I was never one of those girls that dreamt about my wedding day when I was small, I did not dress up in my mom’s clothes and wrap a towel around my head pretending that it was a veil. That does not mean I did not at all think about getting married I am a girl after all. I knew I wanted to get married and have kids, but gowning up I was a bit of a tom-girl.
I grew up with 3 brothers and there was not a lot of time for girly things, I was interested in climbing trees and playing in the street with all the neighborhood kids. Those were the days, when you stayed out playing all day and just had to be back inside before it got dark. The days when parents did not worry about your kids outside alone. Not like today when I fear that if I leave my kids alone outside in the back garden, they might get stolen.
Anyway, I’m moving off my point now. I dated my now husband for 11 years before we go married. We designed the ring together so I knew it was coming but still told him to make it a surprise, no pressure, right?
And did he deliver, it was a total shock when he proposed that the first thing, I said was that I had not even showered that morning, now isn’t that romantic. But anyway, it was an amazing and romantic day with an evening at Tintswalo Atlantic, champagne, 3 course meal and a super rugby game (I love my rugby I told you I’m a tom-girl, but I am into the more girly stuff now as well).
Final now it’s time to start looking for a wedding dress, and no matter what kind of a girl you are you want that white dress and to be the most beautiful girl in the room. You want all eyes on you and for all the guest to be whispering how amazing the bride looks.
It can be really daunting finding the right place to find your perfect gown. I studied fashion design and knew all about the construction of a dress and for me it was daunting. Do you go and buy off the rail, should I get a seamstress to make me a dress or a professional to make me my dream gown?
Now remember girls when I got married Pinterest did not exist. I had to buy magazines or go onto google and try and find what I was looking for. I had the knowledge of what dress will suit me and what is involved in making a dress and today there are so many amazing boutiques to choose from. I decided to design my own dress and have someone else make it for me. While I could make my own dress, I wanted to also be the bride and have that AWWWW moment. I found a lovely lady that made my wedding gown, I wanted a unique wedding dress that no one else would have.
I have now been making wedding dresses for over 10 years, and have a boutique full of amazing hand-crafted bespoke wedding gowns to try on and if you don’t find your dream gown, I can make it for you. When it comes to wedding dress shopping always keep an open mind. A wedding dress is a funny thing, you think a certain style might not suit you but when you put it on it just works. The way they are made and many layers and styling just make a wedding gown fit differently. So, step out of your comfort zone and be brave and bold and try on that dress that you really want even if you think that it might not suit you, you might be surprised.
When looking for wedding dress boutiques to go and fit at, I have a few pointers that might help you decide who to book with.
If you are asking yourself these questions then this list is going to help you.
- Where to start?
- How do I start looking for the perfect gown that will make me feel like a princess and the most beautiful woman in the room?
- Which bridal boutique do I want to fit with?
- Do I want an international brand or support a local designer?
- How do I decide between an off the rail dress or a new bespoke dress made for me?
Not to worry here are 5 tips that I find really help in selecting which bridal boutiques to choose and how many to go to.
- Try to limit the number of bridal boutiques you go to; I find keeping it under 4 is a good number. If you go to too many you start to get confused and this often leads to indecisiveness. (Keep an eye out for my next blog on how to tell when you have found your perfect gown)
- When looking for wedding dress shops try and select a variety, no point in going to 4 boutiques that all stock the same international brand. Have a look at their websites and see what they offer. Pick 2 that stock international brands, 2 that stock local designers, it’s always good to find a local designer that designs and makes their own designs so you know that you are going to be wearing a one-of-a-kind wedding dress and your dress is going to be unique.
- Once you have booked at the 4 wedding boutiques get your possie ready and make a day out of it, or 2 days as wedding dress shopping can get quite tiring. Don’t make other plans for this day, your wedding dress is an important part of the wedding day and it should not be rushed.
- If you want to have something made then you should do it, it’s your wedding day and you have every right to want the dress of your dreams. Just make sure that you fit a few wedding dresses before you have something made, you want to be sure the style and colour that you have chosen is the right shape for you. The professionals at bridal stores will be able to give you advise on what will suit your body type for style and colour. There is nothing worse than spending all that money and then the dress you have had made just does not work with your body shape.
- A helpfully tip when choosing your boutiques, is check if they do alterations in house. This is a plus, if you find your dream gown at one of these boutiques you don’t want the extra stress of finding someone to alter your dress for you, and if they do it in house, they know the dress and fabric and know how to treat it right.
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