Showing posts with label Dresses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dresses. Show all posts

Monday 18 January 2016

How to Buy Your Wedding Dress For Less

As soon as you get engaged, people are going to start asking you about your wedding dress. Have you found one yet? Do you know what style you're going to go for? Which is your favourite designer? I had no idea. In fact, I found the whole process just a little daunting. There's a certain amount of pressure to go with a group of girlfriends, and drink champagne, and enjoy that moment when they put the veil on, and everyone cries a bit. That wasn't ever going to work for me, because I like shopping on my own, and I was very conscious that all my girlfriends have busy lives, and I didn't want to be all bridezilla and insist they came with me shopping every Saturday. So I did a bit of shopping on my own, and quickly realised that I didn't like most dresses. I also found it hard to organise appointments, and I got a bit fed up having to travel all around London to go to all the shops. Why can't they all just be on one street? So it was a grumpy bride that stumbled out of the rain into Delphine Manivet. That's where I found my gorgeous gown, the Anatole. But man was it pricey! And that's why I loved this email from a Before the Big Day Reader, Annie.

Hi - Just stumbled on your blog, I absolutely love it! That's been the best part of wedding planning reading all of these amazing blogs! I was just wondering if your Delphine Manivet wedding dress was the Rapheal style and if you were thinking about selling it at all as I am trying to buy a second hand one as it is over my budget but completely to die for! Annie x



Wednesday 1 July 2015

Incredible French Vintage Lace Wedding Dresses

Can I let you into a secret? I didn't enjoy choosing my wedding dress. I've never been one to go shopping in a group, so I took myself off dress hunting, and never really had the fun giggly girly experience. I wish I had now, because although I loved my Delphine Manivet wedding dress, I think it's one of the 'getting engaged / married' experiences you shouldn't miss. If you're still hunting for the 'One', then please do check out Laure de Sagazan. She's a French designer I discovered via the Cup of Jo blog, and I'm totally obsessed with her vintage style, simple lace dresses. They're exquisite and delicate without being fussy. I'm also loving the urban edge of her publicity shots by Laurent Nivalle, and the Twenties-style headbands worn by the model. Incroyable styling!







 

Friday 6 March 2015

Boho Wedding Dresses from Saja Wedding

One of my favourite wedding dress designers is Saja Wedding. Based in New York, they're renowned for their gorgeous ethereal gowns, and their cute flagship shop is in seriously cool NoLita. On my wedding dress trip to New York, I tried on all their gowns, and each one is more stunning than the next. So when I spotted this fabulous shoot by one of my favourite photographers, Jose Villa, it was a shoe-in for a Before the Big Day blog post. Which dress would you pick? Other details I'm loving include the simple oak-leaf bouquet {fab for autumn brides}, the bright red lipstick teamed with peonies, and the unusual thistle bouquet. Stunning!



Thursday 5 March 2015

Glamorous Ombre Wedding Dresses

Ombre is a huge wedding trend right now, with every wedding detail, from stationery to flowers featuring a graduated tint. Even long hair is getting the ombre treatment. But this is the first time I've seen an ombre wedding dress. Ideal for brides looking to stand out from the crowd, these wedding gowns by Ouma are guaranteed to wow your guests. The stunning skirt features layer upon layer of hand-dyed tulle to create a full and unique silhouette, gradually fading up from a vibrant pink, to coral, to peach and finally topped with a beautiful silk white. Pair it with a v-neck t-shirt for a fun casual wedding party or glam it up with a corset and glitter heels. Check out my Pinterest board for more ombre wedding theme ideas.



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Thursday 26 February 2015

Greek Goddess Bride Style

Choosing your 'look' for your wedding day can be difficult, particularly if you're anything like me, and your normal look is pretty thrown together. With two wedding days to plan, I was lucky enough to try two different bridal styles, although both ended up pretty similar {hair up, hair down!}. Whether you're thinking sleek and sexy, or boho and feminine, consider this gorgeous Grecian bride style. With a simple bouquet of olive branches, and an elegant leafy crown, plus a divine Samuelle Couture wedding gown, you're good to go - no need even for shoes! Fabulous styling by Kelly Oshiro, incredible pictures by the lovely Jose Villa.

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Monday 2 February 2015

Not-Too-Pricey French Lace Wedding Dresses

This morning I am mostly loving these beautiful boutique dress by Australian designer Grace Loves Lace. At Grace, they personally create stunning ready-to-wear wedding dresses from the French laces and silks, to create a fabulous boho, vintage gowns you'll love. The dresses all have a pretty nostalgic charm and rather wonderful price tags, starting from only £500! Amazing! P.S. Don't you just love the bougainvillea flower crown, and flapper-style sparkly head-scarf?




♥ Want more wedding dress ideas? ♥ Or how about boho wedding ideas? ♥
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Tuesday 8 April 2014

Jenny Packham Wedding Dress Sample Sale

News just in! Jenny Packham is hosting a Bridal End of Line Sale in London this month! With a beautiful selection of gowns, lingerie and accessories with up to 70% off this is definitely an opportunity not to be missed! This amazing sale is on Thursday 24th April at the Westbury Hotel from 8am to 6pm. If you're keen to buy a wedding dress on a budget, sample sales are your best bet, so be sure to sign up for my free newsletter or follow me on Twitter, so you don't miss a single one!


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Wednesday 5 March 2014

Romantic Fluffy Wedding-Day Petticoats

It only took once glance for me to fall in love with these incredible petticoats from Doris Designs. They're just so pfoofy!! Brides looking for a unique look could add them to their wedding gown, or why not enhance the shape of your bridesmaids' dresses with a bit of bounce? You could choose matching or contrasting colours to suit your wedding theme. Doris designs and sells the petticoats for adults and children, and I've completely fallen for the skirts in toddler sizes. SO cute!


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Wednesday 11 September 2013

Five Top Tips on Buying Your Designer Wedding Dress for Less

Wedding dresses are crazily expensive - some surveys even suggest they count for 20% of some bride's wedding budgets. I really struggled to find a reasonable wedding gown that felt like 'the one', and in the end, my mum very kindly gave me my Delphine Manivet dress as a wedding present. It was worryingly expensive, and I spent months trying to find it second-hand, but at that time Delphine was a reasonably new designer...now she's stocked in Browns Brides! I managed to recoup some of the money by selling my gown to another bride, who visited me at home to try it on. I felt very sad to let it go, but it halved the overall price, and assuaged my guilt sightly. So in the spirit of saving money, and looking hot for less money, I thought I'd give you these top-tips for getting your wedding dress for less.



{Wedding Photographer Credit} Me on my French wedding day by Jemma Harding Photography}

 Find out whether your wedding dress designer does sample sales, and be the first in the door.

 Search on eBay. I know there are tonnes of Temperley London and Jenny Packham wedding dresses available, and most brides expect you to want to try before you buy. If your designer is French, search on French eBay {tip: you'll need to use the word 'robe' for dress or 'voile' for veil}. My wedding dress for my London wedding was designed by Australian dressmakers, Rose & Ruby, so I searched on Australian eBay.

  Check out wedding blogs that allow brides to list their wedding dresses. Once Wed is a US wedding blog with a great listings section, and Rock My Wedding in the UK also offers second-hand dresses.

 Scour the Secondhand Dress websites. My favourites are Sell My Wedding Dress and Preloved, but there are loads - just type "secondhand wedding dress" into Google.

 If all else fails, ask for a discount. You'll be surprised how often shops will offer 10%-20% off, and you've got nothing to lose by asking.

P.S. There is another option. Don't go designer! Tonnes of high street stores like Monsoon sell off-the-peg wedding dresses that look just as good as designer gowns. And if you don't tell...neither will I....

P.P.S. I have now sold both my wedding dresses!

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Thursday 29 August 2013

A Dreamy Affordable Blush Wedding Gown

We don't feature enough wedding dresses on Before the Big Day - something I definitely need to change! After all, lusting after the perfect Jenny Packham wedding gown is virtually a rite of passage for every bride. If only we could all afford them! So when I spot a semi-affordable wedding gown {just over £1000}, that completely blows my mind, I consider it my responsibility to spread the word. This incredible blush, backless wedding dress by Truvelle makes me want to get married all over again. It's the combo of the swishy, pink-champagne, chiffon skirt and the rose gold sequinned bodice that's getting me excited - it's elegant and sexy at the same time! Don't miss Truvelle's Etsy shop for more incredible gowns. P.S. Want to save money on your wedding dress? Check out all my Wedding Dress Sample Sale news.





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Friday 16 August 2013

We ♥ Charlie Brier Vintage Wedding Dress Sample Sales

Have you heard? Massively exciting news! Charlie Brear from The Vintage Wedding Dress Company has just announced her annual trunk sale. Taking place from 19th-21st September, viewing is by appointment only at their central London showroom. This gorgeous boutique is renowned for its heavenly gowns, both vintage and vintage-style, and this is your opportunity to get your hands on them at discounted prices! For full information and to book an appointment, call 0207 907 7719.






♥ Want to see wedding dress ideas? ♥ Or how about more vintage wedding ideas? ♥
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Tuesday 2 April 2013

Amazing BHLDN Wedding Sale

One of my favourite interior shops of all time is Anthropologie, which you can find in London on the King's Road and Regent Street. So when the same company opened a vintage-style wedding shop called BHLDN a few years ago, I was beyond excited. Unfortunately it was after my wedding, so I couldn't directly benefit, but I never tire of telling brides about the amazing products they have on offer. So I'm exceedingly excited to tell you all about their April sale, which has just started. It includes massive discounts off their wedding dresses, bridesmaids gowns, accessories and wedding details, and you'll want to get clicking right away!



♥ Want to see bridesmaids ideas? ♥ Or how about more wedding offers? ♥
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Thursday 14 February 2013

Caroline Castigliano Wedding Dress Sample Sale

Your wedding dress can be a huge part of your budget if you pay full price. Luckily there are lots of sample sales each year, and this spring is no different! For one week only, internationally renowned designer Caroline Castigliano is hosting a massive sample sale from 13th-17th March in London. With over 100 ex-display, catwalk and exhibition wedding gowns available, and up to 70% off, you don't want to miss it! Places are limited so book early on 020 7636 8212. For more upcoming sample sales click here, and sign up for my free newsletter or follow me on Twitter, so you won't miss a single one.

♥ Want to see wedding dress ideas? ♥ Or how about more real wedding ideas? ♥
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Friday 8 February 2013

Vintage Wedding Dress Sample Sale

Massively exciting news! The Vintage Wedding Dress Company has just announced its annual trunk sale. Taking place this month, from 21st-23rd of February 2013, viewing is by appointment only at their central London showroom. This gorgeous boutique is renowned for its heavenly gowns, both vintage and vintage-style, and this is your opportunity to get your hands on them at discounted prices! For full information and to book an appointment, call 0207 907 7719.



♥ Want to see wedding dress ideas? ♥ Or how about more vintage wedding ideas? ♥
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Wednesday 28 November 2012

Customisable Vintage Wedding Dresses

From the moment I got engaged, I knew the style of wedding dress I wanted; simple, elegant, exquisite and vintage. Finding it in the price bracket I wanted, was harder! Throw in the fact I don't like rummaging at vintage sales, and the chances of me coming across the perfect vintage wedding dress were slim. Luckily The Vintage Wedding Dress Company solved the problem, and although I ended up buying my wedding dress from Delphine Manivet, I'd recommend their wedding gowns to any bride. Fashion stylist, Charlie Brear sources stunning vintage dresses, but she's also created a range of vintage-style dresses, under her Decades collection, so you can have the vintage effect, without the tiny sizes, and scuffed hems. I love her latest additions to the collection - each gown is customisable, so you can create your own, individual look.



♥ Want more wedding dress ideas? ♥ Or how about vintage weddings? ♥
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Wednesday 17 October 2012

Autumnal Bridesmaid Dresses Inspiration

With autumn fast upon us, and the leaves changing, I'm finding wedding inspiration in seasonal colours and vegetables {think pumpkins and squash, rather than turnip}. Just take a look at the divine colour of this bridesmaid dress by Coralie Beatrix. It's called Moroccan Blood Orange, which is almost as good as the names Farrow & Ball give to their paints. This so-called Octopus wrap dress is completely convertible, with a million different styles, so your bridesmaids can wear the gown according to their personal style. At just over £50, they're a steal, leaving you plenty of extra cash to buy an incredible flower crown.


♥ Want more bridesmaid ideas? ♥ Or how about more autumn wedding ideas? ♥
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Wednesday 12 September 2012

Chic & Sleek Wedding Dresses

Stop the press! Just take a look at these amazing 1920's-style glamorous wedding dresses by boutique fashionista Johanna Johnson. Inspired by the heady nights of the 20′s and 30′s where the evening shone with cresol beads and the heady scent of violets and jasmine. The Swarovski crystals, Parisian bead-work and deep-drop backs have stolen my heart, but there is a fly in the ointment.... Johanna's shop is in Sydney. The good news is you can buy a selection of her gowns from Luella's Boudoir in Wimbledon, and she has a beautiful selection of bridal accessories available online.


♥ Want more wedding dress ideas? ♥ Or how about more wedding details? ♥
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Saturday 21 July 2012

Would You Rent Your Wedding Dress?

Would you ever rent your wedding dress? One of my friends is having two weddings, one secret and civil, and the other in a field on her parents' farm. She can't afford two wedding gowns, so she's planning to borrow her civil ceremony dress from Wish Want Wear. I've recently tried their service out, and it's amazing! You can borrow wedding dresses worth over £2000 for a tenth of the price, which leaves plenty of pennies left over for your wedding reception, or perhaps a change of outfit half-way through the reception {double-wedding-dress-oh-yes!}. It would work for bridesmaids dresses as well, because you can search by colour, and pick and mix outfits that best suit your maids and your wedding theme. See what you think of the dresses below, but it's worth checking out the Wish Want Wear website as well.


{Product Credit} 1. Temperley London mini wedding dress, £115 to rent 2. Temperley London wedding gown, £265 to rent, 3 Erin Featherston lace dress, £55 to rent


{Product Credit} 1. Ruth Tarvydas sparkly wedding gown, £110 to rent, 2. Jovani mini Prom-dress, £65 to rent, 3. Badgley Mischka wedding gown, £115 to rent

♥ Want more wedding dress ideas? ♥ Or how about bridesmaid ideas? ♥
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Wednesday 18 July 2012

Introducing PreOwned Wedding Dresses

Wedding dresses are way too expensive, and {mildly controversially} I reckon wedding dress designers take advantage of brides by overcharging. Nervous brides want to look their very best on their wedding day, they're often nervous about being the centre of attention, and they're willing to spend crazy-money to make sure they feel super-special. There's no escaping the prettiest wedding gowns tend to be the most expensive. But now there's a way you can get the wedding dress you want, without breaking the bank, and it's all thanks to PreOwned Wedding Dresses. This AMAZING website is the modern bride's way to buy a wedding dress. With over 10,000 new sample, and used wedding gowns, The One is out there waiting for you, with a bargain price tag. PreOwned Wedding Dresses list gowns from all your favourite designers, {think Monique Lhuillier, Jenny Packham, Vera Wang & more} plus stunning pre-owned wedding accessories as well. Here's just a few of my favourite wedding gowns on sale now, but check out the website for your favourite designer.


{Photo Credit} Pronovias wedding gowns


{Photo Credit} Jenny Packham wedding dresses


{Photo Credit} 1. Jenny Packham wedding gown, 2. Vera Wang wedding dress


{Photo Credit} Caroline Herrera wedding gowns

♥ Want real weddings? ♥ Or how about wedding theme ideas? ♥
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Monday 16 July 2012

Introducing Froufrou Bridal Boutique

In my search for my wedding gown, I never actually found the perfect wedding dress shop. You know - the type of boutique which stocks all your favourite wedding designers, plus the wedding accessories to match. Well if only I'd discovered Froufrou Bridal Boutique before my big day. It's a divine wedding treasure trove in Tunbridge Wells, and it's stocked to the brim with all my favourite wedding designers. From Belle & Bunty to Lusan Mandongus, Caroline Castigliano, Stewart Parvin, Sanyukta Shrestha and Tatyana Merenyuk, Froufrou Bridal Boutique are also the only UK wedding shop to stock Ivy & Aster {one of my favourite designers ever!}. Add in wedding shoes by Rachel Simpson Shoes, all-inclusive alteration costs, wedding jewellery by Alex Monroe, honeymoon lingerie by Ell & Cee, and stunning collection of accessories from Twigs & Honey coming soon, and you can see why I'm so excited! Visit as soon as you can, because they've got a huge sale on at the moment, with massive discounts on wedding dresses by Matthew Williamson, Lyn Ashworth and David Fielden - wow!


{Picture Credit} Froufrou Bridal Boutique. Picture by David Burke Photography


{Picture Credit} Froufrou Bridal Boutique. Picture by David Burke Photography


{Picture Credit} Wedding shoes by Rachel Simpson Shoes


{Picture Credit} Twigs & Honey Wedding Accessories. Picture by Elizabeth Messina


{Picture Credit} Ivy & Aster wedding gowns. Picture by Elizabeth Messina



{Picture Credit} Ivy & Aster wedding gowns. Picture by Elizabeth Messina


{Picture Credit} Honeymoon lingerie by Ell & Cee

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