I grew up watching the cute show called Say yes to the dress on TLC. I loved seeing all these brides trying on gorgeous wedding gowns and some buying their dream dress. I knew I also wanted my group of girls to share the joy with me of finding my dream wedding dress.
But it is not as easy as it looks. My partner and I had a short engagement of which we would spend 2 months in South Africa and 2 months in Netherlands. That timeframe is too short to order a wedding dress, let alone a custom size dress. What left me with the options of second hand or off the rack. Since I really value the meaning behind a wedding dress, I wanted a never worn before dress. The wedding dress symbolizes purity, femininity and a new beginning for me. I found this wonderful brand with stores throughout Europe, called Wed2B. All the dresses in the store can be bought and taken home immediately and the prices are really reasonable for good quality bridal wear.
On the website I found multiple dresses that I loved and wanted to try on. I have a pretty easy figure and I knew most dresses would look flattering on me. Online I picked out mermaid-, sheath- and ballgown dresses. The A-line, short and strappy dresses did not speak to me that much. I invited my friends, sister and mom for a fun wedding dress day. We started off with a high rosé and cupcake party before we walked to the bridal shop. Fun fact: the bridal shop was literally one short street from my house! Meant to be, right?
In the bridal shop, the lovely ladies helped me pick out multiple dresses. Most of the dresses I tried on were a size or two too big to leave room for alterations. What is nonsense in my case since I have pretty much convectional sizes. I am a size 34, and dresses in size 36-38 are just too big and you can see it on the photos in this post. I wish they let me try on dresses in my actual size from the beginning. That is one thing, Wed2B is not as luxurious as other bridal stores and I just know that the lovely ladies working here don’t have the same fashion knowledge that I do. Sorry if I sound cocky, but I invested a lot of my life in style, body types, color analysis and more. Looking back at the experience I would have rather took more reign over picking out the dresses and sizes instead of trying on whatever the girls brought me.
So I tried on 4 dresses that were ok but not what I liked. The fourth dress was so horrible no one was allowed to take photos haha! I kept asking for some dresses of which I clearly remembered the name. Eventually I tried on a classic mermaid called Winslet. And before I really had the dress on, I already knew this is the one…
I loved the beautiful lace, the luxurious yet classic feel and the long train. This dress is in a size 36 and is definitely one size too big. I took the sleeves off and I tied the lace corset tiny to hug my body better. I am really happy with this dress, but I do wish I would have tried on a size smaller instead of listening to the sales representatives. The Winslet dress is in the color Ivory, as most dresses in this store. But I do wish I got to try on a true white dress, since true white is one of my most flattering colors. That also showed me in hindsight that the sales ladies were just out to sell and don’t know all about the complexity of style. Because I did tell them in the beginning that I like pure white dresses opposed to ivory. There response was: we only sell white dresses. Honey, your website even states that you have dresses in white, ivory, champagne and blush… But enough, about this and let’s take a look at my fairytale dream wedding dress in the next post!
My tips for a dream wedding dress experience:
- Arrive with your hair and makeup done like you are getting married. This will help you envision your dream wedding dress and look.
- Know beforehand what styles you want to try on and be open to new ideas.
- What color white do you want your wedding dress to be?
- Take your time, try more dresses on if you have the slightest doubt.
- Only listen to your own opinion since you are the one wearing the dress.
- Try on different sizes of the same dress to ensure the best fit.
- Know what accessories you are interested in, such as a veil, belt and hair clip.
- Only bring thoughtful people to your wedding dress shopping time.
Do you like any of these dresses that I said no to? Xoxo Brenda
Feminine Charm 