Brides: Yes. This is because we want to dedicate time to you and your bride tribe. You will need a one-on-one consultation with our experienced staff and to ensure a fitting room is available should you wish to try on any of our bridal gowns. Wedding dress shopping is something that you need to take your time over and we do not want you to be waiting in line. However we do often have last minute availability and you can see our real time diary  by clicking here:

Book your appointment

Mums: Yes. Finding a wedding outfit is not like a usual high street shopping experience. It takes time and we dedicate you your own personal consultant. We find that just popping to browse the rails  can sometimes create frustrations  – as the mums that have booked an appointment feel like they are being ignored and those who walk in inevitably want to try on and we don’t have a fitting room free. We therefore work on an appointment only basis. You are able to sometimes book a same day appointment as we have an online diary.

We usually only carry 1 size of a specific gown for our brides to try on. We do stock samples in sizes UK8-UK24 in store. However, if the dress is a little too big or small, we have lots of tricks up our sleeve to make it appear to fit you so you can get a good idea of what it would look like in your correct size.

Once you have chosen your specific gown, we will take your measurements and order you a brand new dress in your size.

The short answer is 12 months before your wedding is ideal!

The long answer is more complex – so brace yourself!

Don’t shop too early: shop when you are ready to commit to a wedding dress. Unless you are ready and prepared to find your dress, then actually trying on dresses before this can be a confusing and sometimes futile exercise. You’ll risk falling in love with a gown that could then be discontinued by the Designer before you’re ready to buy. In addition, we recommend booking your wedding venue first and then move on to the dress. What is suitable to wear in a Country Manor is different to what you would wear in a tipi. So decide your venue first and then come and see us.

Don’t shop too late – and we may not be able to get your dress in time. Did you know that dresses can take between 3-6 months to make? It varies from designer to designer. These dresses are not kept in vast quantities in warehouses. They are made to order for brides. You need to allow time for this.

When considering timescales, you will also need to factor in 2-3 months for your alterations to ensure that your gown fits you absolutely perfectly and the hem is exact to your heel height.

On this basis, then you need to be ordering your dress at least 9 months before your wedding to allow a stress-free time.  On this basis – starting your dress hunt 12 months before the wedding is best, 9 months is ok, 6-7 months is cutting it really fine and your options will be more limited and you will be under a lot of pressure for alterations, 4-5 months will really reduce your options is likely to limit your options to sample gowns only.

Don’t let yourself be under this stress and shop in good time.

Our appointments are approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. We are committed to giving each bride a professional and personal consultation in which your bridal consultant will help you decide what to try on and provide you with relevant and honest advice. There is no obligation to buy a wedding dress after an appointment, however, if there are timing issues with your gown or limited stock our non-commission based consultants should advise you of this.

It is always helpful to bring someone you trust to your appointment and whose opinion you value. We ask you only bring 2-3 people ideally as this makes for a more relaxed experience. In our experience bringing a large crowd although tempting can be overwhelming for the bride to be as there are often too many conflicting opinions! As we now have a fully licensed bar, we are not permitted to have babies or children under 14 on the premises. This is not something we are able to make exceptions for as we can lose our licence and/or be fined. The exciting thing is though that you and your bride tribe can make full use of being child free and enjoy our gin and bubbles bar.

 

We advise you to wear neutral and supportive underwear to your appointment and some brides find it helpful to bring a strapless bra. Most of all we ask that you bring an open mind! Many brides have an idea of the type of dress they would like, however you should trust your Consultant. They will be able to tell you what style will suit you and identify those dresses which look inconspicuous on the hanger but fabulous on you! If you choose to use our fitting service once your gown has arrived, you will need to bring the shoes and underwear you will be wearing on your big day, this is very important as it makes a big difference to how your dress fits.

Yes of course! We offer Wifi access and have specific hashtags for you to use. In the world of social media, we understand that you and your tribe may want to document your experience with us. We understand that buying your dress is a big decision and you may wish to reflect on the dresses you have tried.

However a word of warning: the more photos you take, the less time you have for trying on gowns! We would therefore recommend only taking photos of the favourites. Also, some brides do find taking photos ruins the memory of the feeling, as they begin to scrutinise themselves rather than remember how they felt. A quick snap on a phone does not always do any of the dresses justice as you miss the intricate detail of the dress (such as beading/delicate lace) which makes the dress so special. One photo at a bad angle can really put negativity on a dress you loved in the flesh! So exercise caution!

We have two customer spaces around the back of our premises. If these are full, there is on-street parking available in the side road opposite.

Yes absolutely. We can change the straps, add sleeves or add more modesty to the neckline. We would however say that if you want a billion changes to the dress – it’s not your dress!

 

Yes. We offer an in house storage option. We charge £10 per month for storage and insurance up to the end of your alterations.

We get the exciting privilege of visiting our Designers and choosing which dresses to stock from their newest collections. This means that we do not carry every single dress in their collection, but a good selection. All the dresses we stock can be seen on our website. We hold trunk shows where we are able to order specific gowns that you wish to try on.

At all other times, we can order in any gowns from Maggie Sottero, Madi Lane, Enzoani Blue and Essense of Australia at a cost of between £20-£50 per dress depending on the designer. This cost is the cost charged to us by the Designer for carriage and insurance so we will ask you to pay this. However, if you do order from us, we will take that fee off the cost of your dress.

If you have fallen in love with a dress from a shop that is some distance from your home (perhaps you were visiting a friend) and we stock the designer, we are able to order this for you if you would prefer to stay more local.