Jenny Packham

From the 1920s through to the 1970s, bridal was related to the fashion of the times. Then in the 1980s, it became more historical, decadent, and ornate.

I think it's very important to women what they want to watch. They're looking all the time to the red carpet to see what to wear, and it sets off all sorts of trends.

I've always really loved the '20s and the whole Art Deco time. I just think it was just the most amazing era for style and design.

People keep getting married, even when times are tough. They want to keep celebrating. The special days appear to be the times where women are still happy to invest, both in terms of time and money. They want to be told that they look beautiful and be remembered for all the right reasons. They don't want to provoke much more reaction than that.

Our dresses take a long time to make.

It's always a fantastic moment for me when someone wears one of our designs.

I'm so fond of abstract design in the style of Vanderbilt and David Hicks and that whole 1970s era. They took the 1930s and gave it a bit of technicolour.

Having made all the decisions, I think a wedding day is a day when you want to forget what you are wearing and be in the moment.

My job is to make sure there's something about each dress that ignites the bride's imagination.

There is definitely a 'red carpet moment' to a bride's wedding day, but when designing for bridal, it is important to focus on the details that will captivate and capture the imagination of the bride - she has to fall in love with the gown.

It's very nerve-wracking dressing someone because you obviously do everything you can to get them to be interested in something you've done, and then you hear they're wearing it, and then, obviously, they're going to step out in it, and you want to know that it's all going to work and what everybody's going to say about it.

We don't go to parties much. I am very serious about my work. But I also have two children, and I wanted to do that job well.