My Wedding Dress Quest

I know quite a few brides-to-be find their search for the perfect wedding dress a bit of a nightmare, but for me this wasn’t the case!

I actually found mine on the second visit to a wedding dress shop! 

My first experience of looking at dresses came with my good friend Natasha.  We went ‘All That Glitters’ in South Croydon where her older sister had purchased her dress a few years before. 

I have to admit, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was looking for, and I tried on a complete array of dresses – from a massive Hollywood Dreams creation to modern classic to a flowing Grecian style.  I think in total I modelled 7 or 8!  Although some of the dresses were gorgeous, they didn’t suit me at all.  I tried this one on:

One of the first dresses I tried on

We left the shop but I had decided on a few things I DIDN’T want – white, halterneck or big!  It’s funny how my tastes did a complete u-turn, because ever since I became engaged I had always seen myself in a big meringue-style dress with a long train.  And somehow I have gone for almost the complete opposite!

So outing number two took place last September.  I really didn’t step into ‘The Bridal Way’ in Warlingham with the intention of making a purchase that day – I just thought it would be another browsing session!

The boutique is really lovely, and the staff can’t do more than enough for you.  If any brides-to-be in the area are looking for their dress, I can’t recommend them enough! You can find more details at http://www.thebridalway.com/

The lovely Bridal Way boutique

I’d seen a few dresses that I liked in magazines by Sottero & Midgeley and Mori Lee and so tried those on – but they just weren’t right.  I remember feeling quite deflated as I’d really set my heart on the below Maggie Sottero gown, and when it did nothing for me I wondered if I would ever find anything that suited!

I thought this would be 'my dress'! But it wasn't to be...

It was then that the store owner brought a gown over to me.  It was completely different to anything I’d tried on before, and I thought ‘why not, let’s give it a go’.  I put it on and came out to the front of the shop where my Mum and Maid of Honour were sitting and we just all knew that it was the one.  I felt a lump in my throat as I looked in the mirror, imagining walking down to the aisle to meet Ben.  The dress really did make me feel like a princess!  I won’t give anything away on here as Ben reads my blog, but it’s by San Patrick and is very ‘me’.

Once I’d gotten over my giddiness, they then informed me that the dress was actually in the sale – even better!  Because of this, if I wanted to buy it, I had to pay and take the dress away that same day!

So twenty minutes or so later, I left the shop having purchased my dress and with it sitting in the back of my car : )  All I need to do now is go back 8 weeks before the wedding and get it altered!

Needless to say, after all the drama and excitement, we went across the road to the pub to celebrate!

My lovely dress is now hanging up at my mother-in-law-to-be’s house safe and sound, and I get to have a sneak peak at it every so often when I visit them.  I’m ever so excited to wear it!!!

The only downside to having bought my dress so early on is that I can’t try any more on!  I keep having a browse through the bridal magazines at the new collections, but nothing I see comes close to my dress, so I’ve definitely made the right decision!

Happy hunting to all you brides-to-be : )