The Yorkshire bridal designer championing free-spirited (and eco-conscious) couples

For couples marrying in 2020, their wedding will be their opportunity to show the world who they really are. Many will already be living together and well established as a partnership. They are grown-ups, after all, quite possibly parents, too.

By 2016 (the most recent official UK figures – there should be new ones out soon which might make interesting reading) the average age of first-time marriage had risen by around eight years since 1971 to 31.5 for women and 33.4 for men, according to the Office for National Statistics. Meanwhile, the average age at which women had their first child rose by just four years to 28.8 years.

Now that weddings no longer represent the start of life’s journey together, no wonder many couples are looking for something far far away from the run of the mill. Individuality is the biggest wedding trend for 2020, according to Vogue, and for brides, this means the dress (or whatever else they might be wearing).

“We’re definitely seeing more and more brides who are happy to push boundaries rather than sticking to the same traditional dresses,” says Hayley Neil, who has two bridal brands based in York – Glory Days, offering a bespoke service with any style of dress made to measure, alongside a range of affordable pre-worn vintage dresses; and Rolling in Roses, her independent design label offering opulent dresses, all-in-ones and separates, and due to launch its fifth collection in March.

Hayley aims to offer an alternative to the high street and traditional-style gowns so brides are free to choose something that suits both their personality and their shape. All the gowns are made to order by a small team of seamstresses in York. The name Rolling in Roses is taken from a Patti Smith poem. “She embodies our ethos of designing for the offbeat, sophisticated, fiercely independent bride, the dreamers, the poets, the music-makers, the lovers,” says Hayley.

These eco-conscious brides want their dress to be made ethically and from sustainable materials, and Hayley has worked hard to ensure that this is the case. Features include delicate lace trims, made by a ninth-generation family of lace makers on century-old lace machines in Nottingham, and materials include organic chemical-free peace silk, a vegan alternative to silk made of orange fibre, plus satin made from organic rose petal fibres, and a lightweight crépe made entirely of recycled bottles.

Hayley says: “I searched high and low to find the most eco-friendly and ethical fabrics available and we make all our dresses right here in York so we can be certain they’re made ethically and to the highest standards.”

Hayley operates both businesses from her top-floor premises on Micklegate and lives in York with her baby boy Luca Thor and husband, Matthew Punton, who also has a shop in York called Heima, an eco-conscious homewares and hardware shop on Gillygate.

She launched Rolling in Roses in 2016, following the success of her Walmgate vintage wedding shop Glory Days (named after the Pulp song she walked down the aisle to). Trained in costume design at Edinburgh Art College, Hayley began working for theatrical costume-makers Homburgs in Leeds and then became a freelance costume designer for theatre, film and TV (she worked on the film The King’s Speech and has styled musicians including Jake Bugg).

She began the bespoke service of Glory Days, through which any dress can be replicated, because so many vintage dresses are tiny in size. But Rolling in Roses has taken over now as the larger business, perhaps because it embodies the independent spirit that many modern brides are looking for.

With repurposing, handmade, ethical, organic and sustainable all predicted to morph from buzzwords to calls to arms for designers in 2020, Hayley has already established herself as a champion of eco-friendly wedding fashion. She knows that brides don’t just want to look beautiful on their wedding day; they want to feel good about every choice they make.

Rolling in Roses and Glory Days are at Cromwell House, 31 Micklegate, York. Tel: 01904 652892, www.rollinginroses.co.uk and www.glorydaysyork.co.uk.