My Wedding Dress

I haven't been on here in a while but my last post was of my excitement of my parcel being shipped.

When I returned home, after waiting anxiously for about two hours whilst my neighbour (who had my dress due to signing for it), was out (how dare he!! lol) I was overjoyed when he eventually returned home and brought me my special delivery.

Husband-to-be was sent downstairs as I rummaged through the packaging and unfolded my garment. At first sight I was not disappointment. My risk had paid off! It was beautiful.

To make it easier for everyone I will list a score out of one to ten on quality, design etc. So here goes....

Material - 10/10.

My dress was made out of a very heavy and gorgeous taffeta, with lace undertones and detailed with small ivory pearls and gentle sequins. To be honest, I didn't expect it to be quite so heavy. But I can honestly say it completely matched the bridal shop dresses in material quantity and quality. I actually struggled to keep it lifted as I stared at it's never-ending detail it was that heavy! All in all a big ten out ten for the material. Exactly what a wedding dress should be like but without the big designer price tag.

Design - 9/10

The design is almost exactly identical to the Mori Lee dress pictured above. Obviously it's not 100% identical, but I love it all the same. In fact I actually prefer my actually dress to that of the Mori Lee one. It is far more detailed and the skirt seems to be fuller, which I like.

I asked 'Your Bridal Wear' to customise it slightly by adding a sweetheart neckline, which they have and I am very pleased with the results. Really can't fault it except for the fact that it's not identical to the picture and therefore could mislead people and perhaps disappoint them if they don't like some of the finer details added. However I'm not overly fussy and as it happens love what they have done with it!

Fit - 10/10

It was clear from the start that my wedding dress was built to fit me...big busted with a drawn in waist and a big skirt to disguise a big bum!!

Once I had stepped into the dress and had help pulling and pushing, tucking and tightening the lace up corset back and vast skirt I was very comfortably tied into it securely. It fitted me perfectly and whats more had plenty of room for expansion (most probably!) or deflation (if only!).

The lace up back was strong and stable, it took a while to thread it all through and pull tight whilst still allowing me to breath (only just!!), but that's to be expected with all dresses of this nature.

Once in and tightened, the dress really took on it's true form. The bust was generous, which is only a good thing in my books, so I would suggest for smaller ladies make sure you get your measurements exact especially around this area. You don't want to end up looking like you have had a dodgy boob job done especially for your wedding day!

The waist measurement was, again, perfect with plenty of room for alterations in weight. It made me feel secure but not freshly squeezed!

To wear, the dress felt heavy but manageable and just like a wedding dress of that size should. If you are opting for something lighter or simpler then I would expect different results of course. I would go into the exact feel, weight and overall 'move-ability' of the dress but as it really is dress dependant and everyone is different I won't go into details.

Service - 8/10

The service from Your Bridal Wear was good but not fantastic. Now don't get me wrong, I am 100% pleased with my dress but I think the service could have been a little clearer.

For example, some of the emails were a little cryptic. I didn't mind this at all but it didn't come across as very professional. Some brides may worry at this which is I have had to mark the score down to 8/10.

Otherwise the service was friendly, helpful and overall pleasing. Sometimes I had to wait a few days for email replies but they always got back to me in the end.

Delivery - 10/10

Well not much explanation needed here really, delivery was sent through a courier (DHL I believe), to which I was duly informed the same day that my dress was on my way to me and was even given a tracking number!

With that I made sure I tracked my dress from the depot centre right to my house. This gave me reassurance and I felt that in this respect the delivery side of things went extremely smoothly and even 'upped' the excitability factor further. The dress took one day to get to me and had to be signed for. I wasn't at home when the dress arrived so my kind neighbour signed for it for me. Looking back I kind of wish I had put down my works address as delivery destination but hey that was my problem not theirs!

Price - 11/10!!!

Well this was the deciding factor for me in the first place. A designer dress in very similar style in a bridal boutique would have cost me upwards of £800.00! Gasp!

This dress however cost me a very modest £165.00. Together with the 3-hooped underskirt the grand total came to £186.00.

I really can't tell you what a total and utter relief being able to buy a great quality dress at this price has given me. I had doomed thoughts about having to buy a designer dress, leaving me hundreds of pounds in debt.

Overall Thoughts & Review

A bride just wants to look and feel beautiful in a stunning gown and until now I thought you had to spend mega bucks to achieve this...but I was really very very wrong.

Ok so I took a risk, I could have hated the dress when it arrived or been completely unrealistic about the whole thing and stomped me feet if one thread was out of place but luckily I just ain't that kinda girl!

I knew what I was buying into, I didn't expect it to be perfect (although pretty much perfect was what I got!) and I certainly didn't expect it to come as quickly as it did.

A bridal boutique offers an extended service. Not only can you browse for hours, trying on all sorts of weird and wonderful dresses but they also offer a personalised fitting service and whats more will make sure your dress is perfectly crease free for your big day.

Your Bridal Wear does not offer this. But it was my opinion that these 'extra' little services that a bridal boutique provides can actually be undertaken elsewhere for a budget price.

For example, if you receive your dress and it needs slightly taking in or letting out, then go to a trusted seamstress. Usually they tend to be reasonably priced and most can do wonderful things with wedding garments whatever your request.

Likewise, if you need your dress steamed or pressed, ready for your special day, take it to a trusted launders. Don't forget that this is what these services are here for, and plus most dry cleaners have probably had hundreds of wedding dresses in for special treatments such as these.

The big obstacle is fitting the dress to make sure the style that you pick actually suits your figure. Now I can't stress how important this is. I personally visited a bridal boutique before I ordered my dress online as I wanted to get a feel for what sort of dress would look good on me.

I have a full but curvy hourglass figure so, like most body shapes, not every dress is going to 'love' me. Having a chance to fit on a variety of styles and designs gave me a much needed insight as to the type of dress which suited me.

Once you have found the style that you love and that 'loves' your figure, be sure to mentally note down the neckline, what sort of skirt you want (full, slim, medium etc), back and fastening details i.e. zip up, lace up etc and the smaller details like ruching, beading and the length of the train.

Once you have them in hand the world (or website) is your oyster! Take care to pick up on the smaller details, as they really do count and whats more whichever company you buy from ask them for a stock photograph of the actually dress that you are going to be ordering.

Most companies use the actually designers picture, which obviously can cause confusion as some ladies may think they are getting that exact dress which in fact they are not. In most cases it will be a look-a-like replica.

Your Bridal Wear emailed me over a photograph of the dress that they had made for a customer previously. It was a great indication of the actual dress I would receive and allowed me to have a say in what I wanted alterating i.e. sweetheart neckline.

Be careful where you buy from, the reason I choose Your Bridal Wear is because Ann is actually based in the UK. I think the company as a whole is based elsewhere (China I think), but I knew my dress was coming from the UK which gave me a little reassurance.

Read and research before you commit, don't trust just the one good review (unless it's my review your counting;). I was lucky enough to be part of a bridal forum, of whom many users had personally used the website and were very pleased with the dresses. But obviously not every girl is going to want to trawl the bridal forums in search of a bargain dress maker. This is why I created this blog. I hope to help lots of other ladies, in a similar budgeting situation, so that they don't feel like they have to compromise their dress for the sake of not being able to afford a designer one.

Think of it as bridal wear for the high street, a lot like Topshop or River Island. They take a designers idea and replicate it for the masses at an affordable price.

If however you have the money to spend lots of a wedding dress than go for it! I would if I had the spare cash, it is after all a lot less stressful doing it that way as the bridal shop will take care of everything for you.

But whatever you do, don't think that you are the only lady to go through this wedding dress nightmare. Whatever your budget, there is a beautiful dress out there waiting for you:)

Pictures of me in my dress will be coming soon....

Wedding Dress Update...

Well there I was, just going about my day as usual when I happened to log in to my emails and found a quite unexpected email from Ann at Your Bridal Wear.

The email read that my dress had been dispatched......I nearly choked on my own saliva (sorry, I realise that isn't the most pleasant description in the world!) as I flipped through my calender marked with an expectant dress delivery date of the 23rd October (7 weeks exactly).

I have to say I am overjoyed that my dress has arrived earlier then stated! It has me all in a whirl of excitement at the moment!

The email from Ann included a DHL tracking number which was very useful let me tell you! I think I have spent the majority of the day 'popping' onto the tracker, following my parcel from Wrexham (Wales I think??) through Manchester to my little city of Norwich and then onto my address in the deep East!!

Now all I have to do is pick it up from my neighbours (a neighbour signed for me) and proceed to rip it open, and of course try it on!!

Excited is not the word!

Veil or no veil?

Initially wearing a veil on my wedding day seemed like an irrelevant little detail in the whole scheme of wedding dress shopping. The dress was, in my opinion, the biggest and most important part of the process and so, up until just recently, I hadn't particularly dedicated much thought to my head wear for the day.

I was happy to think that a veil was no big deal and, with a budget in mind, I made the decision not to look into having one.

However, somehow it came up in conversation one day that I personally wasn't intending to wear a veil on my wedding day. I got shot looks of pure anguish from loved ones who explained that I simply must wear a veil as it is tradition. This surprised me, I really had no idea that veils were such a 'big' deal to other people and that they seemed to be a traditional 'must-have'.

That got me thinking, maybe I should wear a veil? After all I did like the look of some of them and perhaps they would compliment my dress. On the other hand I was cautious of not making my outfit look too 'fussy' and princess like on the day. I wanted elegance and class not a big frumpy mass of white tulle stuck to my head.

There was only one option, I had to try on a veil and see for myself what all the fuss was about.

Once at the bridal shop my thoughts were solely of the dress however I distinctly remember a mass of sparkling, cathedral veils hanging over and around the over sized shabby chic mirror standing in front of me. One veil particularly caught my eye, dripping in swarovski crystals, I fantasized over the beautiful gleam that could adorn my head on my special day.

As I climbed into one dress the shop assistant asked if I would like to try a veil on with the dress. I almost jumped for joy as she gently picked up the crystal encrusted veil and lifted it above my head, carefully putting it into place.

As I faced the mirror my reflection almost astounded me. I absolutely fell in love with the veil. It complimented the dress beautifully and fell into place wonderfully. The full length single layer of tulle made it look elegant and classy, it wasn't too full or fussy, it was perfect.

The crystals that crawled over nearly every inch of the veil were discreet and small, but gave the veil a touch of glamour and distinction.

The top of the veil fell over my shoulders, just revealing a teaser of pink flesh, and sat on the top of my hair perfectly. The comb was hidden by the diamond tiara which completed the ensemble.

So my mind was made up. A veil was a must!

Even the price tag of £1000.00 didn't put me off as I knew I could find a similar veil online for a reasonable price (not that I told the shop this, of course!).

So off to eBay I trotted, willing to trawl through the good, the bad and the ugly for most of the evening. I didn't have to trawl through much as once I had hit the 'UK Only Sellers' button I found an array of veils that fitted the bill.

I found a gorgeous cathedral length veil, with tiny crystals lining the edge for a bargain price of under £20.00! I was amazed!

Now safely in my 'watching' list, I will almost definitely be looking into ordering the said veil once I have my dress safe and sound in my possession. I want to try the dress on first, just to make sure there is room for a veil after all!

Wedding Dress Update....

Further to my previous post I have just received an email from Ann who tells me that my underskirt has been acknowledged and will be sent along with my dress.

The email was a little cryptic, I presume Ann isn't actually English so her words are a little muddled up but I got the jest of what she was trying to say, so I'm happy!

Just can't wait to receive my dress now! 4-5 Weeks to go and counting!!!

Wedding Dress Update...

For any of you who have read my previous posts you will know that although I received email confirmation for my wedding dress I didn't receive confirmation for my underskirt.

It is no big deal as I am sure they intend to send the underskirt along with the dress but I wanted to double check that they hadn't overlooked my order.

Anyway I have email them and am now awaiting a response....will update you all with their response as soon as I receive it!

What to wear under the wedding dress?

This is a question I have recently asked myself.

Of course any under garments I choose will have to be nude or ivory/white coloured preferable, and it has to be comfortable and practical for the whole day. No use feeling like a tightly squeezed lemon on the biggest day of your life!

However, I do want it to be sexy and controlling as well.

Many women opt for the 'body shaper' which I'm assured works a treat for keeping all those lumps and bumps at bay....but is it really very comfortable to wear for the whole day?

I want to be able to laugh, cry and dance until my hearts content on the day but I have to wonder if wearing masses of body armour will prevent me from doing cartying out such activities.

Will I be crying from the wave of emotions rushing over me or will I be crying from the pain and discomfort of the girdle tightening it's grip around my waist!?

The options seem limited. I can't seem to find any shapers that look sexy, are controlling but not to the point of oxygen starvation and are priced reasonable.

The other option may be to ditch the body shapers and instead opt for a strapless bra and matching frenchies. How comfortable this option would be is undoubtedly profound but it would be a cheaper and perhaps somewhat easier option.

Perhaps I wouldn't even need a bra, after all the dress is corseted with a lace up back and boned throughout the top half. Maybe the dress in itself would be structured enough to keep my body under control!

Perhaps I should just wait for the dress to arrive? Getting a little ahead of myself me thinks!

Weight Loss For The Wedding!

Weight loss. Not a problem for some but a big problem for others.

The question that most brides ask themselves before buying a wedding dress is 'Should I lose weight for my big day?'.

This same question entered my mind almost as soon as my husband-to-be proposed. I was left with a positive feeling that I could certainly look like some sort of catwalk model by the time we wed.

The reality is now, somewhat, looking different!

The idea that you, as a bride, needs to lose weight before your wedding day is widespread throughout every country, city and town in the world. You hear women talking about it on various bridal forums, sometimes (and this has happened personally), you may even get asked by a 'loving' relative or friend if you plan to lose weight for your wedding day!

With this pressure coming from nearly every angle you have to ask yourself why you want to lose weight for that one day if you are relatively content or happy with the current weight you are? Is there some sort of pretence we feel we must adhere to as we will be admired from every conceivable angle whilst adorning your beautiful dress?

I have always had a weight problem, the problem being I love my food and I love to eat. Simple. I'm certainly not obese or unsightly, but I could do with cutting down on the junk food in order to cut down on my flabby bits of fat!

At first I felt like I needed to lose weight in order to look nice in my dress, well in any dress really! I certainly didn't want to look like a sugar plum fairy wallowing down the aisle!

I realised I needed to lose a couple of stone at least to feel comfortable with myself. The thought did cross my mind that if I haven't lost this weight so far in my life that it wasn't hopeful that I would lose it in the 12 months I had til my wedding.

What would change? Would I get the motivation I needed just because I didn't want to look like 'me' on my wedding day?

So, with many questions in tow I started a well know health (diet) plan down at my local village hall.

It would cost me £20.00 a month to join but I felt sure that it was worth every penny if it helped to acheive the 'perfect body' for my perfect day.

Once I started to follow the diet I lost weight quickly and healthily. I was eating fruit and veg like there was no tomorrow and limiting my 'junk' food intake to a cope-able minimum.

I felt good, I felt healthy. I was starting to look better and feel much more confident in myself.

By the time two months had past I had lost 2 stone, which was amazing by any ones standards considering I was still eating a fair amount.

Then it happened. I lost my motivation. As usual.

Now a further two months down the line I have pretty much put all the weight back on. Sure I had a great time doing it;) But it has left me worried and concerned about how I will look in my dress.

Luckily I didn't order my dress until a week or so ago so I know it will fit me at my current weight but I somehow feel like I should lose weight just to try and make some sort of effort at feeling how I did previously. I want to feel confident and beautiful on my wedding day. Not fat, frumpy and sad with my appearance!

I keep wondering if my weight really and truely matters, as afterall my partner is marrying me the way I am. I have always been curvy and he loves that about me. Maybe it is just myself who I feel I have to answer to. But should I really feel guilty for not losing weight for the most important day of my life?

Weight isn't really that important in the whole wedding planning process and yet nearly every bride feels as though they have to be at their most perfect weight in order for them to be presentable on that day.

Whether or not I decide again to try and lose weight for my big day is still a question I am pondering myself. But the question is, will you try and lose weight for your wedding day and if so, what is the real reason behind this decision?