Cookies Policy

Last updated 11 November 2026

This policy explains the cookies this website uses. The short version: we use the cookies the website needs to work, and Google Analytics to see how many people visit and which pages help them most, but only if you say yes. We don’t use advertising cookies.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files a website saves in your browser. Some are essential for the website to work; others are used to understand how it is used. Websites can also save similar small pieces of information in your browser in other ways; this policy covers those too.

Cookies the website needs

The law allows these without asking first, because the website can’t work properly without them.

• Your wishlist is saved in your own browser (its “local storage”), not on our servers, so you can come back to the dresses you love.
• Checkout: if you buy something from us online, our checkout remembers what you are buying, and Stripe, who process card payments, sets __stripe_mid and __stripe_sid to help prevent fraud. They last one year and 30 minutes.
• WordPress login cookies (names starting wordpress_): only set for people who log in to manage the website.
• tdts_consent: remembers whether you accepted or declined cookies, so you are not asked on every page. It lasts six months.

Cookies used only if you say yes

When you first visit, a small notice asks whether you are happy for us to use Google Analytics. Nothing from Google Analytics loads unless you press Accept.

• _ga and _ga_ followed by letters and numbers: set by Google Analytics to count visits and tell new visitors from returning ones. They don’t tell us who you are. They last up to two years.

Google Analytics shows us things like how many people visited, which pages they read, roughly where in the world they were and what kind of device they used. We see totals, not individuals. Google keeps this information for 14 months. You can read how Google uses it at policies.google.com.

Booking, maps and social media

The appointment booking form on our website comes from our booking system, My Bridal Software, which may set its own cookies and has its own privacy policy. Our links to Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Google Maps take you to those websites, which set their own cookies once you are there.

Emails from us

If you click a link in one of our emails, our mailing system may save a small cookie (fc_hash_secure, lasting 90 days) so the website knows which subscriber you are, for example to update your email preferences. See our Privacy Policy for more about how we use your information.

Changing your mind

You can change your choice at any time: choose Cookie settings at the bottom of any page and press Accept or Decline. If you decline after accepting, Google Analytics stops and its cookies are deleted.

You can also view, block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking essential cookies may stop parts of the website, such as checkout, from working. To clear your saved wishlist, clear your browser’s site data for this website. The Information Commissioner’s Office explains more about cookies at ico.org.uk.

Contact

Any questions about cookies? Email info@elsiemaybridal.co.uk.