A RENOWNED Bournemouth wedding dress shop is marking its 40th anniversary.

Chameleon Bridal Boutique, located on Christchurch Road, has been helping brides feel beautiful for four decades.

Eight years ago, the shop was taken over by Anneliese Ward after the previous owner retired.

Anneliese said: "When I took it over, we had a complete rebrand, and we moved the mother of the bride across the road.

"We've now got two shops facing each other, a massive mother of the bride shop and last year we took over another shop as an outlet store for brides on a budget."

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For Chameleon Bridal Boutique, business is booming, and it is now the biggest bridal shop in Dorset.

Anneliese said: "I think people come to us because we adapt to the bride's needs.

"We never want to rest on our laurels, we are always looking ahead, growing, expanding taking on new designers and making sure that we are really inclusive size wise."

Chameleon has been described as "laid-back luxe," and the consultants pride themselves on making the brides feel at ease.

"We're all very friendly, bubbly and laid back.

"We don't take ourselves too seriously. We know many brides can be nervous about the shopping experience.

"We want it to be a fun and memorable experience."

The shop pays homage to its coastal location by offering guests buckets of sweets upon arrival and a complimentary glass of champagne. It also features an on-site bar and a slush puppy machine.

Anneliese added: "The shop is so beautiful we sometimes stop traffic.

"We are very fortunate to have big windows, and we've got traffic lights outside the shop. When the lights turn green people forget to drive."

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On October 29, the boutique is having a 40th birthday party with some of the business's past brides, the previous owner, and several of their local suppliers and staff members.

Anneliese said: "We are having a local supplier come and do a grazing table for us because she does some lovely work for some of our brides.

"But it's a chance for people to see the boutique of they've not been for a long time and meet some of the suppliers that we don't get to see very often."