Fairytales Bridal

Yeadon, Leeds

0113 2507373

Established 1992

Choosing a Wedding Dress

Getting your Ideas

The wedding dress is likely to be the most costly part of your trousseau. As the centrepiece of the bridal party, it should probably be the first item that you choose for your wedding as it can influence the style and colours of your bridesmaids, menswear, tiara and flowers.

So where do you start?

Bridal Magazines

Many brides are totally confused by the amazing variety of styles of wedding dresses now available. A popular place to start looking for the current trends is through the many bridal publications which hit the newsagent shelves either monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly. These magazines are filled with excellent photographs from many designers, giving you a good feel of what might be on offer.

Manufacturers and designers advertise in some of the publications, some of the time, so there will always be other dresses to see in different magazines each month. And you still will not see everything that is available, so still be prepared to visit the shops!

If you see a particular dress that you would like to see ‘in the flesh’, the manufacturer will be able to give you the contact details for a retailer of their designs in your area. However, do note that the stockist is only likely to hold a selection of their designs, as few are large enough or exclusive enough to dedicate themselves to keeping the full range of one particularly company.

New designs in the bridal industry tend to emerge in two seasons. New ranges are usually promoted within the trade in March and September, and allowing for ordering and delivery times to the retailers, this often means that the public see the new season’s range from June onwards and December onwards respectively. There are now just too many designs appearing for any one retailer to hold a full range.

Suppliers are often very cautious of over-burdening the market with their designs and are very selective of their retail outlets.  You are unlikely to find a retailer in one street, stocking the same labels as a retailer in a neighbouring street.

Wedding Fairs

Wedding fairs have become increasingly popular over the last fifteen years as a place for retailers to promote their services. Usually held in hotels, they are aimed at local brides wishing to view a range of wedding services including bridal retailers, photographers, menswear, florists etc. Unless a fashion show has been specially advertised, do not expect to see more than two or three bridal retailers at these events.  Even with a fashion show, the focus is usually on a small number of retailers (the retailers themselves would not attend if they felt there was likely to be too much competition!) Wedding fairs, though, are a good starting point for generating ideas for your own wedding. They often attract local small businesses and often present ‘good value’ services.

Retailers and Designers

Seeing a photograph of a dress that you like cannot substitute for trying on a dress for yourself. Spending too long looking at pictures of that ‘dream dress’ can be a real let down when you actually come to try on that style. Start trying on dresses with a fairly open mind and then rule out particular features when you have actually seen yourself in the mirror. That is, do not be totally determined to have a dress with a red bodice until you have seen yourself in that style.

Retailers and designers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from chain stores to exclusively designed and made-to-measure services. The vast majority of bridal retailers are, however, independent retailers with one shop, often situated out of town, so it is worth consulting your local advertising media to find out what is near you. As buying a wedding dress is a rare purchase, it could well be that you have not even noticed a local bridal shop even though it is under your nose!

Larger companies will probably give you more choice, but smaller companies are likely to give you a more individual service. Do take advantage of those who offer appointments. This might feel like too much commitment to you when starting out looking, but appointments give an opportunity for personal attention and advice with less chance of interruptions. And you will need assistance when trying on a wedding dress! You are likely to have lots of questions about sizing and fitting and delivery etc and the help of a specialist is invaluable. Another advantage of a smaller retailer is that you are more likely to get the service of someone who really knows what they are talking about as opposed to getting the ‘Saturday girl’!

Approaching a bridal designer may be the way forward for you if you have a reasonably clear idea of what your perfect dress will look like. Your designer will be able to transfer you thoughts to paper before making up the dress in the fabric of your choice. This is not for the feint-hearted though! You must be confident in the vision that emerges from the sketches and confident with your designer, or this could be money ill-advisedly spent, with little opportunity for opting out!                                                                                      Back to top

Budget

It is a very good idea to set a budget for the wedding dress as prices can vary from £100 to £3000! Consumer analysts state that the average amount spent on a dress is about £800. If you need to keep within a budget, do be strict with yourself, otherwise you could try on the perfect dress and then find that it is hundreds of pounds outside your price range. If you are on a limited budget, you will find beautiful dresses at the lower end of the price bracket, so just keep on looking.

And do you hire or buy? There are a limited number of retailers who now offer a hire service but it is worth seeking out this option if you really want to be practical about your expenditure, as a hire price is likely to be around two thirds of the retail price. For example, a £600 dress could possibly be hired for £350 - £400.

Timescales

Ideally, you should start looking for your dress about nine months before the wedding. This is partly because it can influence so many other decisions that need to be made for your wedding party, and partly because choosing a dress is not usually an off-the-peg purchase. Many retailers will have some dresses that can be bought off the rail, but often your dress will be ordered in especially for you. The standard order and delivery time for manufactured dresses is twelve to sixteen weeks. Add to this that you may need to allow time for fitting and alterations, the minimum time you need to allow can be six months. There are occasions when a ‘rush fee’ can be paid if you have left it a little late to order!                                                                                                                                                         Back to top

A Style to Suit

Selecting a wedding dress that reflects your personal style and flatters your figure is essential to feeling and looking confidently beautiful on your wedding day. Styling is all about using design details such colour, line, texture, patterns and shapes to help

contour, balance and flatter the body. Play up your figure strengths and draw attention away from your least favourite figure areas by using these styling tips.

Length:

• Consider the length of your dress and the height of the shoe you will be required to wear. Select a style that will comfortably accommodate long periods of standing or dancing.
• To add length and height to your figure, select a dress style that has a high waist break point or a seamless straight line with design details that create a vertical line from top to bottom. Design details might include piping, seams, buttons, appliqués, etc.

Width

• To enhance the width of a small-boned or petite silhouette, select a dress that has horizontal or diagonal design detail including seaming or print detail. Also consider adding width to your frame by selecting a dress with embellishments such as ribbons, ruching. If you choose to wear a dress with a fuller skirt, be careful not to select one too full as this could overpower your upper body, making you appear even smaller.

Bust

• To enhance a smaller bust line, avoid straight, simple lines that tend to repeat or minimize the chest area. Instead, select a dress with design details that add fullness and give the illusion of having a fuller bust line including ruffles, appliqués with pearls or beading detail, gathering, darting, etc. It may also help to wear bra inserts to fill out the dress more.
• To reduce the appearance of a fuller bust line and create figure balance, select a dress that has design detail (patterns, lines and different textures) in balanced proportions throughout the dress including at the hem, waistline, and shoulders. Doing so will draw attention away from the bust line, causing the eye to flow around the dress and up to your face. V-neck style dresses can also help minimize the size of the bust line. Also consider adding jewellery to help draw attention up to your face.
• Use clear double-sided body tape to help hold your dress in place and to avoid worries of embarrassment.

Midriff (stomach)

• To reduce the appearance of a full midriff (stomach area) and to appear thinner, select a dress that is fitted from under the bust line and flows away from the body at the waist or hip area such as an empire waist or a two-piece A-line dress style. Ruching, folds or pleats across the midriff and upper part of the skirt also distract the eye.

Waistline

• To accentuate or create a more visible waistline, choose a dress that has design detail around the waistline area including seaming, darts, piping or any embellishments (pearls, rhinestones). A two-piece mock dress or a corset styled dress provides greater control around the waist area, giving an illusion of having a smaller waistline.

Hips \ Bottom

• Consider an A-line dress style if you have fuller hips or a larger bottom. The dress should flow away from the body at the waist or hip area, camouflaging the fullest point of the body. Also, design detail such as bows, gathering and bustling on the back of the dress will draw attention away from the body, focusing on the dress design instead.

Arms

• If you have fuller or wider upper arms, select a dress with blousy sleeves, a loose fitting cut or a fabric that holds shape and doesn’t cling. Avoid wearing strapless or spaghetti strap style dresses without a wrap or shawl. Otherwise, your arms may tend to appear larger.

Shoulders

• If you have small or narrow shoulders, avoid a narrow v-neck or u-neck line as this tends to make your shoulders look smaller. Instead, create the illusion of having wider shoulders by selecting a dress style with a wide v-neck or u-neck.
• To reduce the appearance of broad shoulders, select a dress style with a narrow v-neck or u-neck line. Balance the body silhouette by selecting a dress style that has a full skirt equally in proportion to the width of your shoulders. By increasing the width of the lower body area, you decrease the appearance of the shoulder width.

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 Mail to: fairytales@ntlworld.com                                                                                                 Last updated 12/04/2008