TDR Bridal Birmingham

Author: Emma

My Top Tips For Wedding Dress Shopping

Wedding Dress Shopping should be one of the most enjoyable, fun and happy shopping trips you will ever go on.

For some though it can become quite stressful and not enjoyable at all. Here are some of our Top Tips to avoid stress and ensure that you find Your Dream Dress.

1. Decide right at the very beginning who you want to take with you.

This is so important, ask your self, do you trust them to be honest with you but kind and sensitive too, towards your feelings? Its lovely to have advice from family or friends but if you have the slightest doubt that the people you choose to share this occasion with, will not listen to YOU and what YOU want or won’t take your feelings into consideration when being brutally honest (in their opinion) then they are not the people you should choose to share your Buying Experience with. Its hard to please everybody because we all have different opinions and personal choices and buying a Wedding dress is a totally unique experience because of the emotion attached to it.

2. Choose the shops to visit carefully, in a planned and constructive way.

Ok so here’s the thing… Every Bridal Shop has a radius of Exclusivity on each dress label they carry. Depending on the Label it can be as little as a 5 mile radius up to a 25 mile radius on more exclusive brands. So, based on that, it is much better to choose to visit shops within a 5 mile radius of each other. That way you get to see lots of different Designers, Labels and Brands & styles.

Do your research…

3. Check out each Bridal Shops Reviews

Reviews are absolutely necessary in the Bridal Industry and EVERY Shop you visit MUST have Reviews somewhere on the internet. If you have planned to visit a Bridal Shop that has no Reviews anywhere on the internet, then you MUST ask yourself why? Do not be fooled by glossy websites and lots of google listings if there are no genuine Reviews online to back that up. Honesty and transparency are absolutely imperative when it comes to your Wedding Dress.

4. Are the Bridal Shops you are choosing in any Association or Affiliation?

There is only one Association in the Bridal Industry which is worth its salt and that is the Retail Bridal wear Association or RBA. This is the only Association that inspects its members stores & accounts, has a Strict Code Of Conduct, checks out the shops Suppliers and Credit Status, Plus has the added bonus of The Brides Protection Scheme. Its the same as buying you honeymoon from an Atol or ABTA registered Travel Agent. Don’t get hoodwinked by other “Associations” such as the BBRA, this is absolutely NOT the same.

5. Visit no more than 3 Bridal Shops.

A good Bridal Shop should have at least 150 different styles in store (we have around 300) so if you visit 3 good shops then you have had access to at least 450 and potentially 1000 different styles. Be careful, you don’t want to become “dressed out” or “desensitized ” by visiting too many shops and becoming utterly confused and probably a bit deflated.

6. Check the location of your shops and their opening hours.

Will the locations work for you later on, once you have ordered your dress? Is it easily accessible for Fittings? Is there a car park? What days are they open, do they offer a late night? You need to know all this information BEFORE you go into a Bridal Shop. If the location and Opening Hours are not going to work for you then there is no point visiting. Find shops which are convenient to you and your lifestyle.

7. Don’t be frightened to make your decision.

Most brides instinctively know when they have found “the one”, pretty much the same as the man! You just know its right. However, if you are indecisive and worried about committing to buy, you really shouldn’t be. Statistics show that just over 70 % of all brides find their dress in the first Bridal Shop they visit. We have so many brides who LOVE LOVE LOVE the dress, then say, oh but I can’t buy just in-case i see something else. The fact is you will always see something else, of course you will, but there has to come a point where you say ” you know what, I’m sticking with this one” Just like the man, there are millions out there and you could just keep on looking…forever!

8. Know your finances

If you are going dress shopping, be prepared to buy. Don’t treat Wedding Dress Shopping as just a jolly day out because that mind set will not help you to find “the one” you will just become confused, disheartened and ultimately stressed. So many Brides are amazed when they find their dress at the first shop they visit but why? if you are going to Sainsbury’s to buy a lettuce, why would you be surprised to find the perfect lettuce when you got there? Have a clear understanding of your budget and discuss this if you need to with each shop before you book to visit them.

9. After Service

Again, this is about doing your homework on each shop you plan to visit. Do they offer free storage? Do they have an “In-house” alteration Service? Will they Steam, Prep and Pack your dress for you? Do they offer a delivery Service? These are all important things you need to know.

10. Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy!

Above all remember this is a Once In A Lifetime Experience – Wedding Dress Shopping should be the most enjoyable, happy experience you could ever imagine, with a good splash of luxury and Top Quality Service thrown in for good measure. Enjoy and cherish every second.

I hope these tips help you all

Rebecca xxx

29/04/2016
Justin Alexander Bridal Design

Justin Alexander Bridal Design is a multi award winning wedding dress label, which has been on the bridal fashion scene since 1949! It has been over the last 20 years that the brand has sky rocketed in popularity and is now renown across the globe. The heritage and ethos behind this power house designer is just a few of the reasons we are so pleased to be able to stock the magnificent dresses created year and year.

Justin Alexander gowns have been at The Dressing Rooms for over 6 years, and what first attracted us to the designer was the breathtaking, innovative and beautiful designs. The label has in fact won many awards for being an industry leader and trend setter. Although, once you dig a little deeper into the styles and designs you can see that the designer takes inspiration from the past but re works it into a stunning contemporary gowns.

We currently hold around 25 different styles of Justin Alexander gowns and are one of the few bridal shops in the Birmingham area who are luck enough to be able to call it one of our labels. In fact, the selection of gowns you can find at The Dressing Rooms is soon to grow, in the new year we are delighted to say we will also be carrying the Signature range by Justin Alexander, as well as some other new exciting labels but more on that another time!

Another major draw, not just to us as a bridal shop, but to many of the brides who choose to wear Justin Alexander Bridal Designs is the brilliant structure each gown has. Whatever your body shape or size, a Justin Alexander gown will give you support and comfort as well as making your figure traffic stopping worthy. Trust me when I say; you know when you are wearing a Justin Alexander gown.

Of course, the fit, attention to detail and elaborate handcrafted beadwork comes at a price – these wedding dresses aren’t cheap! However, I would say they are amazing value for money. Aimed at the mid to high end market price point, each gown is stunning in both it’s design and structure and if your wedding dress budget is around the £2000 mark, I would say you should at least try on a Justin Alexander gown. We find that brides who are looking for a classic, romantic look on their big day often veer towards this designer, and brides who know style and substance can, and should go hand in on the biggest day of your life.

We have loved so many of the Justin Alexander Bridal Designs which have flown in and out of our doors in the last 6 years, and although everyone has a different favourite for their own reasons, my absolute stand out favourite wedding dress of all time has to be Style No. 8596 in Ivory/Oyster. It is simply divine; from the way it fits and flatters pretty much every bride I have seen in it, to the stunning textured lace, neckline detail and figure enhancing satin cummerbund around the waist. It is a showstopper, for sure!

Finally, another reason I love these gowns so much is that as a special keepsake to remember your beautiful dress after the big day (without keep dragging it down from the loft to try on) you can actually buy an original sketch of your dress by Justin Alexander – how amazing is that! I love the fact you can have such a special token of the most beautiful dress you are probably ever going to wear right up there on the wall – to look at and swoon after every day of your life – much like your significant other, right!?

That’s why I love Justin Alexander wedding dresses and hopefully now you know a little more about the label. Do you love Justin Alexander gowns? Did you get married in one? If so, which one? and what made you fall in love with a JA gown in the first place?

I would love to hear your thoughts and insights into this designer.

Rebecca x

30/09/2015
Bridal Awards Finalist – Best Bridal Retailer

WOW, just wow! Like the last few weeks haven’t been exciting enough as is, without receiving some fabulous awards news! We have been busy bees in LA for the 2015 Enzoani Fashion Event. We have visited shows, met the design team and got to see and buy a range of absolutely stunning dresses – that we instantly fell in love with, and we know you will too – but more on those little treasures later.

This post is entirely dedicated to our recent bridal awards nominations!

This year we have been so lucky to be recognised within the industry as one of the leading Bridal Retailers, not once but twice already! It is an honor to be considered and make it to the final 6, especially when there are so many other excellent bridal boutiques out there. I have to say it is all due to my fantastic team who work tirelessly to ensure each and every bride feels special and finds their perfect wedding dress. And of course, we couldn’t do it without our wonderful designers, whose visions for bridal fashion is at the forefront of the industry, along with their customer service skills. It truly does make our job easier as bridal boutique to have that support of those great labels, as it means we know we can deliver our outstanding levels of after care service for our brides, making their dress shopping, ordering and fitting as stress free as possible.

The most recent award nomination is from the Bridal Buyer Awards, in the category of Best Bridal Retailer England. There is some seriously stiff competition but I like to think we create an extra bit of bridal magic for our brides here at The Dressing Rooms, so lets hope that will rub of and bring us some luck on the night to bring back that beautiful trophy!

And if that wasn’t enough we also made the shortlist in another category – Best Website!

I am thrilled with this nomination too. We designed this website to make it easier for our brides to get a glimpse at what they can expect when they visit us at The Dressing Rooms. We wanted to showcase our designers and dresses and really help our brides to get to know us and what we are about before setting foot in the door. In a bid to make them feel at ease and relaxed about their wedding dress shopping experience with us. Also, at the forefront of our mind was to make their online experience quick, easy and give brides the flexibility to book an appointment with us online – at their own leisure. Of course, we were over the moon with the overall look and feel of the site but never really dreamed it could win an award too!

The award ceremony will be taking place on the 14th September, so all we can do is keep our fingers crossed and keep up the good work between now and then, after of course a glass or two of bubbly to celebrate!

We will keep you posted!

29/06/2015
Bridal Fashion – Looking ahead

We have been busy ladies over the past few weeks, not only with hundreds of our brides getting married in the Month of May, but with our buying trips this year already, preparing and planning for our 2016 brides. Each year at about this time, we attend a number of leading bridal fashion shows to help create and craft our collections for the following season. Back in the early days it was a nightmare trying to think ahead and plan which wedding dresses to stock for the next year when we were barely into the current year. Age and experience has guided us through though, and now we can visualize and prep with the best of them. I like to think this process also helps us with our current brides who are trying dresses on ahead of their wedding for the following year. We get to offer advice and styling tips based on looking ahead rather than what is current or past.

After the whirlwind of the last few months and with a couple more exhibitions planned for the next few months, I have decided to share with you all what we have learnt and some amazing new bridal fashion discoveries we have picked up so far.

So in early May we visited Barcelona, looking for the very best and the very latest in Bridal Fashion. We were not disappointed! The Spanish Designers just seem to have a natural flair when it comes to styling, along with the most fastidious attention to detail and fabrics to die for! Although we can’t share details at the minute, I am thrilled to say we picked up some fabulous new little bridal labels that are not available any where else in the UK, watch this space for more details and sneak peeks!

What was really refreshing too was the move to explore other fabrics, like Mikado silk and silk chiffon, rather than just lace (though may I say the Spanish lace is exquisite too!!) The catwalk shows were amazing, forward thinking and so well received, we just loved every minute of this fabulous buying expedition – especially for our brides. We found a stunning label called Le Papillon, a Dutch label like nothing we’ve seen on the UK market!

After waving Adios to Barcelona, we came home and said a beautiful warm Hello to London Bridal Fashion Week, which did not disappoint!

We started the show by checking out the gorgeous statement pieces from the new 2016 Justin Alexander Collection, we were wowed! The usual attention to detail and fabulous styling was there in every dress we ordered and we’re so excited to show you this new Collection. After Justin Alexander we went onto the stunning Mori Lee and were so taken with the Madeline Gardener New York Collection that we just HAD to have it! Honestly, one dress we even ordered in two different colours as we just couldn’t decide, they were both amazing.. We then nipped over to to the oh so beautiful brand new Collection from Wendy Makin Australia, our lovely friend from across the globe.

The new line is called French Collection and is so floaty, dreamy and Boho plus a little 1920’s glamour thrown in, we just couldn’t resist! There are under slips in colours such as nude, beige and Tea Rose which are just the softest vintage hues making every brides dress unique. This brand new Label will be on our catwalk on 14^th June so definitely one to look out for.

Finally, we took a long look at THE MOST EXCITING LABEL we’ve seen in years, Watters just stood out from the crowd like no other…AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING! We are so excited to show you our new Collections, we hope you LOVE them as much as we do…we’re pretty sure you will!!

Finally to finish our buying trips for this month we hit the White Gallery London.

This is THE bridal fashion show for the discerning bridal store & this years show was just as, if not more amazing than last year! We went here especially to see our exclusive House Of Mooshski Label and the lovely designer, Olivia. What can I say, as usual, Olivia has created some absolutely stunning vintage 50’s style dresses, with feathers, lace, mikardo silk, fabulous bows and detailing and of course, that ever important quirkiness that only House Of Mooshki can do. With 12 … yes 12 ! new samples on their way to us, if you are a bride who loves this label then we have picked the cream of the crop for you! We love the fact that anything, from the length, to the sleeves, to the neckline, to the colour, it can all be changed on Mooshki dresses, making every dress individual and unique to each bride.

That about rounds up our busy May. I hope you have enjoyed the preview into what the bridal fashion world has in store for 2016 and what you can expect to see in The Dressing Rooms very soon.

Rebecca xxxx

11/06/2015
Why Not to Loose Weight When Ordering Your Wedding Dress

Just 3lb to go… I remember myself saying,… I was 9st 2! (for the record I am now 11st 6lb and have been since 6 months after my wedding day!)

We all do it, we all strive to be the most fit, glowing, svelte like and beautiful we possible can be for our wedding day and if that’s what suits then that’s great. Really though girlies, size just doesn’t matter when it comes to shopping for your dress and delaying shopping because you may feel a little uncomfortable with your size is really a recipe for disaster. Oh My days! I hear you say…”I have to loose weight before I try any wedding dresses on!” No, is the firm advice I would give any bride who is thinking this way and the main reason for this advice is not what you may be thinking.

A big myth in the Bridal world is that shops are “desperate to get your money so they warn you of long lead times just to get a sale.” Well, in some instances this may be true, but here at The Dressing Rooms it most definitely is not. We like a minimum good clear six months Lead time to ensure that the dress of your dreams comes in, leaving a reasonable amount of time for you to have your fittings and choose your accessories.

In my experience, once you have found your dress, no matter what your shape or size, you will feel and look amazing in it just as you are and whilst you may want to loose weight or tone up for your own personal reasons, don’t feel pressured by images you see on line or in the media, to look a certain way. He fell in love with you just the way you are. And remember, once your hair is done, make up on and dress fitted to perfection, you will look amazing no matter what size you are.

Please, do not put off dress shopping because you are trying to loose weight, come as you are, so we can help you find something you feel and look amazing in, regardless of your size, and, most importantly, you will have the pick of any dress you love because you still have enough time to order in, rather than having to compromise with what’s left on the rail, in your size. Just remember too, we’ve all been there.

Rebecca xxxx

01/06/2015