Wedding Dress Worries

Bride2015

Hi All
I am looking for some helpful advice on how to find the perfect wedding dress.
Some of my friends have gotten married in the past few years and as much as I appreciate there input I feel like they are telling me what to do rather than giving me advice.

My main concern is how to go about finding the dress. I'm not very body confident and don't want to end up in a shop were the staff look down there nose at me.

Can anyone advice me of any shops around Dublin/Kildare that I can either just browse in or where the staff are nice and I can arrange an appointment.

I have an idea of what I want but have been made aware that this may not be what works for me - thanks to all the bridal TV shows

All advice welcome. Thanks x

stinkle

Hey! congrats!

I'm a terrible shopper and got dragged to a bridal sale by my mother. The only good thing to come out of it was that certain styles I thought I'd love didnt suit at all. This was great cos I was considering ordering a dress online, but a similar one looked awful on me, and was impractical. I totally get what you mean about people telling you what to do - trust your own instincts.

I only went to two boutiques in Dublin - both grand, and I'm happy to recommend them from a browsing point of view if you'd like me to send the names on. I actually ended up getting my dress in Barnardo's in Dun Laoghaire - lovely atmosphere, very helpful staff who won't look down their nose at you. Obv you can't guarantee that they'll have anything suitable on the day you go in (that was my worry). I'm not 100% on the origin of the dresses, but I know some are out-of-season stock from shops and others were used for fashion shoots, that kind of thing. Some may be secondhand. You have to make an appointment for there. I gave a couple of weeks notice for a Saturday appt.

cookiecakes

Congratulations! I was terrified of getting my dress as my bridesmaid dress shopping was a total disaster with a totally overbearing woman. I went to the White Room in Mullingar and dealt with Orla and she was an absolute doll. I could try on as many dresses as I wanted and never felt rushed or like I was being whoosed along for the next person. You have your own private dressing area so you don't have to worry about other people gawking at you. A friend recommended it because she knew I was dreading it and it was absolutely perfect. Would highly recommend!

foggy

Congrats,

I know what you mean. I went to Oxfam in George's Street. They have a large selection of dresses and like Barnardos they are mostly donated by bridal shops.
They might not have every style of dress but they have the dresses set out in high street sizes so at least you know what will fit on you when you're looking, rather than other shops where they put you into dresses that are 3 sizes too big or too small and then expect you to be able to guess what it will look like in your size.. I went to some other shops outside of Dublin but really liked Oxfam.

The girls that work there are really nice and friendly but honest as well. I rang and make an appointment a few weeks in advance but that was only because I'm not from Dublin and wanted to make sure that I got an appointment that suited me.

The other good thing about them is that you can try on a variety of dresses that you might not otherwise consider and you're under no pressure to buy at all.

Bride2015

Thanks for the input ladies.

Stinkle if you could send me the names that would be great.

I have heard about the barnardos bridal shop and I work not to far from there so maybe I'll have a look.

My mum and sister really want to do a day of watching me try on all sorts of dresses, I trust there opinion so I am open to this. Would like to try this somewhere that will have plenty of dresses in a variety of sizes. Any suggestions would be welcomed

calgary bound

Hi Bride 2015

I live in Kildare and bought my dress in dress of dreams Clane. They are just fab in there, 1st shop I went to and 5th dress I tried on. They had a variety of sizes with plenty of choice and the girls are lovely in there. Ordered my dress 6 months ago and called in last week to pay some more money off it and they remembered my dress, visit etc. Also give you little bottle of champers and chocs if you buy there. Going back for my bridesmaids dresses shortly.

Typer Monkey

I bought my dress in the bridal corner in Glasnevin and I really recommend them. They have older lady shop assistants who are lovely and motherly :-) they've a big changing room completely curtained off and private and have loads of dresses in all sizes.

I liked barnardos too, very friendly lady there but they just didn't have anything in stock in the style I wanted.

I had less positive experiences in two designer boutiques in town. I felt like the staff were disinterested tbh and quite gruff in one actually

newtothis13

Not from your area but can recommend some in Munster. On the dress buying theme, how does payment work? If paying a deposit when booking when can the rest be paid?

Minier81

I found classy lass in Clane to be brilliant. Some shops are awful, as in make you try dresses that won't suit you. Town Bride in Powerscourt very good too for giving good advice. I went to about 10 shops in Dublin/Kildare.

grace80

newtothis13 wrote: »

Not from your area but can recommend some in Munster. On the dress buying theme, how does payment work? If paying a deposit when booking when can the rest be paid?

The norm is that you pay a 50% deposit when you order the dress and the balance when it arrives in (usually takes 5 or 6 months to arrive unless you buy a sample dress). That was the payment method when I bought mine and was also the case in all other bridal shops I visited.

Penny Dreadful

I disliked a lot of the dresses that were in fashion when I was getting married and wanted to have more of a choice. One trip to one shop, where in all fairness the ladies were lovely, showed me that it was going to be next to impossible to get a dress that was going to give me all that I wanted and none of the many things I didn't want.
So after my one trip to one shop I decided to get mine made. I went to a lovely woman in Kildare (if you want the details let me know) who listened to me go on about all the things I didn't like- was sketching away while I was doing my heavy giving out - and produced a picture and asked me if that was something I might like.
It was like she had seen inside my head and it was the perfect dress for me.
I loved it, felt a million dollars in it on my wedding day and sometimes it makes me sad that I can't wear it again.

Neyite

Bride2015 wrote: »

My mum and sister really want to do a day of watching me try on all sorts of dresses, I trust there opinion so I am open to this. Would like to try this somewhere that will have plenty of dresses in a variety of sizes. Any suggestions would be welcomed

I actually got mine in Carrickfergus - if you were willing to travel I'd highly recommend a few places in the north as being so friendly and making me feel at ease and can also suggest a couple that are a waste of time.

Having said that - deffo bring your mum and sister - especially if they will give you an honest opinion. There is a dress to suit every woman out there, and you'll find one that makes you glow, no matter what size or shape you are. I'm a size 8 and there were ones that looked awful on me, but put them on a big curvy girl and she would have rocked it. A lot of it is down to your colouring too, moreso than your shape. Its a process of elimination really.

You'll need to book appointments. Factor in driving time between shops so you have lots of time to get there. Once you choose your dress, you normally give a 50% deposit and pay the balance on pick up when it comes in. Some shops will charge storage if you dont pick up within a certain time frame. You wont be allowed to take photos, but if your mother distracts the sales assistant your sister might be a dab hand at descreetly taking a snap or two. At best, she can note the designers and dress model number so you can google it to look at over lunch.

The best advice I got beforehand about picking out a dress was:

• If there is something, even something small that you are unsure of on the dress, then its not the one for you. Its' not your dress. Simply because for the 5 -6 months you'll be waiting on it coming in, that little detail you are unsure of is all you'll think about and you will have probably decided by then you dislike it, and since you've already signed the contract and paid for half the dress, you are stuck with it. There are so many out there that you wont need to compromise or have to buy one you mostly like but hope a dressmaker can change XYZ on.
• Try on everything. Everything. Big ones, little ones, silly ones, ones you like, ones you wouldnt be seen dead in, different shades, the lot. I also tried on stupidly expensive designer ones, just for the craic. (hey, when else are you going to get to pose in a €6,000 frock ) You will quickly narrow down what your style is and then you can try on variations of that style to find the best one for you.

I ended up going for a dress that was the total opposite of what I thought I liked in the end, simply because I looked and felt amazing in it and loved it. When I picked it up recently, its even nicer than I remembered. Nearly every other bride I've spoken too had a similar experience.

Finally, its a day to be enjoyed, one you'll look back and fondly remember. Splurge on a little glass of bubbly with your sister and mum over lunch and enjoy making memories.

javagal

There is a fab dress shop in portlaoise near the church where my aunt got her dress. She is a 16-18 and they had loads of choices for her

Bride2015

Thanks everyone for your help. I am hoping to arrange a few appointments this month......so fingers crossed