About Me
Your Personal Milliner in Winchester, Hampshire
I am Simon Meanwell-Ralph, a millinery designer in Winchester, Hampshire. I design and create ready-to-wear and bespoke luxury wedding hats for the Mother of the Bride or Mother of the Groom. Since establishing Marvellous Millinery in 2011, I have welcomed clients to my private Rose Garden Studio where I personally colour-match one of my unique hat designs to your outfit, guide you towards the most flattering shape, and finesse every detail so you feel confident, comfortable, and beautifully put together on the day.
A warm welcome from my Winchester studio
If you are reading this page, you are probably preparing for one of those milestone days that stay in the family photograph album forever. When your daughter or son gets married, you want to look elegant and feel completely at ease.
That is where I come in!
I run Marvellous Millinery in Winchester, Hampshire. I specialise in luxury wedding hats for ladies who value quality, proportion, and discreet confidence. Many clients are professional or retired women in their fifties, sixties and beyond. Nearly always, they arrive with an outfit and shoes they’ve already decided upon and are seeking a final touch that feels impeccable, flattering, and exactly right for the occasion.
I bring a trained designer’s eye for proportion, colour, and balance - with practical insight so that your hat feels comfortable, secure, and elegant from your arrival at the ceremony to the last photograph.
My design background
I hold a first-class honours degree in Jewellery Design. My career includes selling jewellery in prestigious retailers such as Liberty, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols in London. I have also managed contemporary art and design-led craft galleries, and produced my own jewellery collections. Through this experience, I learned something invaluable: discerning customers notice the small details and remember how you make them feel.
I bring that same design discipline into millinery: proportion, balance, colour harmony, and a calm, personal service. Ever since I was a teenager, I have honed my lifelong passion for hats, joyfully turning it into my full-time profession by establishing Marvellous Millinery in Winchester in 2011.
Even after all these years and many hundreds of hats later, I still feel a genuine thrill when a customer decides on "the one" - she lifts her head and walks taller, appearing poised and visibly relaxed.
What I specialise in
Wedding hats for the Mother of the Bride or Mother of the Groom
I take the time to design hats that sit beautifully on your head, feel secure all day, and look wonderful in photographs from every angle. I focus on:
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Flattering shapes that suit your face, hairstyle, height and silhouette
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Styles that suit the scale of the wedding venue, and what the plans of the day involve
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Thoughtful colour-matching so everything looks intentional and refined
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A comfortable, secure fit - no wobbling, no pinching, and no constant adjusting
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Individually created details that feel luxurious and considered, never mass-produced
Whether you choose a sweeping wide-brimmed picture hat, an elegant perching pillbox, a modern hatinator, or a softly undulating saucer, I will help you discover a shape that flatters your face and complements your outfit perfectly.
I work with premium materials, including sinamay, felt, and fine silk, and I use trims such as handmade roses (created petal by petal), sculpted bows, feathers, crystals, and delicate curls to give each design its own unique character.
Bespoke hats designed around you
If you would like something made especially for you, I invite you to book a private, one-to-one consultation in my Winchester studio. It starts with a brief phone conversation to help you feel comfortable and answer any initial questions. We will start by deciding on a shape, then refine the colour, materials, and all the finishing details until the planned design feels like a natural extension of your outfit.
I encourage you to bring your dress, shoes, handbag, jewellery, and any other elements you already have from your outfit so far. I like to see everything together because it is the simplest way to make your whole look feel calm, considered, and beautifully coherent.
Most bespoke commissions take between six and ten weeks from consultation to collection. I always recommend getting in touch as soon as you have your outfit. If your timeline is tight, please ask me for advice - I can sometimes accommodate rush orders, depending on my schedule. (Availability is limited, and a surcharge may apply.) I always say that your new hat can rest in its box for months, ready and waiting for the Big Day - it’s often so much calmer than a last-minute rush!
Ready-to-wear wedding hats for shorter timescales
If my bespoke option turns out not to be suitable for you, because the wedding date is approaching quicker than my timescale allows, my ready-to-wear collection could be the perfect solution. I design and create each piece as a one-off in my Winchester studio. Once it sells, it disappears from my online shop and is gone forever - I never repeat exactly the same design again. You can therefore feel confident that you will not see the same hat on another guest!
Every ready-to-wear hat reflects the same quality and design sensibility as my bespoke work, the difference being that each unique hat is available for immediate dispatch from my online shop.
The Rose Garden Studio experience
When you visit my purpose-built, air-conditioned Rose Garden Studio here in Winchester, you will have my full, unhurried attention. I only book one consultation at a time. This means you can enjoy privacy, personal guidance, and honest advice throughout your appointment.
During your visit, I will help you:
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Find the most flattering shape for your face, hairstyle and outfit.
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Compare colours in natural daylight (when possible) and under colour-corrected studio lighting.
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Choose trims that suit you - bows, veiling, feathers, crystals, or handmade silk flowers, etc.
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Plan a secure, comfortable fit so your hat feels balanced and easy to wear from morning to evening.
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Put your agreed-upon design in writing, so we both have a clear record of what I will be creating for you.
Many ladies tell me that choosing their wedding hat has been one of their favourite parts of the wedding planning. There is absolutely no pressure to “know what you want” before you arrive - my role is to guide you, make suggestions, and gently refine the options until the right design emerges.
Customers from across Hampshire and beyond
My studio is in Winchester, Hampshire, and I welcome customers from across the south of England and much further afield. Many ladies travel from Surrey, Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Sussex and London for their consultations. I have had the pleasure of creating hats for weddings and events across the United Kingdom, as well as for destination weddings, where logistics are a big part of the conversation.
If you are unable to visit my studio, I can arrange a video consultation. I can work from photographs, fabric swatches, and simple measurements to create your hat at a distance - having said that, it’s always better to visit in person if you can. There really is nothing quite like trying on different shapes and seeing how each one changes the way you look and feel. But I do understand that this is not always practical.
Traditional British special occasion style, made personal
I love the heritage of British weddings - that sense of occasion, tradition, and “proper” dressing for a meaningful, memorable day. A hat completes an outfit in a way almost nothing else can. It frames the face, improves posture, and makes you look beautifully considered without saying a word. I take great pride in adding a subtle twist to each unique piece, making it uniquely yours and blending time-honoured style with your personal flair - so you look contemporary and distinctive, never dated.
At the same time, I never want you to feel uncomfortable or self-conscious. I design for real women with real lives - women who want to look elegant, feel comfortable, and remain unmistakably themselves.
Hats for Ladies Day at Royal Ascot, a garden party at Buckingham Palace, investiture ceremonies and other formal occasions are also very much part of what I do, and I can guide you on dress codes, proportions, and what will feel appropriate for each specific event.
Five-star reviews and personal recommendations
Lots of ladies arrive feeling slightly nervous - especially if they have never worn a hat before, or if they worry about looking “too much”. I keep the process calm and enjoyable, and I guide you step by step so you feel confident in every decision.
I am also very proud that so many customers have taken the time to leave five-star reviews online about my service and kindly recommend me to their friends and neighbours. Ladies often mention the calm studio experience, the precision of the colour-matching, and how comfortable the hat felt to wear all day. I have to say that personal recommendations are incredibly valuable to me, and I never take them for granted.
Inspiration and Creativity
My inspiration often comes from observing flora in beautiful garden settings - the colours, textures and shapes that surround my Winchester studio. I take real pleasure in highlighting accents of an individual’s self-expression through their choice of accessories, and nothing brings me greater joy than receiving photographs from happy customers wearing their Marvellous Millinery hat at memorable special events.
Outside the studio, I am an active member of the Winchester Musicals and Opera Society, regularly performing at the Theatre Royal Winchester each spring and autumn. I have lived happily in Winchester with my husband for many years.
Explore my work
If you would like to browse styles and get your bearings before making an enquiry, these pages are a good place to start:
Previous Commissions Look Book
Why Choose Simon for Your Hat?
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are you based?
I work from my private Rose Garden Studio in Winchester, Hampshire, and I welcome clients from across the south of England and beyond.
Do I need an appointment to visit?
Yes, please. I offer free one-to-one consultations by pre-booked appointment only please, so you can enjoy my full, unhurried attention. I have appointments available on seven days of the week, so we can usually find a time that works well with your diary. Book via my Contact page or telephone 07968 337446.
How long does a consultation take?
Most consultations take around one hour. I keep the experience unhurried so you can try on styles properly, compare colours, and feel entirely confident about your choices before placing an order.
What should I bring to my consultation?
If possible, I'd like you to bring your outfit (or a fabric swatch) please, as well as your shoes and handbag. If your dress is being made, bring clear photographs or a sketch, along with any fabric swatches you have, so I can colour-match accurately. The more of your ensemble we can see together in the studio, the easier it is to create a hat that feels perfectly coordinated.
I have never worn a hat before - will I feel comfortable?
Yes. Many clients arrive feeling unsure, and confidence usually comes very quickly once we find the right shape and angle. I will guide you towards something flattering and easy to wear. Some of my happiest customers began by saying they were “not hat people” - and left the studio having changed their minds entirely.
How far in advance should I book?
I recommend getting in touch as soon as you have confirmed your outfit and shoe choices. Bespoke hats take between six and ten weeks to create, so booking earlier rather than later gives you the calmest, most enjoyable experience. I always say to ladies: your new hat can happily sit in its box for months waiting to be worn - far better than a last-minute dash!
Do you offer both bespoke and ready-to-wear?
Yes. I create bespoke hats through private studio consultations and also offer a ready-to-wear collection in my online shop for shorter timeframes. Both options reflect the same quality and design sensibility.
Can you match my hat to my outfit?
Absolutely. Colour-matching is central to what I do. When you bring your dress, shoes and bag to my Winchester studio, we compare fabrics and hat materials under natural light in the garden, so you can see exactly how the tones sit together. I can also work from photographs and fabric swatches if your outfit is not available to bring along. Often, I am able to incorporate a customer’s own fabrics from their dressmaker in their hat designs, so that their hat matches their dress exactly.
Colour and Outfit Matching Guide
Can you make hats for Royal Ascot as well as weddings?
Yes. I create hats for Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot, garden parties at Buckingham Palace, investitures and other formal occasions, as well as for family weddings. All of my designs can be tailored to meet specific dress codes, including for the Royal Enclosure at Royal Ascot.
Looking for more answers?
Browse my full collection of FAQs covering the bespoke process, ready-to-wear hats, hat etiquette, visiting Winchester, and more.