I was prompted to write this blog post after receiving a phonecall this afternoon from lady asking me if we bought wedding dresses.  I informed her that we buy all our dresses off the designers and asked her if she had a dress to sell and was looking for some guidance as to how to sell it.  She told me that she had purchased a wedding dress online and when she received it, it was not as expected and because she had to wait on the dress to be made, she had passed the stage where she was entitled to a refund (from paypal I assume) and was left out of pocket for a dress that she was disappointed in and would not be wearing on her big day.  All I could do was sympathise with her and point her in the direction of sites such as ebay where she could try to sell it on.

Unfortunately, this is a story we are hearing all too often in our shop who are telling me that they are hearing the same stories.  It’s getting to the stage where barely a week goes by without one of my staff hearing of a tale of woe from a bride who is visiting us . Sometimes (and I stress, not very often!) the feedback is positive – whether these people are really easily pleased and have a ‘it’ll do rightly’ attitude, or whether they were lucky enough  to get something of a half decent quality, I’m not sure, but the vast majority that I get to hear first hand has not got good news to share about their experiences.

I spoke to two separate girls this week who decided to order a bridesmaid dress online to see what it was like and then , if they thought they were ok, they would order more for the rest of their bridal party. The first bride I spoke to got hers in the post in an A4 sized packet and made her mind very quickly that her bridesmaids were not going to be wearing them!  A few pounds wasted, but at least she has time to order new ones.  The second bride has a few weeks to wait to see what hers is like….  and an afterthought which just struck me, is that even if she decides to order more, there’s a very big chance that it will be cut from a different ream of fabric and could be a totally different shade to the first one ordered.  Oh dear……

Anyone reading this will be thinking that they couldn’t possible be caught out with a bogus ‘counterfeit dress’ but it can happen so easily!!  The vast majority of reputable bridal designers do not allow their dresses to be sold online.  They deal only with bricks and mortar shops.  Take Maggie Sottero for example.  If I decided to sell Maggie Sottero dresses online (and not in my shop) they would step in and take that label off me.  They would terminate my contract, and they would have no trouble at all finding another eager stockist in my area.  They are my most popular label and one I don;t want to loss – that’s why I would never sell online.  It’s just not worth the risk, and besides, does anyone really want to buy a dress that they haven’t tried on?

This takes me to my next point.  A bride will rarely buy a dress online without trying it on first, so what happens is, she will make an appointment, find her dream dress, and then contemplate buying it online rather than buying it in the shop who bought the dress in and who helped her find this dress.  It’s not always intentional.  Sometimes she goes home and googles the image of the dress to see it again, and finds herself stumbling on a website that is offering it at a fraction of the original price.  And this is where it’s so easy to be taken in.

The website uses the official image from the designer’s website. They even will sometimes use the actual name of the dress and the designer’s name and logo…  but it’s hundreds of pounds (or dollars) less.  The reason they use the designers image is to lure you into thinking you are getting the same dress, but you are not.  This is how most girls are taken in, and if they showed their customers what the dresses really looked like, then most of  them would run a mile!  The dresses will often lack the shape and structure of the designer dresses – the beading will be cheap glass beads and sequins as opposed to crystals and pearls.  Some of the lace fabrics I have seen first hand are truly awful, and many of the satins are what you would expect to see in a flimsy night dress, all creased with no body or substance, and sometimes without any lining.

Online selling is already killing off much of the formal and communion trade in shops in our area, but when it comes to your wedding dress, only the best will do!!  Why waste your hard earned money?  Don’t settle for something substandard for the biggest day of your life.  My motto is, if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.  I pointed out to a girl this week that these sites are selling them cheaper that what we buy them in for!!  Surely I would buy direct from these china copy websites to save costs rather than put my orders though with the designers?  Not a chance!!  I’m sticking with the real Mc Coys and I know I will be delivering top quality dresses with a full shop service and I can stand over the quality of the gowns and the reliability of the designer’s companies.

And lastly, remember that you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a proper designer dress.  Phone up and ask your local retailers about deals they might have on for buying off the peg. Perhaps they have overstock due to cancelled orders that they can sell for well under the normal price, and most likely, they will have discontinued dresses in store that they are willing to sell for under half price.  You can get a great bargain if you make some enquiries!

Some shops run traditional January sales.  We don’t do those type of set-time sales in our shop, so instead we are having a special bridesmaid promotion for adult bridesmaid dress orders placed with the designers from today the 10th January, running until the 31st Jan 2012.

Our offer can be found on either our facebook page or you may have received a direct message form ourselves.

You will need to quote the ref given to claim your discount.

And remember that you need to quote it at the time of ordering.  It can only be applied when an order is being sent through to the manufacturer by the end of this month in order for us to be able to to give this discount, so we cannot apply it to orders which are going to  be deferred or put on hold.   You can’t claim the discount after placing an order and you also can’t get it in conjunction with another offer.   The offer also cannot be exchanged for any other items or for cash, and it runs out on 31/1/12.

You can find us on facebook on www.facebook.com/beautifuldaybrides

wind the clock forward… let’s say.. about 12 hours later.  The train has been dragged about all day, you’ve danced all night in it (maybe even had a go at rocking the boat on the dance floor) and your dress is looking less than pristine.  But before you rush off to the dry cleaners with it, what about having a little bit of fun with it?  One of my brides recently sent me a photo which brought a huge smile to my face.  She got married in Ibiza, and when all the celebrating was coming to an end, this is what she did…

Audrey and co. having some fun!!!

I thought this was brilliant!  Audrey jumping into the pool in her elegant Maggie Sottero Rosalyn dress!!

I got chatting to a local photographer, Jay Doherty,  recently when he visited my shop, and planted some seeds in his head based on seeing Audrey having a bit of craic in her dress, and he enthusiastically got his partner on board to do a project when he has entitled ‘Rock the dress’.  We gave him one of our Maggie Sottero ex-sample dresses and let them loose in Donegal to do some shots which most brides wouldn’t dare to do on their big day, and here are the results.  Maybe it might inspire a few of you to dig out that dress if it’s still waiting to be cleaned and have a little fun with it!

Here’s the link to check out some of the pictures

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v1m8xKIOIM

'Rock the dress' project

This link shows a cool compilation he has put together on youtube.  Plus, you can see some of the pictures in our shop.

Ahhh – if only I fitted into my wedding dress    Eleven and a half years and two bambinos later, and I’ve not quite the same size I was!! lol!!!

Ciara

x x x

No appointment needed.  A 50% deposit is required for anything that needs ordered in.  Check out our facebook page (you can click the logo at the bottom right hand side of the page) for more pictures (and prices) of some of the items available.

Hope to see you there  And remember, if you haven’t visited us before, we are just 1 mile from the City of Derry airport on the Derry to Limavady Road (Vale Centre, Greysteel)

Ciara

x x

All you have to do is to share the link before 5pm on Nov 10th 2011 and you also need to be a follower/fan of our Facebook page.  We will select one person at random when the competition closes – you just need to make sure your ‘share’ is still on your wall or it won’t be counted when we bring up the list of everyone who shared the link. Also, we will only know that you shared the link if you have shared it publicly (make sure you change the settings for that particular post on your wall) or if you are facebook friends with either Ciara or Hayley (the two administrators on the site).  So make sure you do this to get your name in the draw!!!!!

If you look on the shared album, you will be able to see many of the dresses available to order, and it will soon became apparent that if you don’t need a bridesmaid dress, you can still enter – many of the dresses can be worn as an exclusive guest of the wedding outfit, a formal dress or a cocktail dress, and the great thing is that you are pretty much guaranteed not to be bumping into anyone at the same function with the same dress (as often does when you buy off the peg on the high street!!)

Each dress comes in a multitude of colours and sizes, and the Forever Yours range also is available to order in four different lengths.  We’ve worked out that you have a choice of 56,000 dress combinations in our shop alone.. and that’s not counting the diversities in length, junior versions, and colour combinations for those that come in two colours.

The T&Cs are simple.  You need to be age 13 or over to be a fan of our Facebook page to qualify.  The dress will have to made to order and can take up to 15 weeks depending on which style and brand you choose.  It does not include ‘extras’ such as jackets, stoles, accessories, rush cut fees for faster delivery, extra fees for plus sizes or extra length (which are applicable in some dresses) or alterations needed.  The prize is worth up to £225.  It is non-transferable and there is no cash alternative.  It will be made to order from either Ebony Rose, Forever Yours or Special Day Ireland.  The prize cannot be backdated to cover an existing order. The dress must be picked within 6 months of the closing date.  The winner will be chosen at random on Nov 10th 2011 at 5pm.

AND REMEMBER……..You won’t be on the list if you shared then deleted or if your post isn’t public!!  So keep your shared public link on your wall until the end of the competition!

Go to our facebook page.  Look it up on www.facebook.com/beautifuldaybrides

There are several things to bear in mind when you are travelling abroad to get married when it comes to choosing what to wear. The first and most important thing is that you need something that isn’t too heavy.  You don’t want to be wearing the heaviest dress in the shop if you are getting married in 30 degree temperatures on th ebeach.  At Beautiful Day, we keep a selection of dresses which are perfect for a destinations wedding.  They are lightweight with short trains and not only are they light and comfortable to wear, but they will fit easily into your hand luggage (no one seems to want to run the risk of putting their beloved dress into the hold incase it goes missing!) You might also want to wear a shorter dress like the one pictured above.

We keep dresses from the Maggie Sottero destinations collection instore  and have access to the whole collection – so don’t fret if we don’t have it on our rails – there’s a good chance we can borrow it for you!  We have several gorgeous dresses from the Special Day and Forever Yours collection which make perfect destination gowns, as well as some lighter dresses from the mainstream Maggie Sottero collection and our own exclusive Beautiful Day label.  The Beautiful Brides Plus range for size 18+ have surprisingly light weight fabrics and many have short trains also which make them ideal for travelling abroad.

Also if you are on a budget, why not explore our bridesmaid range? We often have brides who order our Forever Yours or Ebony Rose dresses in white or ivory to wear when they are going away to get married, and we don’t charge extra just because it’s for a wedding dress!!

To top it off, we can order you a travel box from the Empty Box Company – these are gorgeous boxes which come in a variety of patterns and colours and are made to fit on the vast majority of airlines as hand luggage.  Made from acid free materials, they can then be used as a long term storage box for your wedding gown.

If you are are coming home and having a wedding celebration, and want to get all dressed up again in a dress that you have purchased from us, you can have your dress re-steamed free of charge with us at the shop, or we can arrange for it to be dry cleaned with our cleaners for you at a very reasonable price.

We’d love to hear tips and comments from brides who have either travelled abroad to get married or who are currently organising their destinations wedding.

I do the majority of the pinning of the dresses and will book you in for appointments to do these on the run up to the wedding should you choose our in-house service.  To have things running as smoothly as possible, here are a few things to note to help us (and to help you!)

- Avoid ordering a dress which is too small for you in the hope that you will lose weight.  If you do order a smaller dress than you are measuring, we will point out to you that is entirely your own responsibly  if you do not fit into it!!!  A dress can be taken in, but can’t always be let out. And if it can be let out, it’s normally only a tiny bit.

- Most brides will require at least 3 wedding dress fittings – so be prepared that you may need more if you have a lot of work to be done.  The first will be approximately 6 weeks prior to the wedding, and I like to do the last fitting approximately 7-10 days before the wedding (just incase there are any last minute weight changes!)  

- Shoes, petticoats (if needed) and actual wedding bras (assuming you are wearing one) must be brought to ALL dress fittings.  I have been known to send customers home who don’t bring these as I need to see them on with the dress to gauge how the dress fits.  Most brides buy their petticoats from us, but if you are borrowing one from a friend, make sure you bring it each time.

- If you are dieting, try to have met your target weight by the time you come for your first fitting.  If a dress is taken in… finished off.. and then has to be taken in (or let out!) again due to weight changes, you will have to foot the bill for the extra work that the seamstress has to do.  Corsets have the advantage of allowing for a little difference in weight without necessarily having to make further adjustments.

- If you are bringing friends/family to fittings, try to limit it to a maximum of two.  Our fitting room isn’t very big and can get very crammed with a bride, me and more than two others!!  And make sure you have a helper on hand for your last fitting so we can instruct her how to get you into your dress (eg how to fasten it, how to ensure it is sitting right etc. – see my last blog on bridesmaids duties)

- Wear make up at your peril!! The last thing you want to do is get lipstick, foundation or fake tan on your wedding dress.  I have experienced brides getting all these on their lovely pristine wedding dress, which means you will either be taking a make-up soiled dress home or will have to get it cleaned before you even get to wear it.

- Come on time! My diary has to operate like clockwork.  If my first appointment runs late, chances are, they will all run late.  If you are running late, ring ahead and I may be able to get you in later in the day – I always try to be as flexible as I can.

- Your alteration bill.  I will normally be able to give you a quote for your alteration bill after the first fitting, but the final bill from the seamstress isn’t normally done until she is finished up all the work and knows how long it all took her.  Most brides settle the alteration bills when they are collecting their dress.

The number one thing to point out, is that being a bridesmaid is not just about looking pretty in a nice dress on the day.  If only that was all there was to it!!

If a bridesmaid is the one and only bridesmaid, she will have a combination of duties… if there is more than one bridesmaid, then the job can be shared with one or two maids helping out in some aspects and other bridesmaids helping out with other jobs.  I’m going to list a few of these jobs here so that bridesmaids can all read this and know what is expected of them collectively!  Please note that these aren’t in order of importance and I’d love my blog readers to add their own ideas.

1.  Helping  to organising the Hen Party.   Some brides like to be involved as much as they can (most don’t like the surprise element, so it’s not always a good idea to keep her totally in the dark!)  but it’s the bridesmaids that are the cogs on the wheel of getting the big night or the weekend planned and should be organising things, whether it be getting outfits co-ordinated, buses or hotels booked, guest lists drawn up or party games put together.

2. Dressing the bride on the big day.  From my perspective doing the job of a dress fitter in my shop, this is a vital role, and I expect bridesmaids to be giving me their total attention when it comes to their tutorial on how to dress the bride. They should know exactly how to get her into the dress without ruining her hair and make-up, how to get her underwear and petticoat on, how to fasten her dress, how to make sure it is sitting right on her…. yip.. that’s all in the day’s work of being a bridesmaid! You’ve got to make sure her train is fixed, and that her veil is sitting right for her photos.   And then there’s making sure you know how to tie her train up at night, and being organised with things like an emergency kit for the day.  This could include things like babywipes, a needle and thread, safety pins, hair grips, tissues, breath mints, a comb, hairspray, plasters, paracetamol, anti-perspirant, and anything else that you can think of that would be handy to have in a bag in the car to take with you to the hotel.

3.  Helping  the bride prepare for looking her best on the the big day.  I find that not every bride wants her bridesmaid to take part in every single thing of the lead-up to the wedding.  But most brides will want input into things like the dress, the hair style and the accessories.  Some will want all their bridesmaids to help out, or maybe it will be just one or two.  The advice here to pass onto the bridesmaids is to be honest and for them remember that if their tastes are different to the bride’s tastes, then bear this in mind and don’t be intrusive and try and push personal ideas on her.

4.  Emotional and practical support. It’s a very stressful and emotional time when you’re organising your wedding.  Your bridesmaids should be there for you to help you organise the run up to your wedding.  Delegate jobs to them – whether it’s picking up the wedding dress, helping with centre pieces or collecting her mum’s outfit from the seamstress. You’re not superwoman and no-one expects you to be able to do everything on your own!!  And she will be there to re-assure you when things are getting too much.  You may feel overwhelmed and just need a listening ear and someone to talk to.

5. The bridesmaid dresses…..   this can be a challenging one!  If your bridesmaid really cares for you and what you want for your wedding, then you will get the final say on the colour and style of dresses.  She won’t stamp her feet and sulk and put demands on you for your wedding day  (unless you are putting her in a truly hideous ensemble, in which case she has every right to protest!). But let’s face it, 99% of brides want their bridesmaid to look good on the day and a good bridesmaid will be happy to give her input, but not take over and make final decisions.

Here are a few other points (some serious.. some not so serious) to add.

She won’t knowingly get pregnant after ordering her dress… she won’t put on weight after ordering her dress… she won’t get any drastic hairstyles before the wedding without consulting the bride… she won’t get any visible tattoos before the wedding… she won’t get drunk at the wedding…

…in return, you must must promise not to turn into a bridezilla!!!!!   I hope your bridesmaids will be worth their weight in gold, and I hope Hayley will be happy with our jobs on her big day in two weeks time.

We carry approx 65 dresses by Maggie Sottero already in a variety of sizes from sizes 10 – 20, but the design team have kindly given us 30 of their catwalk dresses (sizes 8s and 10s) on loan for the weekend, including many from the new 2012 collection which aren’t available in any of the stores until the autumn.    Plus, the great news is that we we are able to give 10% off on all Maggie Sottero orders booked at the event.

Bernadette - one of the dresses we will be having at our designer weekend.

If you have already been down looking and have picked a dress and just want to come along and pay your deposit, give us a call and we will be able to fit you in no problem to get measured.  We are fully booked, but will be taking names for cancellations, so phone us if you would like to be put on our back up list.

Here is a list of the dresses we will be getting on loan from the Catwalk collection (this is addition to the sample dresses that we already have instore).    Please note that the dresses used for the catwalk collection are made to fit the models and are mainly sizes 8s and 10s.  Our own samples range from 10 to 22.

Ivanka, Ryshia, Elsie, Embrace, Miri, Abeline Rose, Savannah, Naomi, Quinlynn, Bernadine, Alaura, Antonia, Malina, Linolly Mirin, Bernadette, Havana, Isodora, Isodora Ann, Lizatte Royale, Geneva, AD3395, Nova, Reese, Saige, Catarina, Alexis, Kylie, Jenna, Karena Royale,

Beautiful Day Bridal Cottage – exclusive stockists of Maggie Sottero in the North-West of Northern Ireland.  Find us at the Vale Centre Business Park, Greysteel, 1 mile north of the City of Derry Airport.

and the winner is, Maeve with her caption ‘What do you mean your on a roof in vegas!???’ Well done!    We assume you are a fan of the film ‘The Hangover’.  We had four others which followed closeby and our judges had a tough time picking their favourites as there were so many good ones.

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We want a caption for this photo – just post your caption below and we will have an independent panel of judges pick the winner on Wed 13th July.  (the judges will not see the name of the person by the way).  The winner will be announced on here the following day.

The winner will receive a £150 voucher to spend on anything in our shop – it could come off a wedding dress, a bridesmaid, it could buy you a formal dress, hire out a couple of men’s suits, get sparkly shoes, sparkly jewellery or sparkly motifs for your t-shirts – you decide!!

Voucher must be redeemed by 31st October this year.  It cannot be exchanged either in full or in part for cash.  It cannot be used in conjunction with another offer.  It must be used by the winner – it is not transferable.   And no swear words!! (entries with offensive language will not be published)

Looking forward to reading the entries!!  Ciara and Hayley