The Bride Guide

In our experience, 10 months is the ideal length of time. This will enable you to have a couple of months gathering ideas and inspiration but still leave you with an adequate amount of time to place your order in accordance with our designers’ lead times. The more shops you initially visit and the longer you wait to place your order, the more stressful things will become.

Choosing your wedding dress should be both enjoyable and fun, which is why we celebrate this uniquely wonderful experience with a glass of bubbles when you walk through our door. Our initial appointments are an hour long, during which you can expect to try on a selection of different gowns. We advise you to keep an open mind and try some styles that we suggest, even if you think you might not like them; you’ll be surprised at what suits you and what doesn’t. We often present a suggestion that you fall in love with and sometimes you’ll discover something you had your heart set on simply doesn’t work at all. Our bridal stylists will help you choose a dress that compliments not only the design concept for your day, but also your body shape and, most importantly, your personality.

In the excitement of trying on wedding dresses, it’s really tempting to bring everyone you know, but we can tell you as a matter of fact that this tends to lead to disaster! Too many opinions can be conflicting, confusing and overwhelming, so we suggest a maximum of three guests – mother of the bride, maid of honour and a trusted friend or relative is usually sufficient.

You are going to be hopping in and out of dresses, so first of all we suggest you wear underwear that you don’t mind being seen in! It might seem obvious, but do try to wear flesh-coloured, seamless underwear if possible (neon thongs tend to show up beneath delicate material!). Alongside this, try to wear a good, uplifting strapless bra. Bad underwear affects the way material sits whereas good underwear will help the gown look its best. We can provide shoes for your appointment, but as soon as you’ve purchased your actual wedding shoes, make sure to bring them along to all subsequent appointments as these will affect your alterations later on.

Essentially, the sooner you place your order the better, as this will eliminate any unnecessary stress. 6-8 months covers the whole process from ordering to alterations, and we strongly advise you to adhere to this. In certain circumstances, we can place a rush order with certain designers up to four months before the wedding, but this incurs an extra charge and increased stress levels! Fittings take place two months before your wedding date. Our late night appointments are on a Thursday, giving all our working brides extra time to come and see us.

When you decide on ‘the one’, we will take your measurements there and then. We will send this off to the designer in Paris who will use this information to make your dress to the closest size on their designer measurement chart. Around two months before your wedding date, your dress will be delivered to The Mews. At this point, your dress will need to be altered to fit you perfectly. You will normally need 2-3 appointments. Please be aware alteration fees are not included in the price of your dress.
New York We don’t do fittings in-house, instead we work with Nadin Fashion Alteration – an expert bridal seamstress company – who we highly recommend. You do not have to visit Nadin, it is completely your choice to use them! But they know the style of our designers better than anyone, and have made so many of our previous brides very happy. We will work with you and Nadin to book you in with them if you do choose to have your fittings with them.
Notting Hill & Clifton We work with Sewn Right in both London and Bristol. Fittings will be at our studio with a Sewn Right fitter coming to every fitting to ensure the fit of your dress is perfect for your big day. It is completely your choice to use them! But they know the style of our designers better than anyone, and have made so many of our previous brides very happy. We will work with you and Sewn Right to book you in with them if you do choose to have your fittings with them.

Once you have purchased your actual gown, you are more than welcome to take pictures. Prior to this point, however, we discourage taking photos as they generally give a false impression of the dress and it can be distressing for a bride to see her beloved gown covered in pins and suchlike!

We require a non-refundable deposit at the time of purchase which is the equivalent of 50% of the full amount of the dress. The balance of your dress plus any extra alteration fees (in the case of bespoke customisations) are due when you come for your first fitting. Please be aware that we are not able to offer refunds or exchanges and that all sales are therefore final.