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Hints & Tips on Buying your |
Before Visiting a Bridal Boutique Do some research. Your Wedding Gown is the most important (and probably most expensive) item of clothing you will ever purchase, so surely it is worth spending some time on! Then do your homework on the Bridal Boutiques in your area. Most Bride-2-Be visit 4 or 5 initially, then re-visit 2 or 3 where they have seen gowns that they want to try again, before making a final visit to place their order. On the other hand, some B2Bs trek round 20 shops and others visit only 1. There are plenty of resources for you to use from Bridal magazines, Designer websites, Bridal Directories and Forums to Bridal Boutique websites and of course your family and friends. Timing Most Designer Bridal Gowns have quite a long lead-time and orders need to be placed up to 9 months before your wedding. It is advisable to start your search 18 - 12 months prior to your Big Day, so that you can relax and enjoy the experience and not feel pressured into making a decision because you are running out of time. We advise orders being placed at least 6 months prior to the wedding, and in our experience B2Bs tend to order with between 12 and 6 months to go. If you don't have 6 months don't panic, we can help you, although your choice of Designer will be significantly reduced. Making Your Appointments Check when you make the appointment if the shop provides shoes for you to wear while trying the gowns, most do. Also ask how long your appointment will be, this will range from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Remember Saturdays are always very busy, so if you can, make a week-day appointment. Make sure you leave plenty of time to get from one boutique to another if you are planning to visit more than one boutique in a day. We wouldn't advise more than 3 in 1 day, as although hopefully a fun experience, it can be tiring and you will have trouble remembering the gowns if you cram too many into a day. What & Who to Take Take a strapless bra with you and shoes if necessary. If you have a piece of jewellery, a veil or tiara that you will be borrowing for your Big Day take that too. Pictures from magazines etc will help your consultant to understand what you think you like and maybe also what you think don't like. Most B2Bs will bring someone with them to their consultation, but some like to come alone initially to short-list before bringing a close friend or family member to validate their choice. It is advisable not to take more than 2 people with you, although we have plenty of room in our private viewing areas, not all boutiques do. Also, having input from too many people can be more hindrance than help. In the end it must be the B2Bs choice, not their Mum's or best friend's. At the Bridal Boutique For your initial Bridal Boutique visits do try to keep an open mind and try as many gowns as you can in the time available. While trying on, explain what you like and don't like about the gown, as this will assist your consultant to suggest other gowns to try. Remember to ask about the cost of alterations as this can add significantly to the cost of your gown if an alteration package must be purchased. Alteration costs can vary widely between boutiques. The timing of fittings is also something to ask about, you want this to be relatively close to the Big Day to ensure a good fit. Ask about gown storage, and how long before your Big Day you will have to collect your gown. If your wedding is abroad, ask how they will pack the gown for traveling. Check if you will receive a swatch of your gown fabric, you will need this for colour matching. At the end of you consultation ask your consultant to provide detail of the gowns you liked, with images if possible, so that you have pricing in writing. Also, check the lead-time for each gown, as this does differ for each Designer. When you are revisiting your short-listed gowns, try them with different veils, tiaras & jewellery. Your accessories are as important as your wedding gown. Making your Choice Clearly the gown itself is very important, but there are other considerations. We have already mentioned alteration costs. Many B2Bs mention how important it was that they trusted the boutique, knowing that they would go that extra mile for them and felt comfortable with the consultants. Often B2Bs find it beneficial to be able to purchase all their accessories and their bridesmaid dresses at the same boutique as their gown. This allows them to try everything together enabling them to see what the overall picture will be on the day, as well as saving time trekking from one shop to another for fittings, and pick ups. It is amazing how week-ends disappear as the Big Day approaches. You will have many people tell you that you will know when you have found "The One", but in our experience this isn't the norm. That final decision, often between two very different gowns, can be extremely difficult. In the end, you can way up the Pros and Cons and make you choice, but when you have, go with it, and don't think about it any more. Enjoy the experience, take your time and have fun! Placing Your Order & Payment When you place your order for your dream wedding dress, you will probably be asked to sign a contract and pay a deposit. These will vary by boutique but generally the deposit is 50% of the price of your gown and any other items you order, and in most cases your deposit is non-refundable. The key contract elements will relate primarily to the cancellation of your order and you will find that most will state that you are liable to pay the full price of the gown if you cancel your order, this is because your gown is being made specially for you. To view our contract Terms & Conditions click here. The payment of the balance of the cost of your gown and any accessories is usually due once your own gown has arrived. You may be asked to pay for the gown when you attend your fitting or when you collect your gown. Remember if you are paying by cheque you will probably not be able to collect your gown until the cheque has cleared. Fittings It will depend how you have purchased your gown how many fittings you will have. If you have purchased a Made to Measure gown, you will at the very least have a toile fitting, followed by an initial gown fitting and a final fitting. If you have purchased a standard size there will be at least an initial fitting and final fitting. When attending a toile fitting remember the toile will not look like your finished gown. It will be made of a horrible cream fabric and may not actually be the whole gown. The toile is purely a vehicle to provide a personalised pattern for your gown. Take a strapped bra to your toile fitting, even if you are having a strapless gown. Wearing a bra with straps will ensure your toile is fitted with your bust line in the correct position, very important! It is also advisable to take your shoes to check you have enough length in the gown. For your gown fittings you will need to take the underwear you are planning to wear for your wedding. Your bra will make a big difference to the fit of your gown if you are planning to wear one, so don't forget to take it with you. Of course the other key element of the gown fitting is the length, so the shoes you will actually be wearing are essential. We usually arrange your first gown fitting around 4 weeks prior to the wedding. The timing of Toile fittings varies by designer. This timing will vary by Boutique. Also, be aware that some Boutiques do not make fitting appointments for Saturdays. Collection & Transportation Most of our B2Bs collect their gown 1 - 2 days before the wedding. This allows us to prepare the gown as close to the wedding as possible and minimizes storage at the B2Bs own home. When visiting other Bridal Boutiques it is wise to ask about pick up, as some will expect you to take your gown home as soon as it arrives, which could be up to 6 weeks before the wedding. The gown should be in a large coloured gown cover, which prevents prying eyes from seeing the gown before the Ceremony, while providing enough space for the gown to be transported with a minimum of creasing. We have found it best to hang the gown hanger on the Jacket hanger in the back of the car and then lay the skirt across a clear back seat. Our B2Bs pull up directly in front of the Boutique and we arrange the gown in their car for them. As soon as possible, remove the gown from its cover and hang so any creases from traveling can have time to drop out, but think about where you hang your gown, you don't want H2B catching a sneaky peak. On Your Big Day On your Big Day take your time getting ready. Your gown should be the last item you put on to minimise creasing and marking before the Ceremony. Give yourself at least 10 minutes with your gown and all your accessories on to relax and appreciate how stunning you look - all that time spent on your search for your perfect wedding dress will then be worth it!
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