5 Things Every Bride Says During Her Wedding Dress Appointment

After spending so much time behind the scenes at the Outlet, chatting to brides and seeing what goes on during appointments, I’ve noticed something…
Brides may all be completely different, but there are definitely a few things that seem to come up again and again.
And honestly? We love it!
Because somewhere between the excitement, the nerves, the “I don’t know what I want” and the “Can I just try one more on?”, there’s always a moment when the appointment suddenly becomes very real.
So, if you’ve got a wedding dress appointment coming up, see how many of these sound familiar…

  1. “I Have Absolutely No Idea What I Want.”
    This is probably one of my favourites.
    You walk into your appointment with a Pinterest board full of completely different dresses.
    There’s the fitted one.
    The princess one.
    The boho one.
    The minimalist one.
    And somehow you’ve saved a mermaid dress despite being absolutely certain you don’t want a mermaid dress! And that’s completely fine.
    You don’t need to know what style suits you before you come in, that’s what trying dresses on is for.
    You might have spent months looking at wedding dress styles online, but there’s a big difference between seeing a dress on a model or on Pinterest and seeing it on you.
    Sometimes the dress you think you’ll love isn’t the one that makes you feel amazing.
    And sometimes the dress you nearly didn’t try is the one. So don’t worry if you arrive without a clue, that’s actually a very good place to start.
  2. “I Didn’t Think I’d Like This One…”
    Oh, this one happens ALL the time.
    A bride sees a dress on the rail and immediately says:
    “That’s definitely not for me.”
    Then Shona suggests she tries it anyway.
    She puts it on.
    Looks in the mirror.
    And suddenly…
    “Oh.”

This is why I always encourage brides to keep an open mind during their bridal appointment.
Your wedding dress doesn’t always look the way you imagined it would. A neckline might surprise you. A different silhouette might flatter you more than expected. You might discover that you actually love lace.
Or sparkle.
Or sleeves.
Or a style you were convinced you’d hate.
You won’t know until you try it!

  1. “Can I Try It Again?”
    This is the moment we know things are getting serious.
    Because there’s a difference between:
    “That’s lovely.” and “Can I put that one back on?”
    When you find yourself wanting to see the dress again, walk around in it, look at it from every angle and imagine yourself wearing it on your wedding day…
    That’s when we start paying attention.
    And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with trying a dress more than once. In fact, I’d encourage it.
    Your wedding dress appointment isn’t a race.
    Take your time, look at the details, think about how you feel in it and most importantly, don’t worry about what you think you should choose.
  2. “I Didn’t Expect Designer Dresses to Be This Affordable.”
    Okay, this one might be slightly specific to us.
    But it’s something we hear regularly.
    A bride comes into our Birmingham bridal outlet expecting designer dresses to be completely out of reach. Then she discovers that most of our gowns are between £699 and £999.
    And suddenly the conversation changes from:
    “I don’t think I can afford that.”
    to:
    “Hang on… I actually CAN afford that.”
    I never get bored of seeing that reaction.
    Because that’s exactly why we do what we do.
    We believe you shouldn’t have to spend £2,000+ to feel like you’re wearing a luxury designer wedding dress.
    Buying an outlet wedding dress means you can get beautiful designer quality while keeping more of your wedding budget for everything else.
    Your honeymoon perhaps? Or your venue. Or the cocktails (We’re not judging.)
  3. “I Think This Might Be The One…”
    And then there’s the sentence. The one that makes everyone go quiet.
    “I think this might be the one.”
    Sometimes it’s instant, sometimes it takes trying on a few different styles. And sometimes the bride doesn’t even realise she’s found her dress until she sees herself properly in the mirror.
    There isn’t one correct way to find your wedding dress. Some brides cry, some laugh, some stare at themselves in silence, some immediately start imagining walking down the aisle and some simply say: “Yep. This is it.”
    There is no right reaction.
    The only thing that matters is how you feel.
    What If You Don’t Say Any of These?
    That’s completely fine too.There are no rules when it comes to finding your wedding dress.
    You don’t have to cry.
    You don’t have to have a “moment”.
    You don’t have to know immediately.
    And you definitely don’t have to choose the dress because someone else thinks it’s the one.
    Your appointment should be about discovering what makes you feel incredible. That’s why we love what we do. Whether you’re looking for a budget wedding dress, a designer wedding dress, an off-the-peg wedding dress or you’re a last-minute bride who needs to find something without the usual long lead times, we’re here to help.
    And if you arrive saying:
    “I genuinely have no idea what I want…”
    Don’t worry, we’ve got you!

One of my favourite things about working in bridal is that no two appointments are ever the same.
I’ve seen brides arrive with a very clear idea of exactly what they want, only to fall in love with something completely different.
I’ve seen brides who are convinced they’ll never find anything, suddenly light up when they put the dress on.
And I’ve seen plenty of brides say, “I’m only going to try a few on”…
…before finding themselves wanting to try that favourite one just one more time.
So if you’re coming for your first bridal appointment, my advice is simple:
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
Come with an open mind, enjoy the experience and let yourself have a bit of fun with it.
You don’t need to know what you’re looking for.
You don’t need to know what style suits you.
And you definitely don’t need to know exactly how you’re supposed to feel.
That’s what we’re here for.
And if you do happen to say one of the five things above…
Don’t worry.
We’ve heard it all before!

Ready to Book Your Bridal Appointment?
If you’re looking for wedding dresses in Birmingham and want to discover just how far your budget can go, we’d love to welcome you to our boutique.
Lisa and Shona are here to help you find your perfect dress, without the pressure and without assuming you need to spend thousands.
Book your appointment and come and see what you think.
You never know…
You might just be the bride who says:
“I didn’t think I’d like this one…”

Happy Shopping!