Welcome to Tuesday’s Bride

I’m Amy Martin, the founder of Tuesday’s Bride, and I hope to welcome you soon! 

I began this venture in early 2025 but the roots were taking hold a long time before that. I grew up in Derbyshire and my eyes were trained to ‘see’ by my dear Mum who would often abruptly stop mid-sentence to ‘look at that’. The exclamation was, in truth, her own feeling of awe exuding, but taken as an instruction, I complied, and I did look, I did see, and I grew up noticing beauty all around me, particularly in nature. This has stayed with me in adulthood and living in East Sussex, I am lucky to be often stopped in my tracks by visual gems, and now I stop my own girls, to pause and take in whatever it was that arrested me.

Whilst East Sussex has been my home for most of my adult life, the landscape continues to impress me as if I were a new visitor. The drama and iconography of the white cliffs, the sea foam, the chalk downs and the big skies all make obvious impact. The light in Sussex feels special and the lucent effect on the waters and flora captivate me. It is in the small details that I am also drawn, and it is this kind of appreciation that has instilled in me an eye for detail, beauty and style. This resonates through Tuesday’s Bride in a fundamental way, the dresses in the collection carry an undefined unity that you can trust.

I notice and appreciate the blend of skill and creativity behind these historic garments, and I enjoy imagining the stories they carry, from the women who made them to the women who have worn them.

My eye for appreciation in the garments’ craftsmanship also stems back to my mum. I grew up watching her sew, patiently and skilfully, and this gave me insight into the reality of care and toil behind making clothes. Her voice made an impact too when she shared admiration of the cut of a garment or pointed out a discrete detail; hallmarks of the makers pride and skill. The feel of fabrics, their tones and textures and details were all understated comments which gently landed over time.

As someone who appreciates
and practices art

As someone who appreciates and practices art, I have a similar feeling when I see certain works. Particularly impressionists and works by John Singer Sergent, I am drawn to both the overall image presented from those eras, also, intrigued by the ladies painted and drawn to the artistry behind the masterly brushstrokes to capture the feel of different fabrics. The stylised Art Nouveau ladies by Alphonse Mucha have always caught my eye and it seems obvious now this was what I would one day do!

I was a creative child and showed talent in art particularly, I am one of those people who wonders what that might have led to had I pursued it.  However, I had strong ambitions to become a physiotherapist and I went along that path, and I have had a wonderful career in that domain. I have loved working with, and helping people; and building skills, knowledge and expertise has all been incredibly rewarding. Physiotherapy and Pilates was also a wonderfully varied and exciting career, and I enjoyed running my own business for over 13 years alongside raising my family. Sharing my love for creative outlets with my girls as they have grown up has been a joy and has rekindled connection with my own creative ambitions. I channelled that into restoring and nurturing the interior of our family home and returned to my own art practice, in drawing, botanical watercolours, oil painting and textile art, machine embroidery.

The textile art I develop is a mixed media process with paint underlayers, fabric applied and stitched into place in a very free manner, then layers of coloured thread to blend and deepen the work. Hand sewn pieces are applied and sometimes the piece is padded to add dimension too. The inspiration behind the artworks are often nature, though the fabrics themselves carry intrinsic qualities that I will be drawn to. Long before Tuesday’s Bride was conceived, the sewing desk looked like wedding dresses deconstructed! Tulle, lace, white, cream, ecru tones, satins and silks and complementary pale pastels were the fabrics and tones I sought, and the artworks came from there.

Nurturing my creative sides

Nurturing my creative sides through interior design in my own home, through returning to my own art practice and continuing to be inspired by beauty in nature and art, I had a growing desire to pivot my work life to something with a creative side, yet I wanted to hold onto practical aspects of work and some connection still with people and having a positive impact. It was a combination of my own art interests, human form, and the fabrics I mentioned, visiting incredible and inspiring exhibitions and having this deep-rooted appreciation for textiles that sparked the idea. For my own home, I developed a skill and penchant for great ‘finds’. Rediscovering and reimagining art, furniture or objects from antique fairs, flea markets or obscure places and encompassing them delicately in the home has been rewarding and successful as well as satisfying for someone who is frugal at heart!

It was the thought of applying that sense of style and ‘eye’ that stirred confidence to embark on this route. To start build a collection of stunning gowns felt like a beautiful task to embark on, one which would further inspire my own artwork. 

I have taken care and time in building the collection. I take pride and joy in presenting things beautifully and being in the proximity of these gowns is a pleasure. There is a quiet calmness and gentle beauty in the collection that I can’t wait to share.

Amy x