Couture Wedding Dresses - Everything you need to know NOW! Pt 2
So to recap on part one, I:
- outlined the care and personal attention that goes into every stitch of a bespoke/couture wedding dress.
- identified the brides who would benefit tremendously from having a custom-made bridal experience.
- gave you an idea of starting costs of couture wedding dress designers who have small local businesses and
- clued you in on time frames
But there are still more questions I frequently get asked:
- How do you choose your couture wedding dress designer?
- What do you need to do before your meeting with them?
- What if I want to lose weight?
Let’s dig in!
How do you find the right bridalwear designer for you?
– First identify which design styles are your favourite. If you don’t know where to start, but know that your wedding will be in a forest setting during summer, start by searching for weddings in that category on Google, Pinterest and Instagram. You will soon be able to narrow down your preferences to a couple of designers, whose websites you can then peruse further. Consider their overall style and assess whether it is in keeping with your vision and your values.
– Wedding blogs each occupy a different niche of the wedding market – e.g. Unconventional Wedding and Rock and Roll bride cater to different kinds of quirky wedding planning couples. Green union responds to the eco-conscious wedding couples and Boho Weddings speaks to those planning a relaxed, outdoor occasion. Looking though whichever blog appeals to you will reveal some hot leads on uk bespoke bridalwear designers!
– It is definitely worth looking at the wedding dress designers within your locality. There are many about, but if they are small businesses, they may not advertise as strongly as the big names. Discovering these local up and coming designers will give your gown added coolness and will make you feel good about supporting a small artisan business.
Before you meet your couture wedding dress designer
- Book your venue. This sets the wedding date, enabling you to check your bridalwear designer’s availability. The venue also provides a backdrop that steers the overall style of the wedding, which should be reflected in the dress. For example, a stately home with a huge ballroom lends itself beautifully to a dramatic ballgown style wedding dress, while a tipi suggests a more playful festival style.
- Determine your ceiling wedding dress budget and make sure it falls within the range specified on the designer’s website.
- Collate some visuals that you can bring to your appointment. This could be a Pinterest board of wedding dress details, fabrics and colours that you love, or tear-outs from magazines.
- Choose a friend or family member to accompany you to appointments and fitting, who won’t impose their preferences over yours, but support you with honesty and kindness in whatever choices you make. I advise that you limit this to one person at the early stages, as committees can cause stress!
- Share all your share your visual/Pinterest board with your shopping buddy, so you’re both singing from the same hymn sheet.
It is worth noting that any couture wedding dress designer worth their salt will not agree to directly copying another designer’s gown, particularly not for a lower price and generally won’t take on a client who wants something far outside their own design style. So if you want a minimal sheath dress, a designer who specialises in extravagant beaded corsets with layers of ruffled tulle, is probably not a good match.
Will your couture wedding dress still fit if you change your weight?
Each designer tackles this differently, so do ask the question.
If a bride plans to change her shape, I am accustomed to working around this. We agree a date when she will stop trying to significantly change her shape significantly. This usually falls about 6 weeks before her wedding. By this point, I will have perfected the fit and style of her toile, therefore it is safe to cut into the silks. At about 4 weeks before the big day, I check the fit of the half-made wedding gown again.
Achieving the best, most comfortable fit for you is my priority, so will work around whatever fitness plan you have as best I can.
And…I never expect a bride to change her shape to fit into my dress. A key point of a couture wedding dress is that it will be made to custom-fit the bride’s form.
So that answers a few key questions, but if you have any more, please contact me to discuss!
So to recap on part one, I:
– outlined the care and personal attention that goes into every stitch of a bespoke/couture wedding dress.
– identified the brides who would benefit tremendously from having a custom-made bridal experience.
– gave you an idea of starting costs of couture wedding dress designers who have small local businesses and
– clued you in on time frames
But there are still more questions I frequently get asked:
- How do you choose your couture wedding dress designer?
- What do you need to do before your meeting with them?
- What if I want to lose weight?
Let’s dig in!
How do you find the right bridalwear designer for you?
– First identify which design styles are your favourite. If you don’t know where to start, but know that your wedding will be in a forest setting during summer, start by searching for weddings in that category on Google, Pinterest and Instagram. You will soon be able to narrow down your preferences to a couple of designers, whose websites you can then peruse further. Consider their overall style and assess whether it is in keeping with your vision and your values.
– Wedding blogs each occupy a different niche of the wedding market – e.g. Unconventional Wedding and Rock and Roll bride cater to different kinds of quirky wedding planning couples. Green union responds to the eco-conscious wedding couples and Boho Weddings speaks to those planning a relaxed, outdoor occasion. Looking though whichever blog appeals to you will reveal some hot leads on uk bespoke bridalwear designers!
– It is definitely worth looking at the wedding dress designers within your locality. There are many about, but if they are small businesses, they may not advertise as strongly as the big names. Discovering these local up and coming designers will give your gown added coolness and will make you feel good about supporting a small artisan business.
Before you meet your couture wedding dress designer
- Book your venue. This sets the wedding date, enabling you to check your bridalwear designer’s availability. The venue also provides a backdrop that steers the overall style of the wedding, which should be reflected in the dress. For example, a stately home with a huge ballroom lends itself beautifully to a dramatic ballgown style wedding dress, while a tipi suggests a more playful festival style.
- Determine your ceiling wedding dress budget and make sure it falls within the range specified on the designer’s website.
- Collate some visuals that you can bring to your appointment. This could be a Pinterest board of wedding dress details, fabrics and colours that you love, or tear-outs from magazines.
- Choose a friend or family member to accompany you to appointments and fitting, who won’t impose their preferences over yours, but support you with honesty and kindness in whatever choices you make. I advise that you limit this to one person at the early stages, as committees can cause stress!
- Share all your share your visual/Pinterest board with your shopping buddy, so you’re both singing from the same hymn sheet.
It is worth noting that any couture wedding dress designer worth their salt will not agree to directly copying another designer’s gown, particularly not for a lower price and generally won’t take on a client who wants something far outside their own design style. So if you want a minimal sheath dress, a designer who specialises in extravagant beaded corsets with layers of ruffled tulle, is probably not a good match.
Will your couture wedding dress still fit if you change your weight?
Each designer tackles this differently, so do ask the question.
If a bride plans to change her shape, I am accustomed to working around this. We agree a date when she will stop trying to significantly change her shape significantly. This usually falls about 6 weeks before her wedding. By this point, I will have perfected the fit and style of her toile, therefore it is safe to cut into the silks. At about 4 weeks before the big day, I check the fit of the half-made wedding gown again.
Achieving the best, most comfortable fit for you is my priority, so will work around whatever fitness plan you have as best I can.
And…I never expect a bride to change her shape to fit into my dress. A key point of a couture wedding dress is that it will be made to custom-fit the bride’s form.
So that answers a few key questions, but if you have any more, please contact me to discuss!