Wedding Dress Shopping in London

Organising a wedding, I have read, is either the most fun and exciting thing you'll ever do, or the most stressful, torturous experience. Or both. My friend K makes it looks so easy. Last week, on a Sunday, I tumbled out of bed and dragged myself to Wimbledon under the promise of free coffee. My friend K had asked me to join her on her first expedition into wedding dress shopping for her upcoming wedding in France next year. (seriously romantic story there, I'll have to fill you in another time though).

K had made two appointments for the day with a gap for lunch in between. The all important coffee in hand we made our way to the store. Before heading inside K stopped me and handed me an envelope. Cool, wedding invitations!! But she shook her head and told me to just open it. Inside was...

I was shocked, surprised, touched, happy, honoured, speechless and almost in tears as I hugged K and said of course I would be!!! Ive never been a bridesmaid actually, what are you supposed to do??? *Googles "bridesmaid duties"*

Inside the store K had a chat with the attendant about styles she was interested and where she would find the dresses in the store before being handed about 5 tags to place on the neck of hangers of dresses she wanted to try on. When K stepped out in the first dress, I have to confess, I got a bit choked up. She was beautiful and I was almost in tears again!!! But you'll be glad to hear that I pulled it together and was a bit useful. K looked simply stunning in every dress she tried on. She had picked two styles that really suited her and she ended up with quite a few dresses she liked from both places we went to - I don't envy her deciding which one to pick in the end!

These are some of the styles she tried on...

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So what are K's top 5 tips for Wedding Dress Shopping in London?

1. Take someone you trust
2. Have an idea of what styles you like, but,
3. Do keep an open mind
4. Know your budget and stick to it
5. Have fun!

And from what I was able to gather on the day, here are a few extra tips:

1. To book a weekend appointment, call at least two weeks ahead - maybe more if the place is very popular
2. Keep in mind that London is super busy so you are likely to have to wait 6 to 7 months for a dress to be made if you are not buying 'off the rack'

What are your tips for wedding dress shopping?