TOP TIPS FOR PICKING OUT A VEIL

1. So how do you decide which one is right for you? Firstly, we’d recommend that you choose your style of bridal gown before you set your heart on a particular headpiece, as the veil is an accessory that should enhance your gown, rather than detract from it. For example, if you have a lace or beaded dress, look for a veil that compliments those elements.                                              
2. Take your venue into account. If your ceremony is taking place in a large, elaborate church, you may want to consider a dramatic, long veil. Alternatively, if you’re getting married outdoors during a windy season, it’s best to opt for a veil that’s shorter in length. This will prevent the veil from blowing too much or even flying away and getting damaged.                              
3. Keep your hairstyle in mind. Most veils work well with down hairstyles. But if you’re planning on a more intricate hairstyle, choose a thin or sheer veil that won’t completely conceal your hair. Whether you’re doing your own hair or getting it done by a professional, it’s a good idea to practice placing and fastening your veil before the big day. It’s a good idea to come to one of your fittings with your hair done like it would be on the day, then you can pick the best veil to go with your hair style and you’ll get an idea of the full look.

A Dress with a Statement Back

A breath-taking ornate or sheer illusion lace back is a popular trend. We recommend a one tier veil, with possibly simple detail on the edging. There’s no point in spending a lot of money on a dress with a stunning back if you’re just going to cover it up with a thick veil. Think sheer and chic. Many of our brides come into our shop not wanting a veil but after showing them an elegant one tier, they change their mind. A veil can simply finish off the bridal look for many brides.

The Vintage Look

Birdcage Veil

Birdcage veils are great if you’re going for the vintage look, especially paired with a short tea-length dress. Birdcage veils are short veils that are typically made out of netting. They only cover a portion of a bride’s face and fall above the chin. Fly-away veils also give you that vintage look but they make more of a statement and offer more volume than birdcage veils, a fly-away veil falls at or below the shoulders.

Traditional Look

Chapel veils fall at the ground or a couple of inches beyond a bridal gown. Even though I've called this the 'traditional look' I don't mean a traditional church wedding, these veils give you the traditional bridal look but can look stunning in any venue.They're definitely statement pieces and instantly create a dreamy, romantic feel. Veils at or beyond chapel-length are often removed after the wedding ceremony (and before the reception) so that a bride can walk and dance with ease. So take this in mind when choosing the length of your veil, do you want your night guests to see your whole look? Chapel length veils are perfect for brides that want to have a beautiful silhouette as they walk down the aisle. They can be an affordable way to dress up a simple, inexpensive gown, as a long wedding veil is always stunning and eye-catching, even if it isn't encrusted with crystals.

One of our brides showing off a stunning long veil!

If we haven't mentioned the look you're going for here, simply pop into the shop and we'll advise you on what we recommend. If you're not one of our brides, it's a good idea to bring a few photos of your dress and the details on it. This will help us get a perfect match for your dress and veil. I've included a few pictures below of some of the veils we have in stock.

 

Flower Girls

The flower girl has always been a representation of beauty and the joy of youth. The petals she scatters are viewed as a symbol of fertility, giving the couple good luck. In the past herbs were scattered as a way to ward off evil but the main idea is the transformation of the bride from childhood. A flower girl's dress usually resembles a smaller version of the bride's wedding dress. During the ceremony, the flower girl proceeds down the aisle, immediately after the maid of honour with her partner,
who is usually the ring bearer or page boy.
In most cases, she carries a basket full of flower petals and scatters them down the aisle.

Almost all little girls love to dress up as a princess, with a big puffy skirt which they can twirl and show off in for everyone to see. And if they look like the pretty bride on her big day, even better. Our most popular style is the SV5, little ones love it because there's the option to add an underskirt, making them look even more like a princess. It can compliment the brides dress really well as well, especially if the bride is wearing lace. The sash around the waist can be swapped for a ribbon, free of charge, to match your chosen colour scheme. This ties the little flower girl in with the adult bridesmaids. 

 Here are a few more flower girl dresses from our collection ...

Along with the flower girls dresses we also have a selection of junior bridesmaid dresses. Brides often choose these styles if the have younger bridesmaids but they're too old to be in flower girl dress. The junior bridesmaid styles match the adult bridesmaid, so if you're wanting all of your bridesmaids to look the same, having your little ones in a junior style to the way to go.

If you order your Bridesmaids dresses (same style & colour) with us we will give you a discount:-

2 Dresses - 10% off

3 Dresses - 12.5 % off

4 Dresses - 15% off

5 Dresses - 20% off 

(20% is maximum discount)

If you order a Bridal Gown of £800 or more we will give you 20% off your Bridesmaids dresses, however many you're having + 20% off your Flower Girl Dresses.

The flower girl range prices are competitive with high street stores, once you've placed an order with us they take around a month to arrive. (Although, we do carry some in stock) The junior bridesmaids take between 12-14 weeks to arrive once the order has been placed with us, however, the more time you can give us, the better. 

Tips to saying YES to the sale dress!

Bridal shop sales can be a saviour, especially if your budget is tight but you still want that gorgeous designer dress! Where else can you find THE dress with upto 70% off?! There can be many negative stigmas around buying a sale dress but we're hear to put your mind at rest, making the search that little bit easier.

We advise that you do a little bit of research before you attend the sale, as being able to tell us what you have in mind will help us find the right dress for you. That could be as simple as just one dress off our website that grabs your eye, or a certain style you're looking for. But even if you have no idea what so ever, we're here to help and would love to be part of the search for your dream dress.

However if you're in love with a dress in the latest bridal magazine, you're probably not going to find it in a sale. The dresses we put in our sale are usually from a previous collection. Often designers discontinue dresses but we still have the sample dress in our shop. So, we hold these sales to give you the last chance of finding your dress, at a discounted price. It also gives us the chance to make room for this seasons beautiful new dresses.

Many brides expect a sample sale to be full of unwanted, dirty gowns which no one else has wanted.

THIS IS NOT THE CASE!

All of our gowns are cleaned and looked after on a regular basis, even just for sale day. And they're not just unwanted dresses! When we choose our collection, we aim to have a wide range of different sizes and styles. So that every girl has the opportunity to try what they want. Once a bride has chosen her dress, we'll take measurements and order the appropriate size for her. The dress she tried on in our shop, will stay in our collection. Therefore, all of our sale dresses aren't unwanted they've just simply helped another girl towards her dream.

All of our sale gown need to be taken home with you on the day but if you wish to use our seamstress services, we'll keep hold of your details and contact you a few months before your wedding to arrange a fitting.

Be prepared to buy, if you're not in a place to purchase your dress right now attending our sale might not be the best option for you. There would be nothing worse than you coming to us on the day, finding THE dress and not being able to buy it. It will only lead to heartbreak as we won't be able to reorder the dress for you and someone else may come along and decide it's their dream dress too.

Finally, don't feel pressured to buy a dress. We want you to have the perfect dress on your big day, not one that you regret buying in all the excitement on a sale day. We wish you all the best in finding your dress and we'll see you on Sunday 7th February 2016!

WAS £1150                                                   WAS £650                                                     WAS £1150 

NOW £550                                                   NOW £250                                                      NOW £499

Top 10 Things Brides Forget on their Big Day!

In all the hustle and bustle of excitement on your wedding it's easy to forget a few important things. To save our brides the stress on their big day we've decided to list the top 10 things that brides tend to forget. We hope this helps to calm your nerves!

1. Wedding Rings - It may seem a very stupid thing to forget your wedding rings on the day but it has been done! To make sure this doesn't happen we suggest that you give one person the job of looking after the rings. This saves the awkward "I thought you had them?!" conversation at the end of the aisle. Another tip we give is that if you're having a young pageboy, don't give him the real rings to carry down the aisle because you're just asking for them to be lost. You could always give him fake rings instead and make sure your best man has the real ones. 

2. Make sure you have the number of the hotel you're staying at. It's always a good idea to give them a ring and let them know what time you'll be checking in, you wouldn't want to turn up in the early hours of the morning and not be able to get in! Give them a quick reminder that it's your wedding night as well, there might be a nice bottle of champagne and some chocolates waiting for you. 

3. Comfortable shoes! - Dancing in heels all night is inevitably going to become painful, so just take something more comfortable to get changed into. Whether that's a customised diamanté pair of converse or simply a pair of flip flops, anything will do.

4. Drink water - even if you're not drinking alcohol on the day it's still a good idea to keep drinking water. As everyone knows a lack of water can cause you headaches and you want to be feeling as good as ever, not having to take painkillers on your day.

4. Know what photographs you want - many brides have specific ideas of what pictures they want as keep sakes but in all the excitement they tend to forget! If you want a specific picture of your dress or a specific pose with your husband, make sure you tell your photographer before the day. This way there's no chance of you missing out on the snaps you wanted. 

5. Put your engagement ring back on - you'll need to take it off to allow you husband to put your wedding band on but after the ceremony you'll want to show them both off together.

6. Check out your ceremony space - you've spent so long planning your flowers and how beautiful you want the church to look that it's not worth not being able to remember what it looked like. So, just take a few moment to admire the beautiful space which you're getting married in. Maybe it's the flowers as you walk down the aisle or how wonderful all your guests look for your big day.

7. Collect sentimental items - don't leave anything you'll wish you'd kept at the ceremony. Keep a few programs and special items for yourself, give them to a family member or friend who could keep hold of them for you until after you get back from your honeymoon. Some brides even wish they'd kept their flowers, maybe you could dry a few out and frame them or put them in a special place.

8. Emergency Kit - We hate to say it, but emergencies happen - spills, paper cuts, ripped hems, and more. Create an emergency (or ask one of your bridesmaids to help you out), that includes a few essentials - stain kit, sewing kit, double-sided tape, plasters, tissues, and dental floss are all important to include.





9. Rain Gear - Mother Nature is unpredictable, so bring a cute umbrella and maybe a pair of rain boots just in case.

10. Gifts for Maids, Mums and Best Man - Your party of friends have been with you through the wedding-planning process thick and thin. Express your thanks by preparing gifts for them! These gifts don't have to be extravagant or anything, but it does mean a lot to the people in your wedding party when you show them that you took the time to put some effort and meaning into making gifts that they will appreciate. Popular gifts for ladies usually consist of beauty products or jewellery, and for the guy? Cuff links, fancy cigars or razors. 

Wedding Planning Timeline

Not all brides wear white!

Something that we haven't previously covered on our #weddingwednesday is unique wedding dresses. Many brides want something a little bit different on their wedding day, whether that's a ballerina length 60's style or simply a dress that's not either white or ivory. The topic of unique wedding dresses got us thinking about celebrities and some of the bizarre and wonderful dresses they've graced the world with.

The first celebrity we came across was Sarah Jessica Parka, who in 1977, said her vows to husband Matthew Broderick in a black wedding dress! Yes, we said black! SJP went to the extreme with her wedding dress, choosing the complete opposite of the conventional white. She clearly loves weddings as much as we do as she's recently started her own brand of bridal shoes, they're simple yet elegant.

However, Sarah Jessica Parker was not the only successful woman to pull off a black wedding dress on her big. In 2013, Shenae Grimes wedded her British model boyfriend Josh Beech, and pulled off a very flattering a stylish black dress! We particularly love the halter neck on Shenae's dress. Teaming her red bouquet of flower with her black dress really makes a statement, which won't be forgotten by her guests or the rest of the world for a long while! 

Clearly some brides like the idea of being completely unconventional by getting married in black but we have also also discovered some celebrity brides that just wanted to add a splash of colour in to their dress to brighten their special day. 

Gwen Stefani is a prime example of one of these celebrity brides, she chose to have a dip dye effect on the bottom of her dress. We hugely admire her courage and determination to stand out on her wedding day! The two chosen colours, Ivory and Pink complement each other well and look beautiful together. Unfortunately, we're not huge fans of the style of dress but we're sure she felt amazing nonetheless. 

Marilyn Monroe was married three times, once as a sixteen-year-old brunette in the 1940s, and twice more at the height of her stardom. You don’t hear much about her wedding outfits, and I think that’s because she never chose to wear a classic wedding dress. Actually she did wear a traditional white wedding gown for her first wedding, but at that point she was still Norma Jean Baker and had a long way to go to become the star she evolved into. Marilyn's most iconic wedding dress was worn on her second special day. She wore a tailored black dress with a fitted coat (complete with white fur collar) and, of course, white silk gloves.

It's not only celebrities that like to be unique, we've seen brave and courageous brides in our little shop too! This is Alex who wanted her own look, the dress started out a red beaded dress and although you can't see it on this picture, we made the back look completely 'Alex' by adding a huge bow from the same fabric and Black lace which trailed all the way down the train of the dress. Also lifting the front and adding Black Tulle underneath. Her head wear was also coutured to suit her look!

We try to provide a wide range of different dress for our brides to try, from the traditional to the extravagant! We do this because every bride is different and many want their personality to be portrayed through their dress, whether that's simplicity or out of the ordinary. We've included a small collection of our dresses below, that we believe to be unique!

We'd love to hear your views here at Especially For You, so please post your comments below!

Something a little bit special

At Especially For You we are always trying to find ways of making the day a little bit more special for you (and you wonder how we came up with our business name!). We already ensure that everything we do for you as a bride is perfect, priding ourselves on our customer service and the time and effort we put into making sure your dream day goes that little bit smoother.

The one thing we could never figure out was how to add a final finishing touch to your dress in order to personalise it a step further (without anyone else having to know). We’ve always sewn little blue ribbon bows onto the inside of the dress if people have asked, some brides have wanted a little pouch in the skirts to hold a string of pearls from their grandmother.  Then, a breakthrough.

Why don’t we add a ribbon label into the dresses with your name, ours and the wedding date? We knew it had to be done carefully, and look professional (not tacky!) because this is a dress that is going to stay with you for a long time, maybe forever, and the last thing we wanted to do was ruin it. We sketched the design out on paper first, trying to work out the dimensions needed for the ribbon not to be noticeable on the outside, because if too big it would be bulky and show through. For that matter, we needed to know where we were going to sew it in the dress. Luckily, Carole had that covered; suggesting the best place would be at the back of the dress just to the side of the fastening up the back. On the sketching front, it took a few attempts to get the scale right, you can easily tell if you look at this attempt and then the real one just below.

After deciding that the ribbon should be about 4" by 1.5", we needed to work out which kind of ribbon to use. As a sewing amateur at the best of times, I had just presumed we would sew straight onto the shiny stuff, and all would be well. Apparently not. A local business has a special sewing machine which can stitch our design onto the first kind of ribbon, and looked at the result. It had all pulled, the ribbon no longer just a rectangular shape. Obviously, with the needles pushing through the ribbon and pulling the threads tight, the ribbon had become misshapen, not really the chic look we were going for.

Obviously the ribbon we used would have to be a bit stiffer, less shiny so that the sewing machine would find it easy to sew our pattern on. Carole came up with an ivory grosgrain ribbon, quite a ridged one which would keep its shape. And it worked, see the results for yourself, I have to say we’re quite proud of ourselves (not that I contributed really – blaming the amateur sewing skill again!).

Do you like what we’ve done with the labels, or is there something we could change about them? We are always open to suggestions, and would love to hear what you think. Comment down below, or tweet us @especiallybride . Thanks for reading, until the next #weddingwednesday.

Emma at Especially For You x