So he popped the question! …. Whoop whoop! Finally, after a series of nervous family introductions (cringe) a joint bank account, a shopping trip to Ikea (love their meatballs) and a few of your not so subtle hints during ‘Don’t tell the Bride’ he did it! He got down on bended knee, bedazzled you with engagement bling and asked you to marry him!! You said ‘yes’ and you’re now officially able to introduce him to everyone as your ‘Fiancé’…. Let the wedding planning fun begin ….
I’m not going to lie. I’ve been a Bride myself and on reflection it’s fair to say I probably verged on being a bit of a Bridezilla. Yep, I had mood boards (and moods) fabric swatches, count down planners, spreadsheets and meeting agendas. I was extremely well organised and had a non-negotiable and very definite ‘idea’ of how I wanted things to be on my wedding day.
So, inevitably, as a ‘has been bridezilla’ and now (a-hem) award winning bridal boutique owner I do genuinely appreciate that wedding planning and shopping to find ‘the one’ can sometimes be a tad stressful. BUT, and yes I am shouting a little here Ladies, in some cases wedding dress shopping is as stressful as you allow it to be and I do believe that with a little bridal dress shop research and some forward planning an enjoyable journey to destination ‘wedding dress purchase’ could be just around the corner….
My own first wedding dress shopping experience (before my life as a bridal shop owner)was a tad disappointing. I’d been dreaming of swishing effortlessly in an ivory cloud of sparkly gorgeousness, feeling amazing and wowing the shop staff! Instead in the first dress I felt fat and frumpy in a gown that didn’t fit or suit me. A puffy veil was plonked lopsidedly onto my head by a less than interested Assistant and I was farcically told that I looked amazing! Stupidly I had agreed to try on gowns in a bridal shop that smelt of chips (am sure Ambi Purr don’t do a fish n’ chips scented plug in now do they?). It wasn’t ideal and the whole situation could have been avoided by doing a little boutique research and visiting the professional and friendly bridal shops that did appeal … simples.
Here’s a few more tips to help you on your way before you embark upon the shopping trip of a lifetime; First of all put that wedding planning calendar to good use and book some appointments, the best wedding shops often get booked in advance. Know that the service that you receive in bridal shops within your area will vary; some will work exclusively by private appointment and some will operate on a ‘walk in’ basis where there are multiple changing rooms available. Some may offer refreshments but some may not, take each shop as you find them and enjoy the colourful variation that is the bridal shop industry. I personally think it’s a great idea to print a selection of dress pictures that you like but equally do remember to be guided by the dress shop Consultants who should advise what will suit your body shape and style of wedding. Don’t be tempted by replica internet dress purchases (more often than not it ends badly) and when considering who to take along with you to the boutiques keep numbers to a minimum so that the majority of your friends and family will be wowed by you as a bride on your actual wedding day and not before.
I loved my wedding day. I mean I really loved my wedding day! I drank waaay too much but thank goodness so did most of my Guests! ….. Hilariously I kept blaming the slightly slippy floor for my falling over and at the end of the evening I had hurt my coccyx and I almost couldn’t travel on my honeymoon!! Actually that wasn’t the only blip – My Brothers were late for the ceremony and followed me down the aisle! Then Rob (Hubby) promised to be faithful to himself during our vows (nerves apparently)…. But blips aside my wedding day was amazing and actually there were no Bridezilla moments at all. You know when they say ‘enjoy every moment – it whizzes by’, well it certainly does so do make sure that (like me) in between glasses of bubbles you enjoy the moment, enjoy your new husband and enjoy the wonderful event that is your big and very special day.
So now girls it’s your duty to go forth and enjoy your wedding dress shopping …. Try on a variety of exquisite bridal creations; embrace the lace, revel in the attention, strike a pose in a slim fitting fishtail, admire the meringues, try on a huge tulle number and above all else don’t get your tiara in a twist over anything minor like I did, just have fun and good luck finding the wedding dress of your dreams …. We’ll look forward to seeing you in-store sometime soon x