be who walks through the You&I bridal door. You&I Bridal is about more than just wedding gowns; it is about a space where everyone feels welcome and part of something special. I wanted to be a part of someone’s special moment and create them.
My daily routine consists of…
HB: Honestly, no day is ever the same, but I am a part of the 5am club which has changed my life and the amount I can get done in a day. I used to be a night owl, but now I am an early bird. Coffee is my morning petrol, it’s very bad but I can’t function without it. I had my teeth whitened for my friend’s wedding last year and I could not drink it for three days, let’s just say I turned into a sloth!
Check all platforms Instagram, Facebook, and email, for any inquiries, and messages from brides. I set myself a five-hour response window. Customer service is key for any business and I know people hate waiting for a response. No bride should have to wait! I have major OCD so every morning I tidy and prepare for a bridal boutique appointment. I like it when all the gowns are evenly spaced, the cushions are fluffed and I even polish the china.
Meeting incredible women and brides from all walks of life, diversities, ages, and nationalities. Having a private bridal appointment is a very personable experience and not a rushed process. I sit with the brides and talk to them about their weddings and get to know them. The gown must represent their personality. I usually have an evening call with my designers for brides or bridal and bridesmaid appointments for late-working brides who need to find a gown out of office hours. Once this is done, I always have an hour time-out with my fiancé to catch-up and unwind.
My role as Founder & CEO entails…
HB: Everything! As You&I Bridal is one year old, and I just celebrated 100 Brides saying yes to the dress! I am very busy and never stop. I always look for ways to grow, partner, collaborate with and drive the business. I also believe that your customers, my brides are at the forefront of the business. Every day I put them first to make sure they have the best experience, and I am always reachable for their every need. Buying a dress is an emotional purchase so you have to have a lot of patience and time for the brides.
The biggest hurdle I have experienced in my career…
HB: Not forgetting your worth. We are put in so many situations such as job interviews, job applications selling to customers, and negotiating with suppliers and we can so easily forget how precious our skill set and time is. If you do not respect your time which is something, we will never get back and the skill set that we have spent years building then no one else will. Never sell yourself short and as an entrepreneur and business owner going 100 miles per hour, you can easily forget your worth. The wrong mindset is the largest hurdle in anyone’s career.
The biggest milestone I have achieved is…
HB: I am severely dyslexic, I was told when I was a child that I would need to go to a special school to help me read and write. I was mortified and scared of this thought, I still remember the wave of sickness I had in my stomach when I was told this and the thought of having to tell my friends that I wouldn’t be going to the same school as them and why! Instead of sitting on a pity step, blaming others, and making excuses, I studied and studied to improve my learning. I got accepted into a primary school where all my friends were going. I also made it to university when I graduated with a 1st class BA Honours degree in textile design. This caught me, if I don’t like something in my life only I can change it or make it better.
I had many people laugh and kick me down on grammar, reading and spelling but this is a part of me and made me so much stronger with how hard I have had to work for something that does not come naturally to me. People ask me why I started my business, I say freedom. People always think I am referring to time or money. I have the freedom to speak openly about being dyslexic. I always was ashamed or tried my best to hide it but now, I have learnt to embrace it. Being dyslexic you have to think on your feet, find solutions and overcome many challenges – this is everything you need to have your own business and I have put it into mine.
A quote I live by is…
“The world is a big enough place for everyone to be successful and have their own dream.”
What I hope for 2024 is…
HB: As we confidently jump into our second year of the opening of You&I Bridal. Our focus is on creating bespoke services to be the most highly recommended bridal boutique in Dubai, I believe that you can spend as much money and time as you want on marketing but word of mouth for your business is everything! This will only happen by putting brides first and keeping consistency.
I want to grow the revenue for You&I Bridal and drive my designers within the Middle East so that I can offer opportunities and jobs to people. I am very excited to see what the future holds for this new year of the business as we are managing current brides and managing booked-out appointments. We have some exciting plans to manage the demand for You&I Bridal.
