Simplistic Chic

   We often have customers coming into our shop asking for something a little different. They don't want extravagant, they don't want diamanté, they just want a beautifully simple dress that will suit them. It can often be hard to find a simple, elegant style at the moment, particularly when there is so much lace around. Not all customers want that. At Especially For You, we have found that one of our simplest dresses is actually our most popular, Annie. Surprised? We were.

Click HERE to see Annie on our website

   When Annie first came into stock in white we thought she would sell well, but we didn't realise the full potential of the dress. We ordered her in white, as we didn't have many white dresses in stock, and it's always a colour we recommend people try at least once when looking for the perfect one. It's all about whether white complements your skin tone. But anyway, wearing white for your wedding is a discussion for another day. Annie is a beautiful taffeta wedding dress with a sweetheart neckline. She has a stunning sweeping ruched bodice, which cinches in at the waist and simple two tiered a line, with a slight pickup. Some brides have decided to use Annie as a blank canvas which they can customise, adding diamante over the bodice, or maybe a lace overlay with straps, something to make it completely unique. However, many brides have just marvelled at the simple style, and kept her just as she is.



   Luckily, we have more styles that follow in the same style as Annie, each have their own individual quality. Amber is a satin A-Line dress, with a flattering band around the waist, and pearl applique detailing to the side. The sweetheart neckline on this dress, along with the soft fabric, gives this dress a very romantic feel. If you were trying to find a classic wedding dress for your big day, this is the dress to go for. If you love the dress, but don't want the Cappuccino coloured band (as pictured), the dress is available in all White and all Ivory. It's all a matter of taste. Either way, the clean lines and slightly gathered skirt mean Amber always looks perfect, however you decide to wear it. To see Amber on our website, click HERE.

Click HERE to see more images of Janine

   The next dress is another satin beauty called Janine. If you have been following our blog closely, you'll notice that she appeared a couple of weeks ago in our Stunning Opulence post. Not to be outshone by the rest of the new Opulence collection, this dress pulls out all the stops to create a luxurious feel. Definitely a dress to impress. Like Annie, we have had customisation requests for Janine, and luckily she has the option to come with a lace overlay jacket. This is a classic dropped waist dress with ruching at the sweetheart neckline, with flows into the bodice and through the skirt. The train on this dress is simply exquisite, the way the lace up finishes just before the ruching starts only adds to the sweeping style. Like we said before, it might just be our favourite!

   Finally we come to Simone. Simone is a little different from the other dresses in this post, because she does have some detail over the bodice, namely lace applique. Like Amber, the dress can come in all Ivory or all White satin, which simplifies the dress a little more if that is the style you are going for. We have found about a 50/50 split of those who go for all one colour and those who go for the black detail, to get a little bit of a contrast on the dress.  The silhouette this dress creates is very flattering, showing your figure off too its best. That is the main reason we love this dress. We have Simone in stock with the black detail, and Simone is on website HERE if you wish to know about sizes.

   That's all for Wedding Wednesday this week. We would like to know what style of dress you like the best. Are you one for lace and beading? Or is the simple style that captivates you the most? Comment below to tell us which you prefer, and what you thought of this week's dresses.

November and December Order Discount

Click HERE to see the dresses in our new collection.

Move Over Debenhams, We've Always Had A Size 16!

It has recently been in the news that Debenhams have decided to start using size 16 mannequins, as if this something completely original that no one else has ever tried. They might be right about being one of the first high street stores to do so, but here at Especially For You, we didn't give this a second thought.

"Why's this?" I hear you ask. Probably because we've had our size 16 dummy in the window for years, we didn't see anything unusual about Debenhams and their brand new publicity.
It has often been the assumption of many that any time you visit a bridal store, all the dresses available to try on will be sample size dresses in a size ten, and at some bridal boutiques, we're sure this is the case. Not at Especially For You.

We know that not everyone is a stick thin model who needs to eat more pies, and we also know that different dresses are perfect for different body shapes. Why would we stock a size 6 in a dress that looks best on an hourglass figure? We try to have dresses in the sizes that we think they would look best in,  but of course that doesn't mean to say that we don't stock small sizes, because we do. It's just that we stock a whole range of sizes, because it's hard to imagine what your wedding dress will look like if the one you're trying on is three sizes too small. We are only a small shop though, so this means that we can only stock one size in each dress. If a dress isn't a perfect fit, we can use our expertise to help fit the dress around you, so you can visualise how, once ordered in your size, the dress would suit you.

 At the moment, the smallest size we have is UK size 6/8, and the largest is currently a size 28. However, we can easily order up to a size 32 in any of the 60 or more dresses we currently have in stock to reorder. Here are some dresses we have in stock, all in different sizes. Click on the dress names to see them on our website.

We have Harriet in stock in a size 20.

There is Simone, in stock in size 10.

       

We stock a size 16 for Molly.

                     

 This is Verity, stocked in size 18.

Abby is in stock in a size 12.

Finally, Zara is in stock in a size 14.

To see the article on this on the Lancashire Evening Post Website, Click Here. We hope you enjoyed this week's Wedding Wednesday, comment below, we love to hear what you think. It could be about your experiences in other wedding stores with sizes, or about the dresses in the post.

November Carole's Corner

Well that was a busy season. Not at the end of the year yet and yes, we still have some weddings to take care of , but the busiest time is now taken care of. So now we look forward to next year and the diary is  already looking very very busy! Lots of lovely Brides to guide towards the best day of their lives, their wedding day.

With some dresses already arrived and waiting in the store room for their excited owners to have their fittings, this heralds the start of my busiest time. With the fit to perfect and changes to make in the style many many hours will be spent in the sewing room happily un-picking, pinning and re-stitching. Nothing better than toiling  over a dress striving for perfection, to find at the next fitting that the fit is now perfect ….. happy Bride equals happy Carole.

To go back and look at some of the work completed this year  …………….. well ………. there was lots of lace which brings with it’s own challenges. Altering the side seams to perfect the fit will involve un-picking the lace or the appliqués and the beading, peeling those back to allow access to the main seams, which will then be re-stitched. At the next fitting some Brides will be concerned to see their beautiful dress with ‘bits’ hanging off. Never fear Carole is here, that will all be put back together after I know that the fit is correct and you will never know that anything has been done when you see that dress again, all finished, steamed & pressed ready for your big day.

As for the lace hems, well that’s another story! I think I should cover that in my next blog . What part of the alteration process would you like to read more about? You can add your thoughts and comments below.

Stunning Opulence

The collection at Opulence Bridal just keeps getting better and better, and we just happen to have some of their most beautiful dresses in stock. The newest dresses have been with us for just over a month now, but already they are extremely popular, and we can see why. Here are some of our favourites from the newest collect that we currently have in stock.

This is Bianca, a beautiful A-line dress with a satin belt at the waist to add that little extra something, and a sweetheart neckline. The skirt has a stunning layer of lace underneath one of appliqued tulle, giving the whole dress a much romantic look. This dress has a lace-up back, and is available in Ivory or White in sizes 6 to 32. As we write this, there is someone trying Bianca on in our shop, we hope this is the one she goes for, it looks stunning!
Click here to see Bianca pictured on our website.

Hazel is our next dress, with a
soft pleated bodice in an organza fabric. What makes this dress so unique are the straps it has, which carry on all the way down the back. Just think, as you're stood at the altar, everyone will just be mesmerised by the exquisite detail they can see. A few brides who have tried this dress on have said it reminds them of a waterfall, which we think makes a great comparison. The train on this dress flows perfectly, and no one could look away as you made your way down the aisle. It is available in White or Ivory (both with Silver detailing) in sizes 6 to 32. See Hazel on our website by clicking here.

We should now move onto Janine, and with good reason, because (and we know we shouldn't say this but...) Janine might just be our favourite of the new collection. It could be the simplicity of the dress, or the luxurious appearance of the satin, but for some reason we have fallen head over heels in love. The dress is available with a jacket that buttons up at the back (if you read last weeks Wedding Wednesday post, you would have seen it make an appearance) for those who want to add some in vogue lace to the dress, but it is optional and not everyone will want it. Janine is available in Alibaster, Ivory and White, in sizes in 6 to 32. To see her on our website, click here.

Now we come to Sophie, a dress unlike any other we have in a shop. It is the shape of this dress that makes it so unusual. With a slim silhouette and the tulle strap over one shoulder you can see why it's such a 'wow' dress. The lace is dotted through with subtle beading and pearls, and sparkles as you turn. The back is very simple though, with the lace detail and a zip up fastening. Available in Ivory or White in sizes 6 to 32. Click here to see Sophie on our website.



Last - but by no means least - is our final new Opulence dress, Susanne, and she is absolutely breathtaking. From the beaded lace bodice, to the pearl and applique belt, this dress has it all. The reverse of this dress is particularly eye-catching, it's a keyhole back, only adding to Susanne's beauty. If you want to make a statement on your wedding day, this is the dress to wear. It's currently a firm favourite with our brides, probably one of our most popular of the new collection. It is available in sizes 6 to 32, and in Ivory or White. The zip down the back is covered by tiny buttons that add to the charm of Susanne.  You'll find Susanne on our website here.

We hope you loved the Wedding Wednesday post for this week, you'll be glad to know we have finally sorted out the problem we had with the comments box, so you can now comment to your hearts content! Please let us know what you think, do you have a favourite out of all these dresses?