A bridal store which was recognised as being Scotland’s best this week has dedicated the award to Helensburgh and Lomond’s wedding professionals after a “cataclysmic” couple of years for the industry.

The Wedding Planner on West Clyde Street won Best Bridal Retailer at the Confetti Awards on Monday.

Staff attended a ceremony at Glasgow’s Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, along with other local nominees.

Carrs Loch Lomond was also successful in the Best Wedding Transport category, with Loch Lomond Arms Hotel winning the prize for the best wedding venue over £6,000.

KJ Mills, owner of The Wedding Planner, said: “It’s been a particularly tough couple of years for the wedding industry.

“There’s a big contingency from Loch Lomond and a lot of our colleague companies, who we call our ‘wedding chums’, were also nominated.

“We have an amazing group of wedding professionals here who work tirelessly and go above and beyond.

“This award is not just for us, it’s for all of our wedding chums.”

Despite being nominated regularly during its 21-year history, this was the first time the business had won such an award.

The nomination stemmed from client votes, with a panel of judges then reviewing forms and evidence submitted by the store.

KJ added: “We’ve felt that we’ve always been the bridesmaid and never the bride, but we finally got to wear the big white dress.

“We’re incredibly lucky as our clients often come back with their friends and family, so we have an awful lot of referral business.

“We’d also like to thank all of our suppliers who have been so supportive throughout what has been an extremely difficult two years.

“We’re also part of the Scottish Wedding Industry Alliance who fought very hard for us during the pandemic to make sure we got extra funding to survive what was a cataclysmic scenario for the wedding industry.”