Gill Oliver discovers that it already exists in Oxfordshire.

Dawn Gigg and Keri Harvey enjoy watching brides-to-be rushing excitedly from room to room on their first visit to The Wedding House.

The pair launched the Wallingford-based one-stop wedding shop four months ago but already have 17 suppliers under one roof.

Based in a three-storey former rectory, The Wedding House offers the chance to shop for a bridal gown, outfits for the groom, bridesmaids, mother-of-the-bride, flowers, cake, photography, invitations, catering and venue without leaving the building.

Former management consultant Dawn Gigg, who runs The Glorious Bake Shop, teamed up with florist Keri Harvey to create a place where brides could come and take their time browsing for everything they need.

Dawn said people are pleasantly surprised when they are confronted with the concept. “It is great watching them when they come for their first visit and realise they can literally go from room to room and find everything they need in one spot. They like the fact that we have plenty of free parking here.

“The other thing they appreciate is the chance to have one-to-one consultations with experts who have built up so much knowledge and experience about planning a wedding.”

Often what happens, she said, is a bride-to-be goes there to look around, then returns later with others, usually the groom, her mother or friends.

The beauty of the set-up, she adds, is that at The Wedding House every member of the wedding party can be kitted out at the same time and all in the same place.

Everyone who visits is greeted with a glass of Champagne, something Dawn feels sets the tone of the whole thing.

She explained: “Choosing the dress and all the other elements that go to make up a wedding day should be exciting.”

“You do not want to be rushed, you want to be able to take your time and mooch around seeing what is on offer, try on some dresses and think about which venue, how you are going to have your hair and make-up, what your invitations, table settings and cake will look like and where you will go for your honeymoon.”

“We find they often do not want to go for the first dress they choose, so will go off, try a few others on before coming back.”

There is even a café on site where they can think it through over a cup of coffee.

Tenants in the house include bridal boutique Aisle Be Yours, Suits Newbury which hires and sells men’s wedding wear, make-up and spray tans with Emma Goodwin’s Beauty Essentials, chair cover hire company Cherub Chairs and caterers Delicious of Wantage and Fingers and Forks.

Personalised wedding stationery, magicians, hats, balloons, transport, travel agents and venue hire are all there too, including byCeCe which hires out vintage china, bunting, table runners and rustic and vintage props to add some style to the day.

There is even a personal trainer, ProBodyPersonal to get brides in shape in time for that all-important walk down the aisle.

Dawn says most brides tend to choose the dress first, then select the rest of the items to co-ordinate. She predicts dresses with full, gypsy skirts and halter necks as this summer’s hottest trend, along with a return to popularity of cup-cake wedding cakes.

Although many brides start shopping around a year ahead of their wedding date, Dawn has noticed there seem to be more who are on relatively tight schedules and have just months, or even weeks, to pull the whole thing together.

She pointed out: “I think that especially for couples who are already living together or perhaps they are older so they know what they want, they are more likely to say ‘We have decided to get married, so let’s do it sooner rather than later.”

“One of the things we are about here is saying to people no matter how hectic your schedule, coming here is all about being able to relax and enjoy the process.”

For more information about The Wedding House, call 01491 825595, visit www.theweddinghousewallingford.co.uk or www.facebook.com/WeddingHouseWallingford