Many of us have been dreaming about our big day since childhood. We may have had no idea of the type of guy we wanted to marry, we probably were still of the age where we thought men were ‘yuck’, but the idea of putting on a beautiful white dress and being centre of attention for a day is certainly the stuff of young daydreams.
Beautiful back detail on a dress supplied by Amy J’s Bridal Boutique, Matlock
Of course, the dress we imagined through the un-stylish eyes of our 8 year old selves is probably very different to our tastes today, but the underlying idea that the dress would be extra, extra special is just as acute now as it was then. Of course, some of us were tomboys to whom wedding dresses and wedding décor held no appeal what-so-ever and maybe you still feel that way! But whether you have known what type of dress you want for years or find yourself in a situation where your upcoming nuptials demand you start to care, choosing a wedding dress is never as easy as you hope it might be!
Here at Ashover Parish Hall Events Centre we have seen some truly stunning wedding dresses over the course of the summer wedding season. So we have asked a few of our brides to share their wedding dress experiences to see if they have any tips…
Beth and Quinn live and work in London but held their fabulous winter wedding here in the beautiful Derbyshire countryside. Beth has kindly shared her ‘dress experience’…
”I really didn’t know what kind of dress I wanted, I thought I’d like a sleek lacey number but I actually went for something quite different! It was the first dress I tried on in a gorgeous shop called Love Bridal in Crystal Palace, London. I tried on another load in 3 other shops but couldn’t get ‘Florence’ (the first dress name) out my mind! I didn’t plan the dress around the wedding or have a theme in particular, we just made and hired things we liked.
”The main tips I’d give to a bride to be is try on as many dresses as you can in a variety of shops and don’t be put off by what it looks like on the hanger as it usually looks quite different on. Go in with a budget because it would be so easy to try on a dress you just couldn’t afford, fall in love with it and then be gutted when you had to leave it – it’s best not to try it in the first place! Always tell the shop assistant what that budget is so they don’t try and hard sell dresses you can’t afford which would just waste their time and yours.
”Most of all, enjoy it! Planning a wedding and choosing the right dress was all part of the wedding fun!”
Penny and Darren, unusually for weddings held at the centre, planned their mid-week wedding at the last minute. Here is Penny’s dress story…
‘’Darren proposed in May and, being Darren (impatient isn’t the word!), didn’t want to wait so by the beginning of June our wedding was booked for a Wednesday in July! We only planned on a very small wedding at a registry office and a buffet reception for around 30 guests back at Ashover but, as if often the case, the guest list started to grow until we had around 100 people. Originally I had planned to just buy a nice, non-wedding dress that could be worn to other events in the coming years but as the wedding got bigger I thought I’d better get a real wedding dress!
Penny in her £50 wedding dress with husband, Darren.
As everything was so last minute and we had had no time to save up for our wedding, I was on a small budget. I didn’t really have much idea of what kind of dress I wanted but did think a strapless number would be nice for Mid July. My grown up daughter and I trolled round many places in Derby but anything I liked was way out of my budget and the dresses in my budget just weren’t right in some way or another. Just as we decided to call it a day and go home, I spotted a dress in the window of a charity shop. It was strapless and simple – just the kind of thing I had in mind but I thought ‘can I really buy my wedding dress from a charity shop?’
‘My daughter convinced me to try it and, with the help of a few pins, I was able to see what it would look like once it had been taken in a few cms on the waist. It was perfect – a proper wedding dress, elegant and simple. As our wedding wasn’t particularly ‘posh’, a dress in the style of Kate Middleton (e.g a massive train, veil and oodles of lace) just wouldn’t fit in with the vibe of the day. So for £50 I got myself a dress and £20 spent having it adjusted turned into the perfect dress.
”My advice to other brides would be: keep an open mind. You may find your perfect dress in a shop/place you wouldn’t have dreamt of. For instance, you may have your heart set on a bespoke number from a local dressmaker but then see something perfect in a department store. It doesn’t matter where the dress came from as long as you like it and feel good in it. Also, make sure you consider the type of wedding you are having – if you are going the whole hog with the Church, wonderful flowers and hundreds of guests you can get away with something extravagant if that’s what you fancy. Most importantly, you have to feel good in the dress – you aren’t going to be able to relax and enjoy the day if you are constantly worried your boobs are going to fall out!”
George and Carl combined their wedding day with their daughter’s Christening/first birthday. George explains how she managed to choose a dress that fitted the occasion…
”As our wedding was part of a multi-celebration I wasn’t too bothered about having a big, white wedding dress. Because it was a family themed event, complete with a bouncy castle, with as many guests under 10 as there were over, I needed a dress that was practical enough to allow me to chase around after my 1 year old daughter, Alice and play with my young nieces, nephews, Godchildren and family friends. But I still wanted to feel like ‘the bride’ and make sure the wedding element of the day didn’t get lost in the Christening/birthday celebrations. I was blessed to be sharing the day with Alice but I wanted to share centre stage rather than be pushed into the wings!
George in her beautiful Monsoon dress.
”I had a good idea of the style of dress I wanted – beads, chiffon and slightly 1920’s in style. However, I felt that in a traditional wedding white colour, that kind of dress might be OTT for the occasion. So I decided to break from tradition and go for a different colour. I knew I probably wouldn’t find this kind of dress in a standard bridal shop so decided to look at the higher end of the high street and see what they had in the way of dresses for formal occasions. I found the perfect pale green dress in Monsoon – the 3rd shop I went in. Over the past few years I have bought a few outfits from Monsoon, for a Christmas ball and a couple of friend’s weddings and have always liked their designs.
”I always had a clear idea of the style I liked. I wanted to make sure that my dress was totally me and when people saw the dress they would think ‘yes, that dress is totally George’. Some people like their wedding dress to be totally different to their everyday style and that’s great – sometimes it’s good to shock people (in a good way of course!). I knew from past fashion experiences what kind of thing suits me (learning from a few major fails along the way!) and thought I’d be most comfortable if I stuck to what I knew.
”My advice would be not to get too caught up in trends and fashions. You probably know what kind of styles and shapes suit you. You want to feel a million dollars on the day, as well as looking it, so make sure you feel comfortable in the dress. You may have your mum, sister or friends telling you a certain dress looks amazing but, if you aren’t sure, don’t let other people sway you. Also, don’t rush into anything. I knew the dress I chose was the right one as soon as I saw it but, after trying it on, I still went round a few more shops and had a coffee before going back to buy it just to make sure.
”Traditionally white wedding dresses are beautiful but there is no law that says you have to wear one. If you want to go for a different colour them go for it. A friend of mine recently got married in a black lace fishtail dress and looked absolutely fantastic.”
Thank you very much ladies. It has been great to read your wedding dress stories. Here in Ashover, wedding season is almost done – we just have one more Christmas wedding to look forward to before the new year. But it looks like next year is gearing up to be a busy one!
If this is the first time you have stumbled across our blog, make sure you check out the archives for more wedding related posts including ‘choosing a venue’, ‘decorating the room’ and ‘organising the entertainment’.
Until next time, thanks for reading!