The High-Street Bride’s Guide: How to Plan Your Perfect Wedding On A Budget. Samantha Birch

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ of the ruffle, rejoice! Impression Bridal has them in all cuts, shapes and sizes. There are some slimmer gowns – think sheath with a sexy side split – but for the most part brides who aren’t fans of froth need not apply.

       Kitty & Dulcie

      Magazine editors are constantly in awe of the price of these super-cute retro- and vintage-style gowns. The capsule collection of Fifties tea dresses and full-length lacy Twenties looks is too gorgeous to betray the price tag – which is generally around £250 and up.

       Minna

      Not only are Minna dresses a boho bride’s dream come true – think swingy, loose, relaxed styles with lace and tiers, often long-sleeved or off-the-shoulder – they’re by an award-winning designer who’s often splashed across the pages of Elle and Vogue, and they’re all ethical and sustainable. Not that you’d ever guess it to look at them – why aren’t all dresses this heart-warming?

      Are you ready for this? Gowns on the site have been known to go for as unbelievably little as… £155!

       Pronovias

      There’s a real range of prices here, but as a baseline Pronovias bridal gowns tend to start around the £1,000 mark. For a showstopper that’s closer to our £500 ideal, opt for their cocktail dresses in shades such as ivory, blush pink, peach and dusky purple. Expect a variety of styles and shapes that all ooze class and true glamour – think delicate sequin and beadwork, simple satin belts and even striking modern ruffles, mostly in slim or swishy styles.

       Pure Bridal

      Pure’s small selection covers most of the essential shapes and styles – skirts full and slender, hems above and below the knee, strapless, one-shoulder and halter – and yes, it does it simply and effectively. They even throw in a few wildcards with unusual colouring and appliqués, just for good measure.

       Tobi Hannah

      Tobi Hannah’s standard collection is seriously retro cool – think knee-length Sixties shifts and Fifties tea dresses with a modern twist. But it’s also that rare thing: a higher hemline at a bigger price – expect to pay about £1,200 to £1,800 a pop. Don’t despair, though – the limited Alive! collection is talking our language: the short and tea length dresses are real one-offs, vary in size from 8 to 20 and are priced around just £600 to £800.

      Best for: All sorts of wedding styles, but if you’re a traditional ruffles-and-big-skirt bride in particular, I’d say this is the best route for you.

       Sample Sales

      If you really have to have a dress by a more expensive bridalwear designer, one way to save as much as 70% is in a sample sale. Most wedding shops have these a couple of times a year, when the dresses they stock for brides-to-be to try on are sold to make way for new collections – but some have ongoing samples for sale, so it’s worth giving stockists of labels you love a quick call to find out.

      Depending on the shop, you may need to sharpen your elbows at sale time – some offer appointments, many it’s first come, first served, and occasionally it’s a free-for-all – but you’ll definitely need to be organised, patient and willing to be decisive.

      The top tip I can give you? Turn up early. Bribe your maid of honour with coffee if you have to, but being first in line is the number one way to find that dress for hundreds of pounds less. They’re sold as seen, on the spot, so if you’re not at the front of the queue, every bride-to-be who turns up before you could walk away with your dream dress before you even get a look-in.

      Bear in mind sizings, too. A lot of boutiques stock samples either in average sizes (10 to 14) or in large ones they can clip and tug smaller on each bride. Occasionally you’ll find ones that sell sixes and eights, but they tend to be less common. While it might seem like a clever plan to buy big and have your dress slimmed down, some styles can lose shape and detailing if they’re tailored too far. Your best bet? Ask the boutique owner before you buy – you might even be able to agree a price for her to fit it for you.

      Best for: Brides who have fallen in love with a bridalwear designer who’s out of their price range. Sample sales are especially good for brides of average or larger sizes, but it really depends on what the particular boutique stocks.

       High-Street Bridalwear

      It might not be as glamorous as a bridal boutique when you’re trying on your wedding dress in the next fitting room to a girl pulling on a pair of jeans, but believe me, it’s worth it – some of the high-street brands we know and love have gone to the trouble to design dresses that really are worth coveting.

      I’ll be straight with you: try on a £2,000 Ritva Westenius goddess gown and your high-street dress isn’t going to feel as sumptuous. Meanwhile, if you’re after full-on ruffle-mania you might even do better with a standard bridal boutique. But if you’ve set your sights on a fun, chic style that can be seriously elegant, since these labels often come in at less than £300, you really can’t go wrong.

       BHS

      Styles are mostly simple and classic with a modern finish. In the past I’ve seen longer and fuller gowns at about £125 to £495, while shorter or simpler gowns – including a Pippa Middleton lookalike with cowl neck – have sold for around £80 to £175. And a little bird tells me you can expect even more affordable dresses from here on in…

       Coast

      We’ve all drooled over a Coast dress at one time or another, whether it was too expensive for the Christmas party or too elegant to go clubbing in. So why would anyone look down their nose at such a luxe brand when it comes to their wedding? I for one didn’t – full disclosure: this is where I got my wedding dress from.

      As you’d expect from a name with a fairly young following, there are those slightly higher-fashion details on these gowns compared to some of the others on our list – they got on board with the origami trend with a sheeny, structured bodice, and the high-front, low-back ruffle skirt has made an appearance, too. Expect to pay somewhere in the region of £115 to £695.

       Debenhams

      The Debut collection is a good call for empire line and sheath gowns especially, so if you’re looking for something simple and classic – maybe with a high neck or lace cover-up – this could be the place for you. Prices from about £150 to £200 aren’t uncommon, though there’s the occasional £450-er. In the sale shorter styles have been known to go for as little as £35, and longer for less than £90.

       Monsoon

      Similarly to Coast, Monsoon is on the СКАЧАТЬ