Frequently asked questions

    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 here at GSB are made-to-order and so you need to allow 6 months for your dress to be made and arrive in store, and then allow 3 months after this for fittings & alterations. So we recommend you leave looking for your dream dress no later than 12 months before your wedding date

    Do i need an appointment?

    We are appointment only. By booking an appointment we can book you into 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. If you arrive with more than 3 guests they will not be able to be a part of your appointment.

    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!

    How long are the appointments?

    In the first appointment you have with us, where you are looking at our collection for the first time, you will be allocated a private dressing room for 1.5 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?

    We don’t sell any of our dresses here off-the-rail. We do however have a sister store, Kingswinford Bridal & Prom, who have dresses which are ready to wear.  When we get new sample dresses in here from the latest collections, we send some of our existing sample dresses down to our sister store to make room. As these gowns are ex-sample gowns, they are to buy off the rail & for 50% of their original RRP.

    What sizes are your dresses?

    Our sample dresses here start at a UK10 & go up to UK26. But we can order sizes smaller than a UK 10 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. It is the last thing we wanted to do but unfortunately we have had to bring in a charge for a number of reasons. The cost will be £25 per appointment if you have your wedding dress from us and £50 per appointment if don’t have your wedding dress from us. If you go on to order your bridesmaid dresses from us then any fees you have paid for appointments will be used as credit towards your bridesmaid dress order.

    Any appointments booked in for bridesmaids after you have purchased their dresses will be free of charge. We only charge for the initial styling appointment/s.

    Payment will be taken upon booking the appointment. If you wish to cancel the appointment this will need to be done via phone or in person at least 72 hours before your appointment in order to receive a refund. If you simply do not show up to your appointment, or you cancel it after the 72 hour notice period, then you will not qualify for a refund.

    Do you do alterations?

    Yes, we have THE BEST in-house seamstress department here who can transform dresses. Whether it’s just a tuck in here, or shortening a train, or changing the look of a 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?

    It’s easy! You can call us on 01384 893656, contact us on Facebook or Instagram or use our contact from here

    Do you do a Blue Light discount?

    Yes! Here at GSB we support our life savers. From Monday 22nd May 2023 we will now be offering a discount to Blue Light Card holders. 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! Our designers however do not allow photos to be taken of their dresses, unless you have purchased it, and so we have to respect this. So feel free to take selfies & photos inside the store, just please not when you are in a wedding dress. Your personal stylist can take a photo of you in the dresses on our IPad and do a split-screen so you can compare yourself in 2 dresses.

    What if i want to show someone the dresses who can’t come to the appointment?

    If you want people to see you in the dresses who unfortunately could not come to your appointment, you are more than welcome to Facetime or Zoom them, using one of our iPad or your own device.

    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 wedding dresses. All of the dresses here are from our designers.

    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!! As if wedding planning wasn’t exciting enough! We have lots and lots 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.

    1. 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.
    2. 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.

    We do offer payment plans here in store, to ease any pressure of paying lump sums of money. Just ask in store for more information on this and to set up a plan with us.

    My wedding is really soon and i don’t have a dress!

    Our wedding dresses here can take up to 6 months to arrive in store, but we can get dresses in quicker than this. Most designers have a ‘rush order’ option, which comes at an extra charge, but it means the dress will get here quicker. Some designers also have a live portal with dresses which are available to buy there and then, and will arrive in a short timescale. However this portal is live around the world, and dresses can be snapped up by people quickly. Not all dresses are available on this portal and so you may be limited in your dress options if you have a very short timescale.

    If you need a dress super quickly, we have a sister store called Kingswinford Bridal & Prom, where you can buy a wedding dress of the rail. So there are no waiting times.

    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 little ones here in store and love having a cuddle of the teeny tiny ones!! Plus, for the older children, it is such an exciting experience. All we ask is that you are respectful of other brides who will be in store and want a relaxing experience. If any children are misbehaving or acting loudly, we will ask you to remove them from the shop until they have calmed down, which will be a disruption to your own experience.

    Do you have a car park?

    Yes, there is a public carpark adjacent to our shop. And it’s free to park on, YAY!

    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.