Wedding Dress Shopping

You all may or may not know, but back in November Paul proposed to me whilst we were on holiday in Thailand. Since then.. well actually that's a lie, I already had started my private Pinterest board and Instagram collection of wedding inspiration earlier that year. From this I have quite a clear idea of many aspects of the big day, the style of dress, my flowers, table settings etc. I'm not actually one of those girls who grew up dreaming of their perfect dress and day, I'd never actually given it a thought until I met Paul. Perhaps that's due to not attending many weddings growing up, although I was a bridesmaid once at the age of 7 for my cousin. Over time I've been to a few wedding receptions and after speaking to a friends who are getting married or already have, I realise why. Weddings, especially food are expensive! Only have your nearest and dearest at the wedding and then everyone else can join you to party in the evening.

Okay, to the main point of why you're all here. Let's look at some beautiful wedding dresses!


I ventured down to Wed2b with my Mum and my friend Jenny to try on some dresses. I didn't need to arrange an appointment, just turned up, filled in a form and away I went to look through all dresses available in my size. Everything is off the peg so if you do find your dream dress you can take it home with you that very day. I was allowed to try on 4 dresses at a time and advised that dresses can be quite small so sizing up is an option. From my previously mentioned Pinterest boards and Instagram collections, I had quite a good idea of what style I wanted already but thought it was a good idea to also try on others just in case. The 1st two I tried were more of a traditional style featuring a corseted waist. These were heavy and harder to get into, I have to say! I didn't manage to photograph all 8 dresses, but head to this vlog to see them all, well actually 7 out of 8, one just wasn't right at all! 

In the changing room you have a sales advisor who helps you get in and out of the dresses. Standing in front of a stranger in my nude strapless bra and seamless pants was never something I'd ever experienced before, so I was a tad shy to say the least. But hey they've done this a million times and how the hell are you going to get into some of those dresses by yourself?! The first dress, Sophia priced at £599, had a beautiful sheer illusion back, sleeves and lace detailing. This I was really drawn to as they were things I'd saved and pinned as inspiration. It had a dropped fish tail waist which was beautiful but I didn't think it suited my shape, unfortunately. Joanna priced it at £599; it was very classic, satin and A lined. These dress silhouettes were fuller so both required a hooped underskirt.

Below is the third I tried on, Venetia priced at £579. This had more of a vacation wedding gown feel to it, stunning back detail and so light weight, but to me it didn't make me feel like a bride.

Next up was Tessa priced at £629. I preferred how low the back was and the more flattering shape it gave to my figure compared to the previous ones. Again this felt more like a vacation wedding dress, very pretty but I didn't feel like a bride.

Now meet Tamara! Priced at £699, this is getting so close to the dress of my dreams! The most beautiful sheer illusion detailing on the front and sides, meeting down at the back with button fastenings. The beading detail cascades from the sheer panels onto the crepe material giving it a seamless transition. The material of the dress is exactly what I want for the skirt, it hangs down perfectly and flatters my figure just how I'd like. I'm now not sure whether I want sleeves or not, I always thought I did, but actually for a summer wedding this would perhaps be a better option. The neckline is very flattering, framing the collarbones with the straps continuing the curve of the silhouette perfectly. You can tell I really like the dress, as I took a lot more photos in it than the others!
Zoe then suggested I try on a veil as this can help cover the arms slightly. She said if I did have sleeves I may find it too busy with a veil, very good point! There were three options for veil length, see these in the vlog. I went for the middle length and kept it plain to not distract from the dress and let the illusion back peep through. I have to say the moment she added the veil I did get rather emotional and felt myself tear up a little. I looked in the mirror and instantly felt like a real bride. Honestly, it totally transformed the dress!
Please ignore my face in this shot - my Mum took this on her phone. I like this shot, though, as it really captures the front detailing of the dress. The shape the shoulder detailing creates is a nice continuation of how the dress hangs and the shapes it creates. The train is very plain and simple which I'm not sure I'd fully want. If without sleeves then perhaps I would like more detail in the train?

Sullivan priced at £549 looked beautiful on the model when I looked on the website, but it didn't look right on me. Perhaps it was hard to live up to the previous dress, but you can see this one on me in the vlog.

Last but no means least is Hayden priced at £699. The back is a real show stopper! Also made of crepe material like Tamara, but not an illusion back as such, it has lace panels instead of sheer mesh. These lace appliques flow down the skirt into the lace hem. The front is quite simple in design, I didn't manage to get a lot of photos of this dress, by this time we were all quite tired, but as I've linked to all the dresses, you can see them more clearly on their website.

I think out of all the dresses I tried, Tamara was my favourite. I wish it had the skirt of Hayden, though.
A massive thank you to Zoe for being so amazing, she was so professional, knowledgable and patient! We were in there for a total of 3 hours and she was more than happy to adjust the dress and wait whilst we took pictures and filmed. This was in the Wed2b store in Norwich, they have lots more stores across the country.
 I was honestly amazed at how beautiful and Pinterest worthy all the dresses were and at really affordable prices! I learnt so much about the different styles and fabrics, I need to go back already to try on 4 more dresses I've seen on their website!
Which were your favourite dresses?

Photos taken on iphone 6s and Canon 5d Mark iv by my Mum and Jenny.

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