Spring sale at Beautiful Day - wedding dresses from £195.

All dresses in the sale are dresses which have been used as sample dresses, and will be reduced by AT LEAST 50%, with discounts of up to 75% (starting at £195).  The selection of dresses will include current season dresses (reduced for that day only and then reverting to full price) and discontinued dresses.  Most dresses will be Maggie Sottero gown and  Essense of Australia, with some by  Special Day and White One. 

Book now to secure your  private slot on Wed 25th March.

 Many dresses will be from our current collection and will only be reduced for the 1-day sale and will then revert to full price once the sale is over.  Full price dresses will not be on show that day - just the sale dresses, so if you want to see non-sale dresses, please book an appointment for a different day.

People always ask me about sale days and what advice I would give anyone looking to come to one, so here's a list of top tips that I've put together which should help you to on your quest to find a dream dress at a bargain price!

Top tips for attending a sample sale..

1. Get out beforehand and try dresses on.
Don’t make a sample sale your first bridal shopping trip.  The girls who come prepared with ideas from trying on beforehand are the girls who have the most success at getting a bargain.  You will be restricted to the number of dresses you can try on (5 max in your allocated time slot!!)  so you don't get the normal private consultation to try and figure out what shapes and styles you prefer and which ones flatter your figure.  When you come to a bridal sample sale, you should already have a good idea of what style you are looking for, what size you need and what suits your shape.

2. Bring a friend

Don’t bring a whole entourage, but bring someone who will be brutally honest. Weddings are expensive and any discount you can get, especially if it’s on your dress, is well worth it - but only if you will be happy with it. Brief your friend to be brutally honest and listen to  her (or him!)  And remember that on a 1 day sale,  you can't go for a look and come back again the next week.  So if you need your friend/sister/mum with you to help you make the final decision, then make sure she comes with you to the sale event. 

3. Wear the right underwear
This is a wedding dress appointment necessity regardless, but make sure you wear the right undies! You need to do everything you can to see how the dress will fit you.   Plus, we ask for no fake tan, and that only light make-up be worn.

4. Bring your purse!!!!!!!!!!!

You'd be surprised at how many people don't think about this one - remember, it's a one day sale, and we don't hold items over.  So bring your purse (we accept all major credit/debit cards) so that if you do find 'the one' then you can actually buy it!!! (and many of the dresses will be reverting to full price after the event). 

5.  Ask the sales assistants about sizing.

Bridal sizes are generally a bit smaller than high street sizes, so when you are looking, bear that in mind.  But also, don't be afraid of looking at dresses which are a little bit bigger as they can always be taken in.  If in doubt, ask one of our sales assistants for guidance on the sizes when you are looking through the dresses.   All dresses will be grouped in sizes to make it easier.  The majority of dresses will be in sizes 12, 14 and 16, but we still have a good selection of smaller and larger dresses (it just means that the 12-16 bride will have a better picking choice!) 

Please note that the vast majority of dresses will be ex-sample dresses, which means that they have been tried on in our shop and/or have been worn in fashion photoshoots/catwalk shows.  They may have minor issues that need addressed, for example, some may need dry cleaned or spot cleaned or may have a few missing beads or buttons, and we have priced each dress accordingly to take this into account.   You are getting a genuine designer dresses for a fraction of the full retail price and are able to see them and try them on , unlike shopping online where many of the 'bargains' are in fact poorly made copies of designer dresses, made with inferior materials.  

Beautiful Day Bridal Cottage, Greysteel, Co Derry -  Tel 028718 13682
www.beautifuldaybrides.co.uk

Designer wedding dress sale

We've set the date for our next big 1 day sample sale.

It will be Thursday 28th March, from 10am until 8pm.

No appointment will be needed.  Dresses will be sold on a first come, first served basis.  Wedding dresses from £295, with discounts of at least 50% on all sale dresses.  Designer brands including Maggie Sottero, Essense of Australia, Estes, White One, Private label by Sincerity and Raylia.  We'll also have some bridesmaid dresses (most will be single dresses - no sets), mother of the brides outfits, and accessories.

Top tips for attending a sample sale..

1. Get out beforehand and try dresses on.
Don’t make a sample sale your first bridal shopping trip.  The girls who come prepared with ideas from trying on beforehand are the girls who have the most success at getting a bargain.  If the sale day is busy, you will be restricted to the number of dresses you can try on to make it fair for people waiting to use the changing rooms, so you won't have the chance of spending over an hour having a private consultation (as you normally would in a bridal appointment) to try and figure out what shapes and styles you prefer and which ones flatter your figure.  When you come to a bridal sample sale, you should already have a good idea of what style you are looking for and what suits your shape.

2. Bring a friend

Don’t bring a whole entourage, but bring someone who will be brutally honest. Weddings are expensive and any discount you can get, especially if it’s on your dress, is well worth it, but only if you will be happy with it. Brief your friend to be brutally honest and listen to him or her.  And remember that on a 1 day sale,  you can't go for a look and come back again another day.  So if you need your friend/sister/mum with you to help you make the final decision, then make sure she comes with you that day. 

3. Wear the right underwear
This is a wedding dress appointment necessity regardless, but make sure you wear the right undies! You need to do everything you can to see how the dress will fit you. Don’t “overlook” things just because its on sale. Also,if it is busy, the dressing rooms will not necessarily be 100% private.  So don't wear skimpy underwear unless you are happy to be seen in them!!

4. Bring your purse!!!!!!!!!!!

You'd be surprised at how many people don't think about this one - remember, it's a one day sale, and we don't hold items over.  So bring your purse (we accept all major credit/debit cards) so that if you do find 'the one' then you can actually buy it!!!

5.  Ask the sales assistants about sizing.

Bridal sizes are generally a bit smaller than high street sizes, so when you are looking, bear that in mind.  But also, don't be afraid of looking at dresses which are a little bit bigger as they can always be taken in.  If in doubt, ask one of our sales assistants for guidance on the sizes.  All dresses will be grouped in sizes to make it easier.

When it's too good to be true...

Don't leave it up to chance by gambling on an online copy of a designer dress when you can get the real thing and be able to see it in the flesh and try in on... even if you are on a budget.

Too good to be true - the Counterfeit wedding dress industry

I know I'm always harping on about the dangers of the Chinese Cottage industry and the fake designer dresses they make and sell online, but I've had yet another call today where a bride was left distraught when she saw what arrived in the post.  She had thought it was safe as she dealt with a company with a UK web address, but she was in fact dealing with a Chinese company that copied designer dresses. With not enough time to order a new dress, she'll be left to buy off the peg and with the size and colour she needs, she's going to find herself very restricted in choice with a wedding date that is very close.   Both ourselves and the designers of the dresses are always trying to educate brides to warn them of the dangers of buying online - we've seen too many of the bad fakes out there! These sites illegally use the designer's images to advertise their dresses, conning people into believing that they are getting the actual dress pictured.  Thankfully, a lot of ladies out there know that these dresses, often advertised on online auction sites such as ebay, are too good to be true, but too many are still tempted, lured by the low price tag and the promise of the dress in the picture!!

It's been a frustrating week this week as it was pointed out to me that a very popular website that gives tips on how to save money was endorsing such sites.  The researchers clearly did not do their research and they were giving the thumbs up to support the Chinese Cottage industry (ie. the unregulated factories) and even referred to bridal shop owners as being snooty (most of us are far from snooty, I can assure you!!!)  I was horrified at this behaviour at first, but then it occurred to me that they were totally ignorant of what they were actually encouraging people to do.  They saw the pound signs and jumped to steer brides towards the cheap option.   It clearly had not occurred to them that these sites break a multitude of laws from copyrighted image theft, to child labour laws.  They were telling people that they can get fab made to measure dresses from as little as £1 - £15 plus postage.  Surely common sense tells anyone that the cost of paying skilled workers for hours upon hours of work, and using any half decent quality fabric is going to work out a lot more expensive that what these sites are charging?   Any dresses made in a regulated factory, using quality materials and abiding by health & safety and labour laws are bound to cost more than a few pounds. Common sense should tell you.


I feel exasperated that supposed 'experts' endorse such practices in this day and age.  It's not even the fact that the end product is bad (if indeed it even turns up!), but the fact that the people who make these dresses are breaking the law in so many areas.   I've only touched the tip of the ice-berg on this topic, but it makes one person stop and think before they waste their hard earned money, then it will have been worth it.

I totally understand that not everyone can afford to spend the going rate for a wedding dress in a bridal shop.  But the thing is, that you can still save money if you know where to look.  And one of the best ways to save money - and try before you buy - is at a wedding dress sample sale.

I'll be setting the date soon for our next one, so make sure you follow us on facebook or twitter (or keep your eye on here) and I'll be announcing the date soon.  All dresses will be reduced to half price or less, with bargains for as little as £295.  These are all genuine designer dresses which I will no longer be using as samples in my shop and they are great for brides on a budget who are looking for a fab dress at a fraction of the price.  Plus you know exactly what you are getting.  A quality dress which is well made - and ethically made.  Not made in a sweat shop and bought online for a few quid!

Watch this space!!!!!