company story

The Last Detail was set up by Kaley Gardiner in 2002 as a specialist provider of colour co-ordinated table decorations and finishing touches for any special occasion. It is now one of the UK’s leading online suppliers of wedding favours, table accessories and party products.

The Idea

Always knowing that she would one day set up her own business, Kaley purchased the domain name www.thelastdetail.co.uk back in 1999. At this point, the exact focus of the business was not yet clear and it was not until two years later in 2001 when Kaley got married, that the direction the business should take became evident. Having experienced the stressful process of arranging a wedding herself, Kaley realised there was no offering available in the market that helped create a look right down to the last detail. And so The Last Detail was born - a specialist supplier in those small but oh-so important items such as table decorations and finishing touches.

Getting Started

In 2002 Kaley had the opportunity to rent retail space above a bridal wear shop in Leeds, West Yorkshire. She took the leap and resigned from a career spanning 10 years in the marketing industry, working for retail clients such as ASDA and DFS, to pursue her dream of launching The Last Detail. With the help of a supportive husband and bank loan, her dream became a reality.

From her shop, Kaley was able to begin sourcing and developing her extensive product range, which initially consisted of about 50 products. As the business grew and orders increased, Kaley launched the website www.thelastdetail.co.uk, rented a warehouse to store products and employed two staff to help pack and send orders.

Spreading the word

As with any growing business, word of mouth coverage was essential to raise the profile of the company and a double page spread in a local magazine provided the necessary buzz to put The Last Detail on the map.

As the company grew, Kaley was able to branch out into advertising and retain a PR agency to ensure The Last Detail was featured in all key wedding magazines. To date, coverage has been achieved in key titles such as Cosmopolitan Bride, Wedding Ideas, Brides, For the Bride, Asian Bride and The Sunday Express – S magazine.

Where we are now

Once thelastdetail.co.uk was up and running it became clear that the website was the future of the business. With most orders being placed online, the decision was taken to close the shop and expand the website offering, relocating to larger premises in Wetherby. Since then the business has gone from strength to strength and now stocks a product range of over 500 items.

As The Last Detail continues to grow, the passion that fuelled Kaley to set up the business remains. It constantly seeks to update its supply of stylish, high quality products at the best value for money. It strives to provide the best customer service and advice to help make the process of getting married or organising a special event as stress free as possible.