THE WEDDING DRESS

Finding Your Perfect Wedding Dress

If you’re like me, then you’ve probably had the vision of your wedding dress in your head for many years. I knew exactly what I wanted, I wanted a dress like my Grandma’s, a beautiful fitted lace dress, with long sleeves and a stunning train. The only issue with having an idea in your head is that it’s often very hard to find, but now we are lucky to have the likes of Pinterest and Social Media at our fingertips enabling us to search for our dream dress.

I was a late bride (according to my mum) as I got married in my late 30’s, but the beauty of this is that I applied all the experience that I had acquired from being a bridesmaid 7 times, and also my times as a wedding guest at so many super weddings! Here’s a few of the things that I have learnt along the way that I applied to my wedding dress shopping experience.

Look At Magazines

They can be wedding magazines, fashion magazines, interior design magazines, they’re all brilliant sources of inspiration. I found my wedding dress using this method. I was stunned to see a wedding dress similar to my Grandma’s showcased within a ‘Real Wedding Feature’ in a magazine. The beauty of these features is that they often list all the suppliers from the wedding day, including the dress designer / dress supplier. After visiting the designer’s wedding website, I found a wedding boutique that stocked Dando London dresses, located 30 minutes away. I booked an appointment, and ordered the first Dando London dress that I tried on.

Create A Moodboard / Visionboard

This is a brilliant way to capture what’s important to you, and to ultimately be your guiding star for when you start to veer off piste! For me, I wanted to emulate my Grandma, but comfort was also top of my priority list. I wanted a dress with long sleeves (so I wouldn’t keep pulling it up), one that I could breathe properly in (no tight corsets for me), and one that I could move about easily in (not get trapped within it!).

Shop Local

Once you start the search for your wedding dress, it’s a really good idea to look at what bridal boutiques are located near to you. This can be extremely advantageous for attending appointments, coordinating your wedding party for the ‘big reveal’ and especially for scheduling bridal fittings closer to your wedding day. The pandemic really highlighted the importance of supporting local businesses, and this is a great way to do it.

Take Note Of The First Couple of Dresses You Try On

Wedding dress shopping is a great experience, and when you pair it with fabulous company and a chance to have lunch and visit different cities, it’s a treat. The only issue is that the more dresses that you try on, the more options you have to think about, and the more indecisive you become. I have been on so many brilliant wedding dress shopping trips but it’s interesting to recall the amount of times that we’ve ended up right back where we started, in the very first boutique that we visited – maybe it’s because that very first dress you pick to try on, really is authentically you.

Get Trustworthy Opinions

As tempting as it can be to invite your whole bridal party along to your wedding dress shopping trips, I would advise to keep it to a trusted few. A good way to approach this is to go shopping with a couple of people first (Mum, Friend, Auntie, Cousin), and then invite bridesmaids / best friends along to a second appointment once you’ve got a shortlist. Everyone will approach this slightly differently but it can be important to cut out the noise and all the different opinions. Trust your gut, you know what’s right for you.

Wedding Shoes

When it comes to wedding shoes, comfort is key! If you’re wearing a floor length dress then it’s unlikely that any of your guests will actually get to see your shoes. You want to be able to walk down the aisle with confidence.

Get used to your shoes, and wear them in by walking around the house in them. This will help to pinpoint any areas that may have the potential to rub and cause issues.

If your shoes are rubbing there’s lots of great ways to prevent this. I tend to use a bit of Vaseline in the shoe and rub it around to loosen the material (a trick learnt from my competitive ballroom dancing days!). It’s also a good idea to keep a few plasters in your bridal wedding bag.

Wedding Accessories

This can be everything from tiaras, headpieces, hair clips, jewellery, all the glitz and glam. Tiaras look fabulous, but it’s wise to try it on and get used to it before your wedding day. This is because they can get quite tight so putting a bit of cotton wool around the ends can help to stop it hurting your head / behind your ears (be sure to check it’s not visible).

Your Wedding Handbag

There’s so many brilliant options out there for use on your special day. I ended up with a lovely little lace bag (which was actually the same as my little bridesmaids). It was so practical and had a small strap so it could go over my arm whilst I held my flowers and drink! Inside my wedding handbag was my phone, tissues, lipstick, plasters, safety pins, hair grips, my mask and hand gel!