We know that beginning the wedding dress search can definitely be one of the most important and stressful parts of the wedding process. You have the groom, you have the venue and you have the bridesmaids called to action and ready at your side. Now all you need to do is find the ideal dress that suits your body shape and style needs and represents the full accumulation of personal taste ever since your first communion dress.
This process has a very typical typecast in the form of bringing the mother and the bridesmaids to a bridal boutique, with bubbly and a delightful montage of trying on vast and varying dresses until you find the one. While that tradition can be a great time for bonding and deciding on what exact style you like, there are other endless options out there for brides shopping for the dress. We’re all about personal taste when it comes to the wedding process, from the style of wedding favours to your registry ideas, we love doing things you’re own way and throwing caution to the wind. That can also be said for the dress search, with so many more individual and unique options out there, you don’t have to sit in a stuffy boutique surrounded by peer pressure if that's not your thing.
Search online
What could possibly be better than throwing your feet up with a big glass of wine and having a browse through the web? We know that some of the bridal fun exists in the process of trying on the dress with friends and family, sipping some bubbles and exclaiming you found the one (the dress, not the guy). But a lot can also be said for searching for that dream dress on your own terms, with no one else’s opinions or views being pushed on your decision-making process. You can search, find and trial the entire wedding dress on your own, to build suspense for what it will look like on the big day. A lot of brides have decided to make the move online and there are numerous solely online websites that will cater for the process, from offering free fittings by sending the dress to you, which you can then return, to sending you fabric samples and more. It can be a lot less stressful doing the entire process by yourself, with the help of online experts who are almost always available to online chat to guide and ease the process. Then when the big day rolls around, you can watch in sheer joy (and let’s admit, slight smugness) when everyone involved in the wedding sees the dress for the first time and gushes.
Consider second hand
After all, realistically a wedding dress is really only worn once. It makes sense for a bride to sell her dress if it’s only going to be taking up space thereafter, and what better way to breathe new life into a gown and get a label name for a lot cheaper than buying second hand. It will still be a new dress for you, and you get the dream designer you’ve always wanted for a fraction of the price. A lot of bridal boutiques will specialise in this, and there are also places where you can purchase them direct from the seller and cut out the middle man (or middle boutique). Search sites like Sell My Wedding Dress or even Donedeal, which will open up a whole host of options in terms of price range, design and even pinpointed counties that will make the dress collection part a whole lot easier.
Choose a charity
If you’re looking to buy outside, then you should consider buying from a charity shop and supporting a good cause. You can simultaneously get an equally stunning, pre-loved wedding dress with all the benefits of second hand that we just mentioned and also know that your hard-earned, well-saved money is going to not only make you feel amazing but will also give back to a good cause. Now that is the ultimate in wedding multi-tasking. Most charity shops, especially those who specify in wedding dresses, will often host a whole range of designer names often donated and still in great condition. Places like Barnardos Bridal Rooms will almost always have a few stunning designer gowns tucked away in their showroom, all of which come at a great and worthy discount.
Go to an Etsy boutique
The mother of all trade and online marketplaces, Etsy, is host to some of the most charming and unique stores that you normally wouldn’t have access to. It can’t be faulted for unique, one off designs and trendy, authentic boutiques that cater perfectly to the more vintage and off-beat style of wedding dresses. From handmade lace and embroidered pearls, you can find varied different designs in all lengths and a range of prices to suit your personal tastes, from start-up boutiques to widely reviewed and raved about Etsy longstanding stores. Similar to the process of online shopping, certain Etsy bridal stores will ship samples of their gowns attached with a prepaid return label to send back to the store and you can even request custom fittings and adjustments when placing your order. Hassle-free and still unique and individual.
Get the dress handmade
Okay, don’t immediately panic at the sight of this suggestion. When we say handmade, we don’t mean sitting in your kitchen racking away at your sewing machine night after night. Instead we mean bringing your very own dress design to a local or well-trusted dressmaker and creating your very own wedding dress. Maybe you just can’t find the perfect dress that has the best detailed bust and that dramatic trailing skirt you’ve been endlessly searching for. In that case, you can simply hand over cut outs and images and the right dressmaker will know how to perfect that look into your dream dress. Alternatively, if the thought of putting your entire gown and its outcome into the hands of someone else is completely off-putting, then you can opt for fashioning a small addition yourself instead. Maybe it’s just a simple strand of lace ribbon or it’s something more substantial like the veil or overcoat – either way, if you include a handmade factor into the wedding dress it will not only make your outfit more meaningful and authentic but give you yet another excuse to brag and gush about the wedding dress when anyone asks.
- Roisin Curran
Image Credits: Wedding dress rack: OneWed | Vintage dress and car: Elizabeth Anne Designs | Online shopping: The Every Girl | Couple backyard: One Fab Day | Bride on swing: Colin Cowie Weddings | Bride in forest: Love4Weddings | Bride with bow: Brides