Bridal Dress

And so begin our hunt for a wedding dress. The objective was not so much to buy one, but rather to just try it out for fun, look around to see the various design, and to see what we both like. Apparently, there is a market here to buy wedding dress. If you look at a typical angmoh wedding, it will be ONE wedding dress for the ceremony, picture taking and the reception afterwards. Hence, it makes sense to buy one. But for us, back home, it is a bit tricky as we will usually require at least 3-4 dresses to last through the wedding album and the dinner reception. Hence, the norm to rent at the studio that will be taking your pictures.

Below are the few of the dresses that I've tried on. All pictures taken from here and here. All the dresses in this post I've tried on.

My Dream Dress - ₤1,600

Few weeks ago, Des and I make our way to our first bridal shop. Bridal shops usually works by appointment only and we managed to squeeze an appointment during one of the weekdays. Appointments usually last for an hour. Perhaps, maybe because it was during a sale and they were in a rush, an hour usually means I could try on about 4-5 dresses.

2nd Choice - ₤2,000 (love the back details, but the front part is a bit plain and its actually two toned dress, the dress is white while the lace is brown)

I was asked what kind of design I've been looking for. And with a deep breathe, I told her exactly what I've been practising, "I dont want plain, I dont want boring, I dont want simple". And I continued, "I'm dont want anything that does NOT show on camera, I want loads of designs, I want loads of details, I want it special". And so we picked up a few to try on, one was horrible, one makes me feel Cinderella-ish, one is boring, one makes me fat, and one makes me feel absolutely special. And that carries a price tag of ₤1,600, after 40 % discount (refer 1st picture). Ok, imagine it without the ribbons (cause when I tried it one it was without the ribbons).

2nd Choice - Close up (Initial checking shows that the corset itself cost about 1.3k)

So, hopefully, from the above pictures, you'll be able to gauge what kind of dress I have in mind. Ok, maybe the model is very tall, but when I tried it on, the back has a small train to it. Everything about the dress I like. Its not simple, its not plain, its not boring. And its not white, and I really like the lower part of the skirt with the tulle sticking out. The sales girl was doing a fantastic job, and i think for a short 2 seconds, I did think of buying it. She even did the 'Close your eyes, imagine your wedding and open your eyes' trick. And it works.And so, we left the shop with my dream dress in my head. And I think I suffered the wedding-dress-withdrawal syndrome for a week after that. Apparently, what they say about wedding dress is true. It does makes your special. It does makes you feel magical. But they didnt say anything about you feeling absolutely horrible when they strip it off you...

It looks lovely, but I its something that I wouldnt want

And so, after a few weeks break, I felt that I am stronger and felt that I am ready for another round of hunting. A new bridal shop just open near where we stayed, so we waltzed in one weekend and made an appointment two weeks later. Admittedly, I wasnt too sure that we'll be able to go due to Des's schedule, but at last, we made it.

Close up - See what I mean when I say details doesnt show?

I think it is very important that the details shows on camera. Afterall, if it doesnt, I could have gotten a much simpler (and cheaper) dress right? Hence, the surefire way of showing is to get elaborative designs. I wouldnt mind this on brown though, I noticed I tend to notice brown a bit more...

Simple Dress - Very garden wedding-ish

The second shop we went were less crowded. In fact, I was the only one by the time its my turn. And I turned up half an hour earlier too, and they were nice to accomodate me. Hence, I get to try on WAY more dress than the first one. I think I get to try about 7-8 dresses. So, with this opportunity, I get to explore more types of dresses (didnt they say to try everything?) Even the simple ones like the one above. And it re-enforce my choice of elaborate designs.

Back view of Simple Dress - The only reason I choose to try it on. But sadly, it also re-enforce my reason why THIS is not for me.

If you compare the four dresses u've seen so far you'll noticed that three of them have corset. And that means its more flattering. The problem with the above simple dress is that there is absolutely NO WAY of HIDING ur bulges. Plus, you cant wear anything to SHOW OFF your curves. Plus, this bareback dress (which ironically is the only reason why I decided to try on) also reminds me that I shouldnt choose a low bareback because my lower back has stretch marks :(

A simple-but-not-so-simple dress

Oh and did I mention no pictures allowed when I try the dresses on? Which explains why there were no proof that I've tried all these on. Frankly speaking, by now I sort of have a somewhat good idea on what I DONT want. Veil wise, I wanted one that ends at the waist length, which I think looks more flaterring. The dress above is plain, but apparently this shops takes in orders as per customer's requirements. Noticed the vertical design on the dress? Imagine the white dress with the vertical design in COLOURS, say, gold or light brown. NOW it looks nice right??? The image instantly reminds me of this.

Adding on a lace like 'jacket' - looks so much more classy

I've noticed that although simple one-piece dress does look classy, but its difficult for me to carry because I'm not tall enough to have it. Also, it is not as fitting as it should be, but i think if I were to consider BUYING a dress, something like this would make a very nice purchase. Plus, it would be easier to store AND i think it will stand the test of time (in terms of fashion) compare to the normal corset and hoop skirt number...

Fish tail Dress - Tried this and another similar one, realized it makes my hip looks HUGE.

By now I also realized understand the term how "how you should wear the dress and not the other way around". Despite the fact that I've wanted (and tried on) some outrageous ones, I need to remember that I need to be able to carry in, otherwise, everyone will be talking about the dress and not me. Aiks...

Another outrageous dress - Not tall enough for this, absolutely eat me up!

And so, after more than an hour, we walked out of the shop with the codes of the chosen dress. But without a second appointment for fitting. So far, admittedly, we have been looking through dresses that has been WAY out of our budget. All the above dress is about 1k-2k range. Although, the trend now is to order wedding dress on eBAY, where they post up pictures of the dress from designers, and someone from China could duplicate the dress for you for a fraction of the cost, hence we're talking from ₤2.50 (yes, two pound fifty pence) to ₤300, depending on the bidding price. Plus, simple designs can also be found in departmental stores for about ₤300 or so.

So the end of our 2nd trip to bridal shops. Perhaps, sometime in weeks to come, we'll find time to go again. Its fun to try on the dress and seeing what works and what doesnt, but it does feel a tad sad to know we wont be able to afford this. And knowing that we've seen here makes me dread home to done on the tacky bridal dress and evening wear that is usually found in our bridal shops back home. At last, I now see the difference between designer and non designer dresses.

On a happier note, we'll be heading to Birmingham end of August for a short trip! So pictures is definate by then! :)