I am honoured to have been invited by Angel to write about my experience when I undertook the daunting task of trying to find a wedding dress.
Firstly let me confess that from the onset, my knowledge of anything wedding orientated was very limited. It was this lack of wedding trivia that convinced me to attend the wedding expo at Northgate in April.
It was there that I heard about Bride & Co and managed to see some of their gorgeous gowns. They were number one on my list of where to go for wedding dresses.
Originally I intended to go to Bride & Co in Rivonia on my own, just to see for myself what it was all about. My bridesmaids soon got wind of my intended visit and invited themselves along. One bridesmaid in particular had been to Bride and Co several times and was aghast by the fact that I had not made an appointment. Lesson no 1: Always phone and make and appointment if you intend on fitting wedding gowns.
We arrived a little earlier than our scheduled appointment and went to the reception to confirm I was there. Lesson no 2: Go earlier than your scheduled appointment to look at all the dresses and pick the ones you want to try on.
There are so many beautiful dresses, accessories galore and even novelties for the hen party. After making a mental note of where my favourite dresses were I headed back to reception in time for my appointment.
Each future bride is allocated an assistant for their individual fitting. My assistant was Pinky and she was an absolute star! I pointed out to Pinky the dresses I had selected and within minutes she had the dresses in the correct sizes as well as a petticoat.
Pinky helped me put on the first dress I had chosen, after zipping me into the petticoat. At first you feel pretty silly and I was in a fit of giggles. The giggles soon abated though when I walked out onto the platform and my bridesmaids all gasped. I turned to look into the mirror and it was then that it hit me; I am going to be a bride!
Whilst staring at myself in the mirror in disbelief (This is what every woman dreams of), Pinky had brought along a veil and tiara to show me what the full outfit would look like. Lesson no 3; Have someone bring a camera and take as many photo’s as possible of the different dresses you try on. Trust me; you will want to look at them later when trying to make up your mind.
There is a huge mirror that you can walk to with enhanced lighting, allowing you to see the complete package – you as a future bride. I pranced around like a princess and Pinky was patient, encouraging, helpful and knowledgeable.
This story is getting longer than I anticipated so I will end off with these final words of wisdom coming from someone who knew absolutely nothing.
1. Take a friend / mom/ bridesmaid along. Constructive criticism is what you will need and although you might be dead set on a certain dress, it takes someone else to point out things you might not readily notice.
2. The appointment you make is usually an hour long so make sure you have an idea of the dresses you want to try on. Three or four dresses are usually the norm.
3. Bride & Co do not have dresses up for rental; their prices however are very reasonable and range from R5800 to R7000. You pay a 50 % deposit when ordering your dress.
4. VERY IMPORTANT! Bride & Co require 10 – 15 weeks for your dress to be delivered so ensure you have ample time before your wedding date.
5. I was pleasantly surprised that Bride & Co was able to assist me when I wanted extra beading and additions to the dress I had chosen. That said speak to your assistant on what you may require.
6. Bride & Co stock pretty much everything bridal orientated. Tiara’s, veils, shoes, handbags and garters to name a few.
7. Enjoy every minute of it. Initially you might feel overwhelmed as the reality of it all sets in but enjoy prancing around in the beautiful dresses, it’s an awesome experience.
Bridal greetings
Tay
You can email me your story about planning your wedding too! Click here…
