The Do's and Don'ts of Choosing Your Wedding Dress

...and Making the Most of Your Appointment

Ideally, make your first appointment 11-13 months ahead of the wedding. Most gowns take around around 6-9 months to be ready and we recommend you aim to have your dress arrive around 2 months before the wedding. You will have a greater choice if you give us lots of time, though some dresses can take just 4 months and rush is possible, this will lessen your choice and limit time for alterations. Rush orders are not available for all our designers or dresses. We keep a good selection of off-the-peg and sample gowns for brides who are on a shorter time scale.

Saturdays are busiest, so book well in advance if you need to travel. We only see one bride per appointment time, so you have our complete attention and assistance. Appointments are also available Wednesday - Friday.

We do not offer an alteration service but are able to provide details of an independent seamstresses should you need one. Gowns will usually needs some alterations for a perfect fit, so allow some budget and time for this.

1950’s retro style tea length wedding dresses come to just above the ankle. Shorter Fifties wedding dresses are also available and most dresses can be made longer or shorter to suit. Coloured petticoats are also available to suit your colour schemes.

DO

  • Bring a camera, or use your camera phone. We welcome brides or their friends taking pictures for comparison purposes.
  • Bring someone with you, whether that’s the mother of the bride, maid of honour or a friend. Please limit this to three guests as we do not have seating or space for more. Too many guests may not be helpful to you as they will inevitably have too many views of their own on what, in the end, is your choice!
  • Allow an hour to try on your 1950’s tea length wedding dress or corset and skirt combination gown.
  • Have an open mind and try colours and shapes you hadn’t considered. Everything looks different on a body than on the hanger. We specialise in corset wedding dresses and 1950's tea length wedding dresses.
  • Wear the lingerie you plan to wear on the day if possible. A different bra can have an effect on the fit of the dress and alterations are costly.
  • Bring shoes of the height you plan to wear on the day, even if they aren’t the actual ones you have in mind.
  • Tell us if you are interested in a particular dress/es, as samples sometimes sell to short notice brides and we may need to reschedule when a new one arrives.

DON'T

  • Have a spray tan within two weeks of your appointment or fittings. Your tan will mark the dresses, and in the circumstances would have to charge for any damage caused. Just postpone your appointment if you have a spray tan.
  • Try to bring young children, as bridal appointments usually last an hour and this can be boring for little ones.
  • Order your dress until you have lost any weight you are planning. Last minute weight loss, or gain, will mean your dress won’t fit. Ordering the dress in the size you hope to be rarely works.
  • Compare yourself to the magazine models, who are generally tall and size 6 or less. If you are 5ft and a size 16-18 the dress will look different on you. Be realistic.
  • Don't bring too many guests with you. It is your dress and the more guests you have, the more "advice" you'll get, which can sometimes be very un-helpful. We recommend three guests maximum.

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