Hi all,

I'm in turmoil today......I get married in just over three months, we only booked it a week ago so yesterday and today I have been dress shopping.

I was panicking because most dress manufacturers take 16 weeks to make the dresses, and I looked on the internet but was worried I would order and pay for one, not like it in the flesh then not be able to find one that I liked on time.

I could afford to pay short of 1k for a dress but to be honest I begrudge it, so have been hoping to get one for under £500.

Well today I went to a long established bridal shop in town and tried on several dresses, around the £400 mark, none of which I loved but I really liked one or two, then the lady asked me if I would like her to have a look on the sale rail, which I agreed to.

So to cut a long story short she came down with this dress that was a size 16 which taking into consideration the size difference between wedding dresses and normal dresses made it about two sizes too small, but she said if I liked it they could alter the back, add to it and basically make it fit. So I looked at this dress and thought "no, it's not me", until I tried it on! I loved it and everyone thought it looked lovely.

The only thing that is bugging me is should I have had one made instead of having this one that may have been tried on many times?

The dresses are stored in a dark temperature controlled room in dress bags, and when people try them on they have to wear white gloves, but I am worried that it will look tatty and becuase it is not brand new I won't feel a million dollars in it. It is an Amanda Wyatt gown and should have been £720, but I have paid £360. I am also worried that it will look a mess because it is smaller than my size, but all of the ladies working in the shop assured me that it will look perfect.

What are everyone's thoughts on this?

Sorry this is long winded!

Nicki xx

Oh Nikki love, how exciting!!
Always best to have a sleep on these things! (the dilemma... not the dress!! save that for 'the night' ;O) )
  Was this one of the first places you looked? If so I'd say make sure you've had as good a look around as you can,there is nothing worse than that awful feeling when you've bought something on impulse then a week later you spot 'the one'!
   With regards to it being 'tatty' if *you* think it looked tatty then listen to your inner niggle as it will build up inside you and get worse, but if you just *think* its tatty because it's been tried on a few times then I'd put that to the back of your head it is still *new*!! and why not then spend some of the saved money on really lovely expensive bridal underwear (I'm a firm believer in feeling a million dollars when you've got good expensive underwear on!!!) but also it lifts and holds much better than your day to day M&S knick knocks ;-)
   I think you're all of a panicked fluster.... have a glass of vino, relaaaaaaaax think it over don't worry it over and if its still 'the one' in the morning (with no niggles) then its 'the one'!!
   Regards the tailoring, Im sure it will be fine, as dresses that are altered to your own measurements go from being off the peg to couture and fit much better than a size X one-size-fits-all. I think its a better thing to have it altered!

Hope this helps! Now.... I love a good dress conversation... soooo what does it look like??? :-D
  

Nicki - many congrats on your wedding !.

The dress, well if you love it and everybody else said it looked lovely then I would stop worrying. Personally I think it's far more sensible to pay what you are paying - and who will ever know that maybe one or two people have tried it on before ?.
I'm quite sure the dress will be altered properly and will look perfect - the shop has a reputation to maintain and I'm sure the ladies will go out of their way to make it just how it should be. They want their customers wedding days to be wonderful.
It's also nice to know that the dress is there - ready and waiting - you haven't got the worry of ordering one that might be delayed.....and then need altering anyway !.
Back to what you said before........you love the dress.

Enjoy the build up to your day !.

this is a difficult one as i how would feel is different to how anyone else may feel but i would say if lots of things are worrying you then maybe you should get a different one. after all this is a very special day and everything must feel perfect.
i think if it were me i'd have another look round and if i can find anything else i'dgo back and try the dress on again and see how i feel second time round . sometimes when you go back and try things on again their either better than you remembered or you realise it's just not right and there's no point trying to talk yourself into it.
hope you find what your looking for, i know it wouldn't bother me if it wasn't brand new but thats just me. 

Thanks guys!

I feel a bit better now, at the end of the day even though it has been tried on it didn't look at all tatty, I think I have just convinced myself it must look it because it has been touched, I am really funny like that.

It is definately the best I have tried on, and over the last two days I think I have tried about 12.

The shop has been going for probably 50 years and is very reputable and well established, you can tell that the dresses are very well cared for, I was assured that when altered it won't look like it has been altered, and also that they will do over it with a fine tooth comb and sort anything that needs sorting, and I trust them on that.

I am not your typical gal in the respect that I do not enjoy trying the dresses on, I don't normally wear dresses and I don't like wearing them, so to be honest I don't think I am going to feel completely comfortable in anything that I try on.

The dress is by Amanda Wyatt and is called Callie if anyone wants a nosey :-) if you do have a look let me know what you think!

Nicki xx

Nicki, the dress is absolutely stunning... you will look like a million dollars in it.
Enjoy your day, marrying the person you love....

Gabrielle x

I recently got married ( in August) and I was worried about the wedding dress. All I would say is when I tried my dress on ( after several before!!! ) I knew it was the one, couldn't explain it, just knew I didn't have to try any other's on. Mine was "off the rail" and knew that probably many others had tried it before me, it didn't matter, this was the dress I was meant to wear. If you have these feelings about the dress, then I would say this was the dress you were meant to wear!! Trust the dressmakers, they will do a fantastic job, enjoy your day and congratulations.

Do take time to make the decision as the one thing that you really want to be right on the big day is your dress :-)

My SiL bought a dress that had been the 'sample' one in the shop...she was in a simialr position in that there was only about 3 months to organise the wedding.  I didn't know until after the wedding that it had been bought 'off the peg' and certainly coun't have told by just looing at it that it had probably been tried on dozens of times.  It was in pristine condition and absolutely beautiful too (and a steal at £250 reduced from £750!).

Hi Nicki

firstly sincere congratulations on your upcoming wedding and my very best wishes for a long, loving and happy life with your Mr Right :)

Secondly, I've just looked at your dress and it's absolutely gorgeous - truly feminine and very elegant.   You have lovely taste and I don't doubt you will look amazing in it.

We;ll want links to the photos of your Big Day of course,
enjoy and be happy
Teri

Wow what an amazing dress, the lace is lovely & snip at that price.

I'm getting hitched next sept & tried a few dresses on a few weeks ago so can appreciate the predicament you're in, you have to be 100% certain the dress you choose is the one & you won't look back in 6 months or 6 years & regret it.  So please please try to be as confident as you can with the dress.  From experience & speaking with lots of other brides they always say you end up choosing a dress you don't think you'd like.  Trust the women who work in the bridal shops, they do it day in, day out & know what they are talking about - if they said it was perfect for you, it is!!

Congratulations, sounds like you've found the dream dress & you will look stunning in it. Can't wait to hear all the details & see the all important pictures.

What else have you left to do?  We've booked our band this week & I picked up my bridesmaid dresses last wknd from Debenhans, don't think I'll get much else done though with xmas, new job & house move!!!

Nicki, the dress is just beautiful and I am sure that you will look wonderful in it too! 

Thanks all!

Glad those that have seen it like it! I will be wearing it without the halterneck straps - lovely as they are they do not suit me.

Now that I have slept on it I feel better about it. I am sure that this is the dress for me :-)

Nicki xx

Blooming hell Gembo, you sound like me, don't do things by halves hey! :-)

Wow, what an exciting time for you though! Hope all goes well!

I am only having one bridesmaid, my sister, as it is going to be a small wedding, I have seen a dress I like for her but she lives in blooming Manchester so it is going to be hard getting together with her for fittings.

My invites should arrive next week, and I am going to ring the florists on Monday, am thinking of Gerbera's (sp!).

What colour scheme are you having?

Nicki xx

I know, if i think about it too much ill have a melt down. I too am thinkin of havin hot pink gerberas as they go fab with my teal n silver colour scheme - plus they're quite reasonably priced for flowers. Im makin my own pocket fold invites have done about 30 so far about half way. I love weddin plannin its so much fun - not sure wot ill do after sept next year!!

Good on you, I can't be bothered with making my own invites but they look so nice homemade and cost less too!

Those colours sound lovely together.

I'm not a typical woman though - hate all this organising (although I am a very organised person!) - hence the reason we are having a small package wedding, almost everything is taken care of for us! Bliss!

Nicki xx

If its the money your worrying about why not look at bridesmaid dresses, my daughters friend bought an off white bridesmaid dress because it was half the price compaired to wedding dresses. & she wore a veil.  On her wedding day nobody knew it was a bridesmaid dress except her mother, & she didn't tell anyone. :)

Have a baby so you can plan all of that and start buying baby paraphenalia :-)

I did consider that Tricolours, had I have not found a dress in the sale, under the price that I was prepared to pay I think I may have looked at that route.

Nicki xx