Laneway Bridal

05/09/2026

🚨 GHOSTED? Or did your message just disappear somewhere else?
I found something slightly terrifying...
I checked the "Spam & Blocked" folder on my phone and found more than 30 messages sitting in there. Some were definitely spam. A few were legitimate. One was from a client. There were also missed-call notifications and messages from businesses I'd actually dealt with.
Which got me thinking...
How many people are currently thinking a business, client or wedding vendor is ignoring them, when their message has actually been filtered somewhere they didn’t know?
There are now SO many places a genuine message can disappear.
📱 SMS & PHONE CALLS
Australian SMS is going through some changes. From 1 July 2026, new ACMA rules require businesses using branded SMS Sender IDs to register them. Unregistered branded sender IDs are now shown as "Unverified" and certain words are now blocked. But phones also have their own spam and unknown-sender filtering, which means legitimate messages can end up somewhere other than your normal inbox.
On my Samsung, I found mine under Messages → Profile → Spam and blocked. If you're on an iPhone, Messages has a Spam folder where messages automatically identified as spam can be found. Open Messages → Filters → Spam.
Go and have a look! You might be surprised by what's hiding in there.
💬 FACEBOOK / MESSENGER / INSTAGRAM
If someone isn't connected to you on Facebook or Instagram, their message may go into Message Requests rather than your normal inbox. Facebook also filters messages it believes are spam. If you're a business, regularly check your Message Requests and Spam folders. If you're a client waiting for a reply from a vendor, it's worth checking there too. I find all sorts of messages in there!
📧 EMAIL
Then there's email... Spam filters can be surprisingly aggressive.
For businesses, having your email domain properly authenticated with SPF, DKIM and DMARC can help improve deliverability and reduce legitimate emails being treated as spam.
For couples, always check your junk/spam folder if you're waiting for an important email from a vendor.
So before posting:
"My wedding is 3 weeks away and my photographer/vendor/florist isn't responding!!!"..it might be worth checking whether the reply is actually sitting somewhere else.
💍 If you're a wedding vendor...
Please don't assume that because you sent it, your client received it. If something is important, especially an appointment confirmation, order update, payment request or time-sensitive wedding information, consider having a second way for your client to contact you and vice versa. If you're going to be unavailable for a period of time, or only do Admin work on a certain day, tell your clients. Good communication isn't just about replying. It's also about making sure your message actually reaches the person you're trying to communicate with.
I've always believed that wedding vendors should make the process easier for couples, not leave them wondering whether their message disappeared into a black hole.
So...
Go check your spam, blocked, and message request folders in all your apps.
Then come back and tell me what you found! 👀
I genuinely want to know whether I'm the only one who has discovered a whole secret inbox hiding on my phone. 😂

04/09/2026

ONCE A BIRD ASKED A BEE.
Bird says "After all your hard work, you prepare the honey, but then humans take the honey away. Don't you feel sad"?
Bee says "Never, because humans can take the honey, but they can't take the art or skill of making the honey".
~Anon
Just something to remember, when you find people are copying what you do. They can try and copy, but they can never be you

04/09/2026

04/09/2026

WHAT IS YOUR DRESS BUDGET IN 2026?
A few years ago I asked this same question, and I'd be interested to see if anything has changed. Respond with stars or any other kind of emoji to let us know what your current dress budget is:
⭐️ = Under $500
⭐️⭐️= Under $1000
⭐️⭐️⭐️= Under $1500
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️= Under $2000
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️= Under $3000
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️= Under $4000
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️= Under $5000
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️= $5000 and over

03/09/2026

STORY TIME WITH KRISTIE

Whether you're running a business, planning a wedding, or just navigating life, there will always be challenges. Something I've learnt over the years is that sometimes, what worked really well in the past simply stops working. When that happens, you can either keep doing the same thing and hope it changes, or you can stop, look at what's happening, and try something different. I learnt this lesson long before I was running a bridal business.

Around 12 years ago I was living in a share house when, during some heavy rain, the roof started leaking directly over my bed and belongings. I had pots and pans everywhere trying to catch the water and prevent everything from being ruined. It became very clear that I needed to move, and quickly! So I set myself a budget, started looking, and couldn't find anything suitable. I met some very “interesting” people along the way too, including someone with very specific instructions regarding using their toaster! After that strange conversation, I stopped and thought about it differently. I changed my budget, changed what I was looking for, and ended up finding the most beautiful room, in an amazing location, that I probably would have completely missed if I'd kept doing what I was doing (turns out if you add a tiny bit extra to your budget, the whole world opens up to new opportunities)!

From that point, I developed a little motto:
"If something isn't working, change something".
I still use it today.

Every year in business brings a new set of challenges. I take time to look at what's happening, talk to other successful people in the industry (and I really need to meet more of you!), look at what is and isn't working, and make changes. Sometimes those changes work incredibly well. Sometimes they don't. I've trialled things that I thought would be brilliant, only to discover they absolutely weren't. My 15min Brief Appointment for brand new clients was one of those (oops)! There was also the time I trialled a new highly recommended manufacturer whose products turned out to be absolutely horrendous… but that's a story for another day.

The point is, that's business. That's life. Things change. Markets change. People change. What worked five years ago might not work today.

When something isn't working, it doesn't necessarily mean you've failed. Sometimes it just means it's time to look at it differently.

There's room for all of us to succeed, in business and in life. We just need to be willing to change what we're doing, change how we're thinking, and sometimes take a completely different path

03/09/2026

03/09/2026

03/09/2026

Congratulations Rowena & Jory

03/09/2026

Congratulations Aimee-Lee & Kyle

02/09/2026

SOME WONDERFUL SQUARE FEEDBACK

1. "Kristie was warm and welcoming and made my experience stress free. Kristie had a beautiful selection of dresses tailored to my taste and design. Extremely happy with my purchase."

2. "Kristie was very helpful, patient and knowledgable. Appreciated her time and wisdom with all things bridal".

Thanks again for taking the time to leave such lovely feedback. We work with some truly beautiful humans