There’s a lot of questions you will have when you are looking for your dream wedding dress. It’s something you may never have done before, so you will have no idea how it all works. But not to worry, we have listed all the questions below which we get asked often, so you can have a read through and put any queries at rest. If there is anything you want to ask which isn’t answered below, just drop us an email or call us on 01384 893656 & we will be more than happy to help.
When should I begin looking for my wedding dress?
Our wedding dresses are made-to-order and so you need to allow around 6 months for your dress to be made and arrive in store, and then allow 3 months after this for fittings & alterations. Some come quicker, others a little longer, so we recommend you leave looking for your dream dress no later than 12 months before your wedding date.
My wedding is really soon and I don’t have a dress!
Don’t panic! We can still help. We can get lots of our dresses within a matter of weeks, however you will be limited on the styles we can get for you and the size. So it is always best to allow plenty of time to get your wedding gown.
Do i need an appointment?
Yes, by booking an appointment we can allocate you one of our private dressing rooms and assign you a personal stylist. But if you wanted to pop along without an appointment, give us a call beforehand and we can tell you if we will have a dressing room free for you.
How many people can i bring?
Please bring no more than 3 guests with you to your appointment. We know some brides will want to bring more, but this is the maximum amount your private dressing room can accommodate. Remember there will also be yourself and your stylist in your dressing room, and we don’t want you to be trying dresses on in a cramped space.
We have been in this business for a long time, and we know that the more people you bring, the harder it is to make your own decisions on what you like and don’t like. Too many different opinions can tar your experience. Bring people who’s opinions matter to you & who will support your choices. Plus why let everyone see the dress before the big day? The more people you bring, the less people it will be a surprise for!
(We can allow more than 3 guests on certain occasions. Please email us if you want to request more guests)
How long are the appointments?
Bridal appointments are for 2 full hours. For other appointments, timings will be decided on depending on the what the appointment is for and how long we think you will need. If there is no one booked in after you we may be able to give you longer once you are here. One thing you can guarantee is you will never be rushed.
Do you sell off-the-rail?
All of our dresses are made-to-order but we can on occasion sell a dress off the rail. If you have seen one please contact us before hand to ask if we can sell it off the rail. If we can’t we can book you in with our sister store who will be able to help you.
What sizes are your dresses?
Our sample dresses here start at a UK 8 and go up to UK 26. But we can order sizes smaller than a UK 8 and larger than a UK 26. Remember, high-street sizes are different to bridal sizes, so the size you are on the high-street now will not necessarily be the size you need in a wedding dress.
Do you charge for appointments?
All of our appointment are free of charge, except for bridesmaid dress styling appointments (where they are just trying dresses on) please see our bridesmaid dress page for more information..
Do you do alterations?
Yes, we have THE BEST in-house seamstress department here who can transform dresses. Whether it’s making your dress fit to your body better or doing custom changes to change the look of your dress they can do any small or big job. All alterations done to a dress are an extra charge.
How do i book an appointment?
Please visit our contact page which you can find here.
Do you do a Blue Light discount?
Yes! The blue light card must be in the name of you, the bride, and a discount will only be offered against the purchase of your wedding dress at the point of you saying yes to the dress! It will not be offered against accessories or alterations. Only qualifying roles at the NHS, Police Force and Fire Service will be eligible for this discount. Please bring some form of ID along with you so we can confirm the blue light card belongs to you, the bride. Blue Light Cards will not be accepted if they belong to a family member or friend.
Can I take photos?
You are encouraged to take photos while you are here in store, after all it’s an experience you will want to remember! So feel free to take selfies & photos inside the store, just please not when you are in a wedding dress. If you want to see how you look in a dress on photo your personal stylist can take a photo of you in the dresses on your dressing room iPad.
Do you dry clean the dresses after the wedding?
We offer a dry cleaning service here, where we can professionally dry clean your dress/s after the wedding. We can also box your dress up so you can keep it as safe as possible. Please ask in store for these prices.
Do you buy used wedding dresses?
No, we unfortunately don’t buy second hand wedding dresses. But we would recommend trying to sell it privately not through a shop, so you can keep all the profit.
I want to order a dress but I’m planning on losing weight
No problem! If you have chosen your dream dress with us, just let your stylist know when she is taking your measurements that you plan on losing weight between now and the wedding, and you can both discuss the best size to go for. If you have lost weight after ordering the dress, then our seamstress department will be able to take it in for you, providing you haven’t lost too much. A woman’s body weight fluctuates, so weight change is expected & we see it all the time.
I’m pregnant, how do you work around this?
Firstly, congratulations! We have lots of pregnant brides who think that this will impact their wedding dress journey. But trust us, it wont! If you become pregnant after ordering your dress and will be pregnant for the wedding then our fabulous team of in-house seamstresses can alter your gown to make room for bump. We have done this many times before without changing the overall look of the dress.
We have had numerous brides inform us they were pregnant as they knew it would slightly affect their dress fittings but they didn’t want the guests who were accompanying them to their appointments to know just yet. This is absolutely understandable and we will treat your wonderful news with the upmost discretion and not mention anything in front of your guests. If we need to discuss anything with you regarding your dress and pregnancy then we will make an excuse to take you to another room and talk privately.
How do i pay?
There are 2 options you can take when you find your dream dress.
- For us to order your dress in, you need to pay 50% of the cost of the dress. You can do this in one go, or in instalments (time dependant). When 50% is reached, we will place your order with the designer.
- If you have found your dream dress but don’t want to order it just yet, then you can put a £250 holding deposit on it (non-refundable). By doing this you aren’t committing to that particular dress, but you are committing to having a wedding dress from us. A £250 deposit also means you go onto our system, so if we get notified the dress you have the deposit on is getting discontinued, we can check our records and contact everyone who has a holding deposit on to inform them they need to complete their dress order before the dress becomes unavailable. If you have changed you mind on having that dress, you can transfer the £250 holding deposit onto another wedding dress.
Do you offer payment plans?
Yes, providing there is enough time between saying yes to your dress and your wedding day. We will help you to set up a plan to make the payments as easy as possible for you.
What do i wear to my bridal appointment?
Anything, as long as you’re wearing undies! You might prefer to wear a nude or strapless bra, which will look better under the dresses. Just be aware you will not be allowed to try on dresses if you have no knickers on!
For an alterations appointment, you will need to wear the underwear/bra you plan on wearing on your wedding day and you will need to bring your wedding shoes.
Can I bring children to my appointment?
Absolutely! We love seeing the excitement on the little one’s faces, just expect lots of cooing and silly voices from us if you bring a baby! All we ask is that you are respectful of other brides who will be in store and want a relaxing experience. Please keep children in your own private dressing room and we always recommend bringing another adult who can keep them entertained while you are in the moment trying dresses (but please keep the noisy toys at home).
Do you have a car park?
Yes, there is a public carpark adjacent to our shop. You can park on there free of charge and there is no time limit.
Hopefully the answers you are looking for are somewhere on this page. If not, please give us a call on 01384 893656 or contact us via our contact page and we will happily answer any further questions you may have.
