Here at Forget Me Not, our goal is to help you feel as special as your day is to you. Whilst our business is gowns, our 25 years in the industry looking after our brides, makes us well placed to offer suggestions to help your wedding planning experience run as smoothly as possible.
The current Coronavirus pandemic has meant we’ve had to focus more on our pandemic tier guidelines, rather than our wedding cake tiers, to rightly ensure that we all stay safe. We understand however, that this has created a lot of uncertainty for those due to wed – but with some additional planning, we know you’ll get there – and we want to remind you that love isn’t cancelled. Here, we give you some handy suggestions to ensure that you can find your dream dress and look forward to your day, a day that you will never forget.
Get virtual with the girls
When shops like ours can reopen, it is likely that government guidelines will continue to ask that bridal boutiques restrict the number of guests you can bring with you to a dress appointment. And so, like a lot of things now – virtual assistance is key! Just ensure in advance that the bridal shop has WIFI, so you can connect with anyone who has been unable to join the group and get those all-important ooh’s and aah’s from the ladies in your life who can’t be there in person.
Book those appointments
Remember to book in advance for your bridal styling appointment. Due to bridal shop closures throughout lockdown and tier changes across the Country, bridal boutiques like ours will be very busy when we re-open, catching up with appointments and ensuring brides have their dream dresses for their upcoming weddings. We want to make sure we can see you as soon as possible, so get in touch as soon as you can. If for any reason you cannot make an appointment, try and let your bridal shop know as soon as you can, even if this is on the same day.
Relax and take it all in
When you start your dress search, try not to book too many appointments in one day, give yourself chance to really consider the gowns you try on, trying too many different dresses on in one day can be a little overwhelming and sometimes counterproductive. Allow 1 – 1 1/2 hours for your appointment plus travelling time between shops – remember some shops will have appointments booked back-to-back and you do not want to miss out on any of your all-important searching time!
We want to see your inspiration
Have you been pinteresting dream dresses since the day you said yes? Remember to bring your inspiration with you to your appointment! Any looks you have found and liked, including screenshots of styles, silhouettes and fabrics that you are warming to will be helpful to us. You may be asked if you have a budget, so have an idea in your mind of how much ideally you would like to spend – remembering there may be alteration costs to consider too. Remember to also try and wear nude and seamless/strapless undies for your appointments if you can
Your dress will be made specifically for you
When you fall in love, and “say yes to the dress” you will be measured for your dress so that it can be ordered and made specifically for you. Expect to be asked for 50% deposit to secure your order, your dress will then start to be made. Alterations to ensure your gown fits perfectly are usually done 6-8 weeks before your wedding date. Remember to take shoes and any underwear you intend to wear on the day to all your dress fittings. Usually, you will have 2 fittings and at your final fitting it is a good idea to take someone who can dress you on your big day, so that they can see exactly how to get you perfectly in to your beautiful dress.
Off-the-rail dresses
Our boutique, and others, offer “off the rail” dresses. These are either sample or discontinued dresses which are still in perfect condition but at lower costs than newer order-in styles. These dresses can be paid for in full and can be taken away on the day. Sample dresses will be offered in a range of sizes, and whilst these dresses aren’t made to measure, our seamstress is on hand to make any alterations you require, should you wish.
And voila! Before you know it, you will be at your final fitting appointment standing in your wedding dress! Your boutique should press and steam your gown for you, ready for collection for the big day. We hope our advice helps you on your wedding planning journey and you have the wedding day you dream of.
Lots of love from us,
Forget Me Not Bridal Boutique in Warwickshire xx