Tag: wedding dresses

What Can You Expect From Your Bridal Appointment?

Wedding Shop Appointment blog

Congratulations, you’ve set the date, booked the venue and have a gorgeous sparkly ring on your finger, now comes the truly exciting part – shopping for your wedding dress, one of the most important purchases of your life! At this fun time, it’s very tempting to rush to every single bridal shop in the county and try on every wedding dress that has gone into production. Before you make those bookings, breathe and take a moment to read what to expect from your first wedding appointment and a few tips to help you prepare and get the very best from your appointment.

While not essential before you head into a bridal boutique, it can be helpful if you have a look at the store’s website to look at the style of dresses you are drawn to or any designers you specifically like or save some images on Instagram or Pinterest to show to your consultant.

Deciding who to bring with you when trying on dresses needs some careful thought. While in principle it’s a great idea to bring your entire bride tribe with you, bear in mind that too many conflicting opinions can make your experience a little overwhelming and confusing, when what you really need at this time, are one or two people who know you really well, who you trust and can help you in making this decision. You may decide you want to come solo and that’s great too!! Every bride is different.

As soon as you walk into The Wedding Shop, you will be greeted by a friendly face and introduced to your lovely bridal consultant who will take you and your party to a luxury fitting room and comfy seating area that will be all yours for the next hour. Your consultant will first sit with you and chat about your needs, then lead you to our gorgeous dresses where she will guide you on making choices, based on your style preferences, budget and how much time you have till your wedding day. Remember, she is well versed in finding the ideal dresses to complement all body shapes, wedding themes and personalities. Keeping an open mind is key – that wild card that you may not be wowed by at first sight could be ‘the one’!

Once those dressing room curtains are drawn, it can feel a little daunting, especially if it’s your first visit and one of the most common questions we are asked is ‘will the dresses fit me?’ Wedding dresses in bridal stores are all sample sizes, because we are unable to stock every dress in every size (can you imagine how big our shop would need to be!). This means that some of the dresses you select might not fit your perfectly – but our consultants are masters at showing you how the same dress would look in your size using clips and tricks!

During the appointment, you will go through the fun process of comparing and eliminating dresses. Saying no to stunning gowns may seem an impossible task, but keep in mind that you can only get wed in one. You will probably love more than one or two – that’s why your consultant is there to help narrow it down and find ‘the dress’ for you.

When you know you’ve found The One, the sooner you can place your order, the more stress-free the whole process will be. We recommend a nine-month time scale to cover ordering the dress through to alterations. Once your dress has arrived, it never leaves our shop and we can store it right up to your wedding date, giving ultimate peace of mind.

Are you ready to visit us and find ‘the one’?

We can’t wait to meet you so book your appointment today by calling 01206 767359 or book online. Saturdays and Sundays get very busy at TWS, so booking in advance is always advisable. When you call, we like to have a quick chat with you to get to know you – we’ll ask you your wedding date, venue, if you have any particular wedding dress styles in mind or have a favourite designer. Similarly, if you book online, we ask you to fill in a questionnaire so we can be fully prepared and have some stunning dresses in mind for you when you arrive for your visit!

Shopping tips for the Plus-Size Bride

How to buy plus size wedding dresses

You’ve set the date, now it’s time to find THE DRESS! For some brides, embarking on finding your dream gown can be a slightly daunting experience, but shopping for plus-size dresses can seem even more intimidating. You might have heard stories of limited styles and sizes, a special section or room in a bridal store that you are pushed towards and consultants who just don’t understand what you need or want. Here at The Wedding Shop, we’ve made it our mission to embrace real women and bodies and we want every bride who walks through our door to know they are amazing and beautiful the way they are and please don’t change!

We stock a comprehensive collection of plus size dresses up to size 30, with many of our samples 18+, display promotional adverts and posters of brides of all sizes and last year we were delighted to take on the Every Body Every Bride collection from Stella York, with sensational gowns that are getting a massive thumbs up from plus-size brides across the globe. In fact, we have an exciting Stella York EBEB event coming up on 1st-2nd June where you can try the newest designs and receive a 10% discount if you order on that weekend!

Here are a few shopping hints that will put your mind at rest before you go wedding dress shopping and ensure you walk away knowing you’ve ordered a gown that makes you feel amazing, beautiful and unbelievably excited to wear!

Call the store first

Before you book an appointment to try on dresses, call the bridal shop first and check what sizes they stock when it comes to plus size. This will avoid disappointment on the day if they only had your favourite dress in a size 12 and will give you the opportunity to find a store that does meet your needs.

Ignore the labels

The majority of bridal designers adopt couture sizing which means their dresses tend to come up at least a size smaller than high street shops. If you’re usually a size 20, you may find yourself in a size 22 or 24 when trying on wedding dresses. We know it’s hard but try to disregard the size on the label and instead focus on how great the dress looks and fits and remember that nobody on the day will be looking inside your dress to spot what size you went for!

Be open to different styles

It is very common to arrive at a bridal appointment certain that you want a particular silhouette or style – this could be because of photos you’ve seen online, dresses you normally go for or family member’s advice, but try to keep an open mind and try on a variety of styles and trust your consultant when she pulls out a wild card or a gown completely out of your comfort zone. Also, don’t let anyone ever tell you that a style is not suitable if you’re plus-size, it’s simply not true!

Remember the alteration process

If you’ve fallen in love with a dress but the strap isn’t wide enough or the neckline is a little low, don’t be hasty in letting it go. Here at The Wedding Shop, we offer an alteration service and our team of seamstresses can adapt your dress to suit your specific needs and we will work with you to perfect those little details, so you feel relaxed and radiant on your special day.

Buy the size that fits you now!

Many brides are tempted to order a smaller wedding dress thinking that it will motivate them to lose weight before the wedding. This can add a lot of pressure and stress to the lead-up to your big day, so we advise that you order the sample size that fits you on the day of your appointment and it can always be taken in if necessary.

To book an appointment for our forthcoming Stella York EBEB event please call 01206 767359.