Why hello! How art thou? I hope you are all well. The weather is changing here in the UK and its gone from unpredictably warm to unpredictably chilly. I am not a fan. I’m sitting with orange juice and brioche writing this blogpost and reflecting on the wonder that is the wedding dress. We have become obsessed by the beautiful idea. I’m not a post millennial ignorant of the fact that this is a not a new phenomena. This has been going on for centuries and exclusive bridal gowns contrary to the knowledge of most have always been in existence. In centuries past it was not just the style but the fabric options that made a dress rare. With mechanical fibre spinning options that made thread not in existence, the finest cottons and silks were spun by hand. Embellishment of decorative elaborate techniques defined whilst the latter was the opposite. Simple. The extremes made the equivalent of our ‘on trend’ or out of ‘fashion’.
I declare a fact, quote me anywhere. If the dress suits you and you look and feel like a bride in it. Then its the best dress in the world for you! The most important dress is the one for you. I’m not a fan of bridal dresses that reveal absolutely everything for modesty reasons. I believe that the sexiest is left insinuated and left unsaid.
With that in mind, I wasn’t so bothered about the latest styles etc. I’m obsessed with whats happening in the bridal world because I feel it can help a bride find HER perfect match. The trend shouldn’t make the bride’s look as fun as trends can be.
When it came to my look I had a very specific idea of the style I was going for. I did not want to be a modern bride or a princess. My favourite design era’s are the 20’s-30’s and the 70’s bohemian period. That should tell you all you need to know. It wasn’t going to be the typical look. I spend half my time permanently attached to my phone looking at bridal trends and still never really found anything that was perfect.
To sum it up:
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The dress could not be modern. I didn’t want to be a princess either, so no mountains of fabric or loo roll holders. It had to be Bohemian or 20’s/Gatsby inspired.
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I didn’t want it to cost the earth. Maybe I was an unusual bride but my dress wasn’t a big priority money wise. I would rather have put more money into decor, venue or cakes.
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It had to be unique but show off my figure. Most bohemian and 20’s inspired dresses are very loose fitting. A challenge I anticipated.
I quickly found a tailor I thought could bring my dreams come to life but still wanted the experience of trying on dresses. I went with an army to David’s Bridal in Stratford and asked my family and best friends to pick dresses they thought might suit me. This might sound as weird to you. In my experience helping brides I have learnt that the length your friend and family know you can be an unexpected surprise. Preferably the better for the sake of the bride.
For most brides it probably would have provoked chaos with mountains of dresses selections. With my picky taste in the whole shop only 6 options were selected. Most just for fun.
Dress 1:
This was actually my number 1 option to try on at David’s, if it was going to be a David’s Bridal gown this was the first choice. Beautiful delicate lace and a lord of the rings esque cape. Gorgeous. Plus’s, beautiful shape and delicate lace. But it annoyed me that the cape was not de-attachable. I thought it was so super disappointing. But not disappointing enough that the dress wasn’t gorgeous.
Dress 2:
Surprisingly chic. I loved the beadwork on top of the lace and the simplicity made it very elegant. Conveniently the short pixie cut I had that day worked really well with the dress. Teamed with the veil its a truly great look but not sure if the dress is for me. Too simple or super elegant?
Dress 3:
This dress looked gorgeous on me and was a huge favourite with my visitors. We are divided because as much as it looked amazing, it wasn’t my style at all being more 50’s. It was super sophisticated and the drama would be perfect for a church wedding because of it’s long train. It definitely had the drama for that long aisle. Decisions!
Dress 4:
Not even going to pretend this was an option. Not my taste at all, you’ll see my reaction in the video!
Dress 5:
Super 20’s inspired dress. Simplistic silhouette and delicate lace with a slight shimmer in person with a beautifully embellished top. It twinkled! But the shape :-( no no no! What too loose fitting, changing it would take some serious work and cost some serious pounds.
Dress 6:
Super classic and elegant. Lace appliqué everywhere. There wasn’t much that made it unique for me, and it didn’t channel any era’s past. So for the girl with her her in clouds of decades past, it was unlikely to get a seat on the lifeboat.
What can I say about the ultimate David’s Bridal review at Stratford? The lady that helped us was so nice but the experience super disappointing! We had an appointment but still waited 30 mins, our stylist was changed in the middle of consulting as it was ‘time for her to go home’. I was so grateful because the sweet lady we got instead was lovely. Don’t worry I shared my feelings with the relevant parties. Since then, in my dealings with them the service was better and having looked at reviews from other brides it seems the many unfavourable reviews have shaken them into a change around. I’m grateful for that, I love the ethos of the brand, bringing great design to a bride of great taste on a budget.
So there you have it! You’ll have to wait to figure out what I chose…..feel free to guess though?