The wedding dress shopping experience
Off the Peg Wedding dress
Most brides look for inspiration for their wedding dress once they have booked the wedding date with the venue and photographer. This will gives the bride an idea in terms of style based on the wedding setting/wedding look. Some bride's have a dream wedding dress in mind and have a clear vision which they are happy to go with.
The wedding dress experience often begins with looking for styles and inspiration online and visits to your local wedding dress shops. Brides can then have a closer look at what silhouettes and styles work for them. They can also book bridal appointments with shops to try on bridal dress they have looked at online.
Wedding dress shops have a variety of wedding dress styles in various fabrics and silhouettes. So you are able to try on dresses you feel will work for you. Some wedding dress shops are able to adapt the wedding dress to suit you depending on the designer brand. The shop is able to advice you on what is possible.
Buying off the peg is a good option if you find your dream wedding dress. The bridal shop is able to order the dress in your nearest size. This would depend on the wedding dress brand's standard sizing. They will advise you on what size they will order you. Along with any alterations they will need to carry out to achieve the perfect fit. You would need to factor in what cost for your alterations, this varies depending on the design, fabrics & embellishments used on the dress. I would also advise any bride to seek advise before purchasing the dress wedding dress. As cost can varies depending on the complexity and level of alteration. The time the seamstress will need to complete the work.
Most bridal shops have a list of recommended bridal seamstresses who will be able to give you a quote based on the style and knowledge of the wedding dress brand. This cost would need to be factored into your budget. As most wedding dresses off the peg do need alterations or remodelling to achieve the perfect fit & bridal look.
So if your prefer to buy as seen this is definitely the best option for you. Once you are happy with the cost its pretty straight forward the bridal shop will order your wedding dress. Once they take delivery of your wedding dress they will call you in to try on the sample. Some bridal shops have in -house seamstresses who can advise you on what alterations needs to be carried out. They can also give you a quote for what needs to be done. This can be carried out in the bridal shop or the bridal seamstresses premises. The bridal shop will also advise you on the timescale required to carry out the alterations. Allow at least 12-18 months for the entire process. Some wedding dress brands can work to a tighter deadline i.e. 6 months will charge you a fee to do so!!
Bespoke wedding dress
If you decide based on your research and wedding dress shopping experience you prefer to go down the bespoke wedding dress route. I would advice you to set a budget you are happy with, make sure it is realistic. Do your research on how much a bespoke wedding dress is likely to cost. This can vary depending on the designer & style, complexity of your wedding dress along with fabrics & embellishments used.
As quite often brides assume it is much cheaper than buying off the peg!! This isn't necessarily so, wedding dress designer are highly skilled professionals. They are able to create designs based on your ideas, and transform your wedding dress ideas into a 3D form.
They are also able to give you good genuine advise on what will work well for you in terms of bridal looks, styles, & silhouettes.
They are also able to create wedding dress patterns based on your wedding dress design using your body measurements. Wedding dress designers have extensive technical knowledge about fabrics and construction. The above picture is a mock up version (draft pattern) of a clients wedding dress in a calico toile.
Here is another example of the draft wedding dress pattern in a cotton fabric. We alter this mock up version of the dress to ensure the pattern is cut and fitted to perfection. This also allow the bride to see the design development of her wedding dress. Any major changes are made at this stage. Before your wedding dress is made in your chosen fabric. The bespoke wedding dress experience allows you to see your wedding dress evolve in front of you. This process is tailored made for you as opposed to having to fit into a standard made dress. We take between 6-12 months to complete your wedding dress. We usually need between 2-3 calico fittings to develop and fit your wedding dress. Again this is dependant of the style and cut of your wedding dress and any changes made during the process.
The picture above is of our clients shell fitting, once all of the design development is completed in the calico (cotton fabric) we invite the bride in to try on her wedding dress in her chosen fabric. This stage the lining and finishing is not attached, this is to ensure there are no last minute alteration before adding the lining and fastenings.
Once our bride is happy with the overall fit and shell of her wedding dress we arrange a final fitting and collection of her wedding dress.
For any bespoke wedding dress enquiries please get in touch via
Email info@kateedmondsonbridal.co.uk