The Dress - Some Tips

If there was only one thing that would be the focus of your wedding, one thing that stands out above all others, it will be your dress. People will gush and coo over it, talk about how it suits you and how well it fits you, it will be the centre of attention as much as you are.
More importantly, it's how the dress makes you feel. Do you feel comfortable and a princess in your dress? Here are some tips that I've put together to help choose a dress: 

Dress by Benjamin Roberts

• Start looking early, but not too early. If you start looking a year to nine months before your wedding you will have lots of time to enjoy the fun of trying on dresses, relaxing and having your pick of dresses. If you're having a bespoke wedding dress made, try not to leave wedding dress hunting any later than six month

• Collect pictures from magazines and the internet of the dresses however it's important to be aware that dresses look one way posed on a model in a magazine but very different in the real world. I tried on a dress that I loved and I later saw in a magazine - I wouldn't have chosen that dress from looking in the picture in the magazine but it looked fabulous on. 

• Make sure the gown you're going for suits the ceremony you're having. More 

  

  Dress by VEROMIA 

  importantly, have the dress you want, but also be mindful of your venue. Church or religious weddings tend to have the bigger dresses with a train, civil ceremonies tend to have the more slinky dresses. But saying that, my sister-in-law had a gorgeous slinky dress for her church wedding to my brother and she looked amazing so I think it's more important to have the dress you want. 

• Work out a rough budget for your dress. There's no point falling in love with a £2000+ dress if you only have £500 in your budget. If you're like me, once you've fallen for a dress, no other will compare. And if it cost £20 or £2000, you will work hard to have it. 

• Make an appointment. Some dress shops will let you walk off the street but it's best 

  

  Dress by Tia by Benjamin Roberts

  to make an appointment so that you can be sure you'll have all their attention and you won't be sharing the mirror with another bride. Some shops such as Princess Brides, Staffordshire dedicate a whole floor of the shop to you and give you a glass of bubbly! 

• When choosing someone to take to your first try on, take someone who will give you an honest and frank appraisal of how you look. We don't want brutal honesty, but a clear, decisive opinion will help you get an idea of what suits you. I'm taking my mum. She has a keen eye on clothes that suit me, but she also has her own very definite ideas of what my dress should look like. While I value mum's opinions, I will be firm over what I want.

• If you're aiming to lose weight for your wedding, remember to let the lady in the shop know. Maybe a lace up back would be the way to go? That would cut down on the need for adjustments.

• It might be a good idea to go with a strapless or a flesh coloured bra and underwear when trying on your dress, just to give you a more accurate idea of what you'll look like on the day.

• Things to ask the shop include payment plans, can you pay in instalments? Will you need to pay a deposit? Are alterations extra? Will they keep the dress at the shop for you or will you need to take it home? How long will the dress take to come in? 

• Don't keep looking after you've chosen your dress. Once you've picked it and put down the deposit or paid for it, don't look at or try on another dress. You will only torture yourself.

Choosing a dress is one of the most enjoyable parts of planning your special day. Make the most of it.