Hello Beautiful!!!!!

Wednesday the 16th of September 2015 was a pretty exciting day!  Only those who are obsessed with weddings, and in this case, TLC's 'Say Yes to the Dress' will get it (and who will understand the blog title!!)  and if you watch the show, you will understand the excitement of it all.  For someone like me who works with brides everyday and helps them to find their dress, it was a pretty big deal to get to go to a seminar where Randy Fenoli was the guest of honour (and we were going to have afternoon tea with him!)

From listening to him talk about his early life to how he got where he is today, one thing that is crystal clear is that this is a man who is passionate about dresses - and most importantly, how a dress can empower a woman and make her feel special and beautiful.  Not only does he sell dresses, but he's made loads of them (he made his very first one at age 9 for his mother!) and is an award-winning designer too.  He's a man who knows his stuff!!!  In relation to helping a bride in her quest for the dress, I found a lot of the things he talked about were things that we focus on in our shop, and have for a long time.  Randy, like us, is a strong believer that a bride buys her dress with her heart and not with her head.  If I don't see a huge smile, if I don't hear the 'love' word, and if a bride doesn't want to stand in a dress for ages, I'll get her to take that dress off and keep looking.  She has to feel beautiful in it and hopefully she should even get butterflies in her tummy. It doesn't matter how long the train is, or what type of fabric it is or the design of the beading, whether she knows someone who wore something similar or whether it is the opposite of the dress that she imagined she'd wear.  It's all about how the a dress can make her feel beautiful.  And if a bride feels beautiful, her confidence and posture will make her look beautiful, and she will have found the dress she will walk up the aisle in. Randy believes that the dress should sell itself - when the bride finds the one, she'll know.  I often get very positive feedback from brides about our approach to selling, and I'm often told by brides that they felt pressurised elsewhere.  But I am in the Randy Fenoli school of thought - it's all about how the bride feels, and if she's not feeling it 100%, we'd rather she walk away and make the decision when she is positive that she's saying yes to the right dress for her, so you won't get the hard sale from us!!

Randy's enthusiasm was infectious, and I hope I've brought some of that back to the shop with me.   My customers often tell me that I have the patience of a saint, but this man even leaves me trailing behind in that department!!  The time he spent talking to all the retailers who attended the seminar - taking selfies, recording video messages for them, signing books and photos, posing for photos and chatting with us about our shops (God love him though, he really struggled with my Northern Irish accent!!) - this man has a way of making people feel special.  I can see why so many people love him.  I told him I'd traveled the furthest in the room to see him - almost 500 miles from Ireland to Sutton Coldfield (on planes trains and automobiles!!!) and I have to say, it was well worth the journey.  He's a warm and genuine man with a passion for wanting women to feel beautiful, and I hope I will get the chance to meet him again someday.

Randy and Ciara selfie!

We may not have a big store like Kleinfeld's in New York, but our humble Bridal Cottage in Greysteel has been a place where we've made a lot of magic happen,  and we hope to have many, many magical, special and beautiful moments for a long time to come.

My customers have been all asking me about him since I got back and telling me how they'd loved to have come along too ..... and I've brought back a little treat with me to share - I'm going to be giving away a signed copy of Randy's book, 'It's all about the dress' (an excellent guide written for brides who are planning their wedding) and a framed signed photo too.
Make sure you follow our Facebook page or follow our Twitter account over the next few days to find out how you can get your hands on one of these. Good luck to all who enter!!!!  Ciara xx


Click to go to our Facebook page

Summer sample sale at Beautiful Day Bridal Cottage

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 

Thursday 9th July 2015.

 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

After the wedding - caring for your wedding dress.

I remember one of the first things I did when I got engaged.  My mum sent me upstairs to find her wedding dress and she wanted me to try it on.  It was one of those special mother-daughter moments that I’ll always treasure, and  I have a picture of me wearing the dress standing by the door in our living room (with part of my mum’s finger covering the lens of the camera – back in pre-digital days when you couldn’t see what you’d taken!!)

I can’t say I would have worn my mother’s 1974 high necked and long sleeved dress, but if I’d have wanted to, I’d have been gutted as my mum failed to store her dress properly and the years had taken it’s toll.  Someone had told my mum to store her white wedding dress in a black plastic bag and over the years the dress had turned from a pure white colour to yellow.  My mum was heartbroken when she realised just how much it had discoloured. Perhaps this is the reason that I am always telling brides to look after their dresses.  Even if no-one ever wears it again, it’s lovely to look back at your dress and see it looking like it was when you wore it on your big day.  And maybe one day you’ll be taking a picture of your newly engaged daughter, niece or granddaughter wearing it, even if it’s just playing dress up in the living room.

Giselle from The Empty Box Company has compiled this list of tips for storing your wedding dress. We have a selection of these boxes in our shop in various sizes and colours, and shown on the link at the bottom of this page are examples of some of the beautiful designs you can choose from. Perfect for co-ordinating with your bedroom!!  From funky to traditional and floral, you’ll be spoiled for choice!!  And if you buy the box from us, we can organise dry cleaning and pack your dress away for you at no extra cost to you.

For destination brides, there are also travel sized boxes which fit onto airplanes as hand luggage so you can take your dress away with you and then use the box afterwards to store your dress.

THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF STORING A WEDDING DRESS

Wedding Dresses can pack away beautifully and remain as white and perfect as the day they were worn: but there are some simple essential rules for brides to follow:

DON’TS

1) Plastic dress covers are not suitable for long-term storage:  They do not allow for changes in humidity, or protect from light and can leave particles behind after several years.

2) Normal cardboard or fabric boxes can contain acid that causes the material of the dress to“yellow” or discolour. Avoid flat pack storage boxes that offer limited protection, or ones that let in light.

3) Do not store the dress next to the wood of a wardrobe, drawer, suitcase lining, or other clothes, as these mediums will have an effect on the purer fabrics of the wedding dress if the it lies next to them.

4) Do not wrap a wedding dress in coloured tissue paper.Tissue paper to pack a wedding dress should be white and acid free.

5) Do not hang a dress long term on a clothes hanger (short term is fine), as it places stresses on the seams and shape of the dress.

6) Do not store your dress in the attic. All sorts of disasters here such as a leaking roof, damp, changes in humidity, and insects can affect a dress in the attic; even if it is well protected.

DO’s

1) Do have your dress cleaned as soon as possible after the wedding by a dry cleaner that specialises in wedding dresses. Marks can show later even if a dress does not appear stained now.

2) Follow simple sensible rules e.g. store away from light, heat, damp, etc

3) Store the dress in a warm dry spare room, that has no history of insects, instead of an attic.

4) Ensure the dress lies in a pH neutral material such as a wedding dress box and is packed with acid free tissue. (Acid free tissue paper will become acidic if kept in a non acid free box.)

5) A storage box should eliminate light, should be breathable (i.e. non plastic), protect from dirt, dust, and spillage, in addition to pH neutral i.e. contain no acid or alkali.

6) Do choose a really strong, sturdy box as it needs to last a lifetime. It might even need to protect from disaster such as fire or flood so a flimsy box might not be up to the mark!

7) Do choose a box that you love: it will be with you for a long time, holding one of the most special items of clothing you will ever own.

Once packed away, check on the dress every 6 – 12 months to ensure nothing untoward has happened, and repack e.g. once a year to help prevent creases becoming too permanent.

This guide is written by The Empty Box Company, who specialise in beautiful Wedding Dress Boxes that preserve the dress to last a lifetime. Their wedding dress boxes are handmade in the UK.

Click on the following link to see the variety of colours you can get your box in.

Cllick here

Why are wedding dress sizes and high street clothing sizes not the same?

Dress sizing - the big debate

The topic of wedding dress sizing comes up in almost every appointment we carry out in our shop.  I get asked why, for example, do you have to go up a size or more in wedding dress sizes? Or why are wedding dresses smaller fitting that high street sizes?

The first thing I usually tell brides is that they shouldn't even go there and get annoyed about numbers on dresses.  I tell them that there won't be a big number printed on the back of their wedding dress so all the guests can gossip about her size  ('Ooohh - she's wearing a size 16 dress - I didn't think she was that size!  I thought she was about a size 12!!) I tell them to leave the size to me, it's only a number, no one will know the number unless you tell them - I can even cut the label out if it makes you feel any better - and the most important thing is that you have a dress that fits and looks good. There's nothing worse that wearing a wedding dress  that is too small just to feel better about the fact that you got into a certain numerical size.  It will feel uncomfortable, it will dig into your skin (the dreaded back-fat!), it will ride up your body as the day goes on and you will feel that it will have spoiled your day to some degree. Wear one that fits and it will flatter your figure, it will look good and it make you feel good about yourself.

I've always been telling people that the reason wedding dresses appear smaller than the 'same sized' clothes on the high street is because they use different size charts.  In fact, even in our shop, we can see a difference in sizing between wedding dress designers.  For example, when we take the bust, waist and hip measurements, a bride may come up a size 14 on one designer's chart, but be closer to a 16 on another designer's chart.  Again, I explain that it's just a number and to not get themselves annoyed about it.

Which brings me on to something which prompted me to write this blog....

I bought a lovely chemise type top last year in town in Wallis.  My current body measurements (which were the same back then)  are 36" bust; 30" waist; 39.5" hips and I find that I can normally wear size 10 items in most shops, but I sometimes need size 12 too.  I have to always try on clothes as I can never tell what will fit.

Anyway - back to the top I was buying.  I lifted the size 10 hanger and took it the changing room and told myself that if it was a little tight, I'd just put it back on the rail and lift the 12 instead.   It had a back zip on it - it wasn't stretchy fabric, so no give in it at all, it fitted beautifully and I bought it.

Now, yesterday I decided to wear it to work, and I turned it inside out to iron it and discovered to my surprise that it was in fact a size 8!!!!!  It would appear that it was on a size 10 hanger the day I bought it and I didn't realise that it was a size 8.  Then there were the high-waisted trousers I had got to go with this top that day. They were bought in another high street store, Next.  The 10 was far too big; they were hanging on me, but they were the smallest they had in stock, so I bought them and took them home to be altered down a full size (not minding too much as they were reduced in the sale and the colour matched perfectly!)  Again, these were non stretchy, tailored trousers.  Now, if anyone knows me, I am NOT a size 8, nor have a been near a size 8 in about 15 years!!!  I used to wear some size 8 clothes when I was one and a half stone lighter than what I am now.  And yet, my outfit was a size 8...



Then I looked at the size charts on their websites.  To my surprise, they were almost identical in both shops.. .. and almost identical to most of my wedding dress and bridesmaid size charts.  A size 8 is 33" bust; 26.5" waist; 36" hips. (Wallis is actually be half an inch smaller again on the bust.) Compare this my measurements above and you'll see that something is badly wrong.  How can my 36" bust fit perfectly into a 32.5" top....... or my 30" waist be wearing trousers which were supposed to be 28" inches, and yet were far too big?

According to the online shopping size charts of 4 very popular high street stores that I buy my clothes from, I'm actually between a size 12/14.  I am exactly the same size as my wedding dress charts say I am.  And yet these very stores are selling clothes that are NOT the size they are supposed to be.  My wardrobe is full of size 10 clothes from these stores (some of which are too big) and some size 12 clothes. At least with wedding dress sizes, the size on the label does equate to actual body measurements, and if we follow these sizes, we will have a dress that will be the size that we need.  I was expecting to see very different size charts for the high street stores in comparison to wedding dress charts - after all, this is what I've been telling my brides for years, but when I sat down and researched it, it seems that I've been wrong all along, and in fact, the shops are simply making clothes that are way bigger that their own size charts.   I even checked out the charts for plus size clothes.  For example in Next, there isn't a huge difference in a size 20 on our most popular wedding dress designer's size chart (it's just a bit more generous on the waist on the high street chart) and yet I have girls come in who are telling me they are wearing size 16 clothes on the high street, and yet their measurements both for wedding dresses and the high street clothing is more of a 20. And I'm not even talking about people who have squeezed into stretchy clothes that are clearly too small for them - I'm talking about people who are wearing clothes that do actually fit them!

My theory is that the high street shops are 'competing for size' amongst themselves.  I always remember a relative of mine got really excited one day that she got into a size 12 pair of jeans in a shop that she normally didn't buy in. She admitted knew that she shouldn't be able to wear a size 12, and in the other shops she needed size 14 jeans.  But can you guess where she bought them?  Yes - she bought the ones in the shop that told her she was a size 12 as it made her feel happier about her size, and I bet they gained a repeat customer.  The winner?  The shop which made their clothing more generous.

Over the years I've noticed my body getting a bit bigger than what it once was, but the sizing of my clothes hasn't changed much.  The clothes I wear now are bigger clothes - no doubt about that!  The label still says a size 10... (or even an 8) but the chart is telling me that a 12 should be too tight on me and that I should find a 14 just a little big! My mum bought me a size 12 dress recently and has to take it in 3 inches in total to get it to fit!! Is it any wonder I hate shopping for clothes?!!!


Ah - I give up!!!!!  The whole size thing is total nonsense if you ask me!!  Why bother have size charts if high street clothing manufacturers are blatantly ignoring them?  Surely there should be some standardised way of sizing clothes so that all clothes use the same sizing and there's no difference in the size of a couture wedding dress and a pair of jeans you buy on the high street?  Would it be so hard?

Until then, I'll just have to keep reminding brides that sizes in general are just random(ish) numbers and re-assure them that bridal designers aren't being mean and horrible and that they aren't the bad guys in the clothing businesse with their smaller size charts.  They just look like the bad guys because of the fact that high street manufacturing has distorted people's views of what a certain size should look like. Men's sizing is so much more simplified.  Measure his neck in inches - or his waist - or inside leg.  Hey presto, there's his size!! Wouldn't that be a much easier way of doing it?

Preparing to shop for your wedding dress? The essential guide.

The ring is on your finger, you've set your date, and after hours of looking through magazines and scrolling through bridal shops' websites, you decide it's time to go shopping for your wedding dress.

Here's everything you need to know to get started.

1. Make sure you are ready to buy before you go shopping.
Wedding dress shops have stock which changes all the time.  Between getting in new dresses, to dresses going discontinued and getting sold off the peg, the collection each shop carries is always evolving.  If you are not going to be ready to buy until a year before your wedding, then wait until a year before the wedding.  If you go two years in advance, the sales consultant will be working with the dresses that she has on that given day when she is helping you to find your dress.  She won't know what dresses are going to be here a year down the line,  so don't go looking for 'the one' until you know that what you see is what you are able to get!!!  Sounds like common sense, but you'd be surprised at how many people phone to book 'just looking' appointments with no intention of trying to find a dress to buy.  And don't leave it too late either or you may not be able to order in your dream dress.  The dresses you try on in the shops are what we call our 'sample dresses', but each bride gets a dress made to order for her, so this takes time, and if you leave it until 6 months before your wedding, you won't have the same choice as a bride who comes out earlier.

2. Book in advance.
Most bridal shops work by private appointment in order to give a professional one-to-one service. If you just show up, there's a very good chance that you will won't get to try dresses on.  A quick phonecall or email can save you a wasted trip and a lot of disappointment.

3. Ask questions when you are booking.
If you are looking for something specific, be sure to ask before you arrive.  For example, if you are looking for a certain designer, make sure you check that the shop you are booking with carries that label.  Or if you are adamant that you want a tea-length wedding dress or a destination wedding dress, don't assume that all shops will have a selection for you to try on.  Check first.  The same goes for plus sizes.  Some shops only carry wedding dresses from size to 8 - 14, whist others (such as our shop) carry a wide range of size 18+ dresses up to a size 26.  If you are a plus size bride and arrive to a shop which doesn't have anything over a size 14, you are going to very disappointed when you won't be able to try any dresses on, so run this by the shop first when you are at the booking in stage.
Also, if you have a friend or relative who has purchased their dress in the shop you are visiting, make sure the staff are told about this in advance so they can hide that other bride's dress before you come in - you don't want to pick the same dress as your future sister-in-law, so let the bridal shop know her name when booking so they can get organised to make sure this doesn't happen!

4. Keep an open mind
Many brides come in knowing exactly the sort of dress they want to wear on their wedding day. Many of them will end up wearing that sort of dress, but many more will wear something very different, so be prepared to allow yourself some flexibility and don't rule anything out because it's not what you imagined yourself wearing.

5. For trying on dresses on the day.....
If possible, wear a strapless bra.  If you don't have one, try to wear a white or nude bra.  You will have a consultant in the room with you, helping you in and out of dresses, so wear knickers that you are comfortable being seen in!  If you're going to feel embarrassed in a skimpy thong, then wear your Bridget Jones pants!  If you feel more comfortable wearing opaque tights, then that's no problem!(unless you are planning on trying on tea-length dresses - but you can slip the tights off if you decide to try some of those dresses on.)   If possible, try not to come straight after the gym or after a hard day's physical work on a hot day!!  Staff will have to get up close and personal with you, so bear this in mind, and feel free to ask for baby wipes or deodorant.  Most bridal shops keep a supply for brides wishing to freshen up if you don't have your own and are only to happy to let you use them.

Also, you will be expected to come without fake tan so that you don't soil the dresses, and make-up should be kept very light (no heavy foundation, heavy black eye make-up or lipstick.)   Bring heels if you wish (although you can always borrow a pair of ours if you forget) - but we (as well as most other bridal shops) have a box for you to stand on if the dresses are too long.

6. Bring your essential helpers with you.
If your mum needs to be there to help you pick your dress, make sure she is with you when you are going looking.  Or your best friend or sister.  It sounds like I'm stating the obvious, but you'd be surprised at how many people can't decide because they don't feel confident to say 'yes to the dress' without a certain close person by their side to give their approval.  If they are essential to helping you pick your dress, make sure they are with you.  Equally, be careful not to bring too many people.  Too many people normally means too many opinions, and that can make things more difficult, especially if any of the helpers are seeing things from different viewpoints.  Bring one or two helpers, and make sure you are all on the same wavelength!

7. Get babysitters if you can.
We understand that this isn't always possible, and at Beautiful Day, we are very happy to let you bring children to our shop (from babies to older children) but not all bridal shops allow children on the premises (be sure to check with each shop). Young children and toddlers get bored easily if they have to sit in the same place for an appointment that lasts just over an hour, and a bridal shop full of expensive dresses, mannequins, sparkly tiaras and shop displays can be a minefield for them (our toy box can only keep some children entertained for so long!!).  If they do need to be constantly supervised, it can be very distracting for the bride and her helpers.  We've had brides who have cut appointments short getting stressed with toddlers having tantrums or children toppling over mannequins.  Each bride should feel relaxed so she can focus on finding her wedding dress, so try to organise bridal shopping around babysitters if possible to make the whole process easier and more enjoyable!

8. Bring your purse!!
You wouldn't go to buy a new handbag or shoes without bringing your purse - the same goes for wedding dress shopping.   If you find a dress, you'll have to put down a deposit (at Beautiful Day, we can even take a partial deposit which you can pay up for if time permits) so come prepared. If you don't want to be carrying cash around with you, make sure you have a debit or credit card so that if you do find the one, you'll be able to get it ordered and relax knowing that it's all done.

9. Don't book too many appointments to start with.
See how the first one or two goes and take it from there.  Some brides book numerous appointments together as they think that they need to visit loads of shops in order to find 'the one'. In reality, the average bride finds her wedding dress in one of the first two shops she visits.  If you don't find one you love, then certainly, book more appointments in additional shops.  And the trick is to stop once you find one you love!!  (Easier said than done for some brides!!)  Some brides keep looking at more and more dresses and accumulate a list of dresses they love, and this is when they get confused and often get overwhelmed and find themselves second-guessing themselves.  And remember, it's ok to fall in love with the first dress - it happens quite a lot!

Remember, if you do buy and have a future appointment booked in another shop, cancel the appointment - the staff there will be very grateful for the heads up!!

Once you find a dress and order it, the worst thing to do is to keep looking at pictures of other dresses (or worse still, to go looking in other shops!!) And don't look at pictures of the dress you picked either unless absolutely necessary.  Each time you look at it, it will lose a little bit of its magic, and you still want to feel special and magical wearing it on your wedding day.  Try to remember that feeling you got when you were looking at yourself in the mirror wearing it.  You're not going to get that same emotional feeling about your dress on a Monday morning looking at a picture of it on your mobile phone, so don't panic if you do look at a picture and don't get excited about it.  This happens quite a lot and sends some brides into panic mode!!! So avoid this if you can!!

Happy shopping ladies, and I hope this blog has given you some food for thought.  Remember to stay positive, don't focus on things that you see as negative about yourself, and remember that a wedding
isn't a competition to be the best or most amazing or unique bride.   It doesn't matter if the dress has similar features to a dress worn  by someone in your neighbourhood who got married last year. On your wedding day, I can promise you that you'll be the centre of attention and people won't be making comparison lists to already-married ladies.  Be true to yourself and remember to step back and look at the big picture and remind yourself to keep it real!  You want to feel beautiful and to look your best - not for the neighbours or relatives or for your circle of friends, but for you (and to impress your future spouse of course!) and to follow your heart when deciding on which one to grace the aisle with.

Ciara

To book an appointment at Beautiful Day Bridal Cottage, tel  02871 813682 (or 04871 813682 from the Republic of Ireland) or follow this link to book online.

click here to book

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

When should I go looking for my dress? The simple answer - and the reasons behind it.

Every week I get lots of phonecalls, emails and Facebook messages from brides asking me for tips and advice about wedding dress shopping.  The most frequent question I get asked is 'When should I go looking for my wedding dress?' and I always give the same answer: 

Go looking when you are ready to buy.  

For one bride, she may be ready to buy 20 months before her wedding,  For another, it may be 7 or 8 months before the big day.

When a bride visits our shop, we give them over an hour of our time and expertise.  (And sometimes a lot more if she books a second viewing.)  Our aim is to find a wedding dress for each bride who visits us.   We gladly allow each bride to try on thousands of pounds worth of dresses.  We help her to get in and out of each dress, often pinning her into the dresses to get the best looking fit to help her imagine what it would look like if it was the perfect fit (brides visiting our shop often remark how well we do this compared to other shops).  We will guide her towards the dresses which we feel she will like and which will flatter her figure.  If she likes a dress, we will help her accessorise it, giving tips from what shoes to wear to how to do her hair and what jewellery and head dress she should go for.   We don't charge for these consultations - we do them for free in the hope that some of the brides we help will 'Say Yes to the dress' in our shop and do business with us (so that we can pay the bills!!!) 

Our job is to sell you your dream dress - and when we do that appointment, we are working with the stock we have on that given day.  Fast forward 1 week... 1 month.... 3 months... 6 months.... As each week passes, that stock is constantly evolving.  If you follow our Facebook page you will see constant updates.  Pictures of new arrivals.  New styles straight from the catwalk so that we keep our stock fresh, following all the latest trends that our designers have to show us.  You'll also see Facebook updates warning of imminent discontinued lists.   For example, we lost 13 Essense of Australia dresses at Christmas to one of these dreaded lists.  Before that, we lost 18 Maggie Sottero dresses in September.   Also, if a supplier runs out of a certain fabric or trimming, they will discontinue a dress with immediate effect.

As well as losing stock to the designers' discontinuations, at Beautiful Day, we have always sold current season dresses 'off the peg' in our shop, mainly to brides with wedding dates that are too close for them to order a dress in.  We cannot hold on to every single dress in case someone decides to re-visit it at a later date. With every new dress I get in, I have to move a dress along to make room for the new stock on my rails.  It's all part of keeping our selection fresh and current and helping to fund the process of getting new stock in.  I love seeing the new styles come along to replace the ones we've moved along - we're in a fashion business and following changing trends is what we do to avoid our business becoming stagnant.

So where does this all fit in with my advice on leaving your bridal consultations until you are ready to buy a dress?

I'm always harping on to people to strike when the iron is hot and to order their dress once they find 'the one' - we can never promise that a dress will not become discontinued or won't be sold to someone in between your first visit to our shop and an appointment on a later date when you've decided that it's time to buy. With the sheer volume of brides who visit us, we cannot be expected to track every single bride and keep her up to date on a style's status if she hasn't put down a deposit. (We do track them however is a deposit is paid.) For every ten brides who leave loving a dress in our shop but don't pay a deposit, we are lucky if one or two of them ever even come back to order it, so unless a deposit is paid, we do not mark a dress down as 'the one' for a bride. In the past few months we've had several disappointed brides who've come back to our shop to see a dress they'd tried on during a previous visit and they were bitterly disappointed when they found it was gone. Some brides had left it nearly a year to come back - for one bride, it was only just over a week. It's not nice breaking the bad news that she can't try it on again, or even worse, that she can't even order it. frown emoticon   I've had the tears, the drama - even the slamming of doors from brides who came back thinking all they had to do was hand over the deposit for that dress they saw on a previous visit, only to find themselves back to square one, often with a very limited time-frame to start from scratch.   One bride a while back had even got a custom made head dress costing hundreds of pounds to match a certain dress that she found was discontinued when she came back to order it.  Another had went and bought bridesmaid dresses to match in with a dress that was gone and no longer available to order.

Please ladies - only go shopping when you are ready to say 'Yes to the dress' should you find it there and then. Leaving the decision until a later date because you are not ready is a risky tactic, and you should only walk away from a dress that day if you are willing to take the risk of coming back and having the decision taken out of your hands.   To avoid this happening, shop only when you're ready so that you're not pouring your time and energy - as well as ours - into something that you may not be able to get at a later date.  Say 'Yes to the dress' that you know you can wear on your wedding day, not to one that you hope (fingers crossed) that you will be able to come back and still get in the future.

Happy shopping!!  Ciara xx

www.beautifuldaybrides.co.uk


To be kept up to date with all the goings-on in our bridal shop, follow us on Facebook

click here to visit our Facebook page

Decision making - choosing 'the one' when dress shopping. Making that final decision...

If you've been reading my blog posts, you'll have noticed that one of the pieces of advice I very often give to a bride when it comes to wedding dress shopping is to stop looking once you find one you love. Often ladies will visit my shop and tell me that they have fallen in love with one, two, three or four dresses already and I sometimes put the question to them 'why then are you still looking?'  The aim is to get it to one dress to wear on your wedding day - not to keeping adding to that list and seeing how many favourite dresses you can allow yourself to fall in love with.   However, I always assume that if they walked out of that previous shop (or shops) and chose to visit my shop, then they are still looking for 'the one' as they wouldn't still be looking!!!

However, sometimes a bride can get torn between two dresses.  She can feel really undecided and I'm often putting questions and scenarios to her to try and get her to think about he she would feel if she couldn't have a certain dress.   For example, how would she feel if we pointed out that the girl sitting beside her at work, or her cousin or sister-in-law was wearing the same dress? (and it was just before her own wedding!)  Would she be gutted?  Would the thought of not being able to get that dress if it went discontinued leave her really disappointed?  It wouldn't be the first time I've asked a bride to flip a coin and if she finds herself saying 'best of three' then it's the other dress...  or sometimes she just knows when that coin is up in the air!!

I came across this quote recently too by the actor Johnny Depp and it really struck a chord with me - but if we look at it in relation to wedding dresses instead. Just substitute the word 'people' with dresses and you'll catch my drift.  If you really loved the first dress, you wouldn't have even went looking at more dresses, let alone find yourself falling for another one.  I always say it's a bit like when you find your partner - if you're out looking for more frogs to kiss, there's something badly wrong, but if he (or she!) is the one, you won't care about the thought of never being with someone else.  

And remember, the biggest choice of all is picking the right person to be with,  Nothing else matters as much - even though for many, it may feel like picking your dress is the biggest decision you've had to make!!  You followed your heart and chose your partner based on what you felt in your heart (not based on the opinions and influence of a entourage of helpers) so follow your heart and you won't go wrong with the wedding dress either :)  

Eight top mistakes to avoid when looking for your wedding dress

You've just got engaged and one of the first things on your mind is the wedding dress.  Questions race through your mind - what shape will I wear?  What neckline will mine be?  Will it be a modern style dress? Will it be vintage inspired?  When will I start shopping?  Who will I bring with me? Where will I go to look?  What is my budget?   How much research do I do before I go shopping?

There are so many questions and so many ways to go wrong when it comes to picking your dress. I've got to see these over the ten years I've had my shop (Beautiful Day Bridal Cottage) and I hope to address some of these questions and help you steer away from making some of the mistakes that many brides make which will help you on your quest to find that perfect dress!!

1. Don't go looking too early.  You really shouldn't go shopping until at least 12 - 14 months before your wedding.  Couples tend to have longer engagements these days and the temptation is there to go looking as soon as you get the ring on your finger. If you go too early, you run the risk of over-thinking things and seeing styles that will be gone or discontinued by the time you are ready to buy.  New styles are always coming along, and if you buy 2 or 3 years before your wedding and a new trend comes along 12 months before your wedding, you may find yourself getting tempted to change your dress - a very costly thing to do!!  And as wedding dresses are made to order, there's no exchange policy in bridal shops if you change your mind!!!!  So go shopping when you feel it's time to start properly looking for a dress to wear for your wedding.  For some ladies, this time may be 9 months before, for others, it's 13 or 14 months before - each bride feels ready in their own time.  The key point is to go only when you are ready. This might sound logical, but we get numerous 'out for ideas' appointments where the bride isn't focused and ends up getting overwhelmed and more confused.   Plus, she may go back months later to see a dress she loved when it was too early for her to commit and find that it's been sold or has went discontinued. Don't assume that if you see one you love that it will be still there later on for you to come back to.
2. Don't go too late.  Wedding dresses have to be made to order, so if you leave it too late, you will be at a huge disadvantage as you will have a very limited choice ie. whatever the shop has in the size you are.  As a rule, most dresses need to be ordered about 7 months in advance (although some can be ordered a bit closer than that) so you will be cutting down your choices substantially if you leave it past this.  There is also a risk of 'panic-buying' your dress which you may regret!
3. Choose your helpers wisely.   I have a whole blog post dedicated to this one!!  My advice is to bring one or two helpers with you, and to make sure that they are on the same wave-length as you.  If your mother or sister or best friend is very opinionated and is always pushing ideas on you, then leave her at home and bring her along to see your dress once you've picked it.  I sometimes get brides who bring four, five or six 'helpers' and they are getting various opinions thrown at them before they even get to look in the mirror and end up feeling deflated if negative things are being said about how the dresses looks  (eg. 'that makes your bum look huge', 'you've got back fat in that one', 'you can't carry that style off', 'your shoulders are too broad to wear that neckline'.)  More of a hindrance that a help!!! Often your helpers will think they are giving constructive criticism, but what you find is that the whole experience just highlights your insecurities and turns into a bit of a nightmare - so choose wisely!! And remember that old saying about too many cooks!  
4. Don't have tunnel vision .   Many brides spend hours online looking at 6ft tall size 6 or 8 models who are perfectly proportioned and choose their type of dress based on what they see in these pictures.  They come to visit a shop and won't look at other styles, therefore limiting them to a style that may not be all that flattering compared to a different style of dress. It pays to keep an open mind when coming shopping, and don't forget that the staff in the shops have seen all the dresses on and will often be able to guide you to things that will be really flattering on.
5. Picking a dress to please someone else.  This one follows on from point number 3.  All brides will want to get opinions from friends, and/or family members - I can count on one hand how many have bought in my shop in the past ten years without bringing along a helper. However, she should be careful when it comes to taking opinions on board. Well-meaning friends may influence a bride to go for a dress that she doesn't really love. Up until she asks people for opinions, a bride may be over the moon with the dress that she has been considering, but if the negative comments follow, she may decide to choose something else based on the lack of enthusiasm from her helpers and she could end up with a dress that doesn't make her as happy, or as I call it, a 'compromise dress'.  Expecting others to refrain from voicing their opinions isn't realistic. Asking people for recommendations and advice is one thing, but asking them to give their verdicts about a specific dress is another. In the end, the wedding dress only needs to please one person: the bride. As long as she is happy with it, everything else should fall into place.
   
6. Trying on too many wedding dresses.  If you end up trying on dozens of dresses, they all tend to blur together in your mind, and what happens is that looking back and trying to remember  a single one can be just about impossible. If you try on too many dresses, you are a lot less likely to experience that magical moment of discovering the perfect dress when you try on one after another - after another after another.....- over a period of several months. (back to point one in the first tip - this often happens when you start looking to early!!) If possible, try to limit yourself to about 12 dresses at most (unless the 12 are horrible and you need to keep trying to find one that you look good in!) You should only keep trying on more dress when you the ones you've been trying aren't the right ones for you. In some cases, a bride-to-be may be tempted to keep trying on different styles because she just isn't ready to commit to a single one. This kind of thinking is dangerous and can lead to a lot of wasted time and confusion. If a bride tries on too many dresses, she's far more likely to second-guess herself as well and later doubt her decision.  Don't fall into that trap!!  I did a survey recently and found out that 40% of brides found their dress in the first shop, 26% on the second shop, and 18% in the third shop. (leaving 16% who went to look at 4 or more - one even went to 24 appointments!!!) so don't be assuming that something is wrong if you haven't visited 7 shops!!! That isn't the norm - far from it! 84% of brides buy their dress after visiting three shops or less, with the first shop being the most popular shop to buy in. 
7. Trying on dresses that are over your budget.  If you have a strict budget of £850, don't be tempted to try on a £1700 dress if there is no way that you can afford it.  It will only leave you feeling down in the dumps if you fall in love with it and can't re-work your budget to suit,  You will always look at the dress you end up buying and feel like it's second best.  I had a very depressed bride in recently who made the mistake of trying on and falling in love with a £5000 dress in another bridal shop which was four times her budget.  She was very frustrated trying to find one that lived up to this dress.  Always let the sales team know your budget and they will always help to guide you - they might even have a discontinued dress in the store room that would be perfect for you. 
8. Waiting for 'that reaction'  Some brides have been told that you will get a certain reaction when you find 'the one'.  Some people tell you that you should cry.  Others reckon you need to be jumping up and down with excitement.  The truth is, neither of these are common reactions and I can never predict how an individual will react when she finds her dress.  Some brides are more dramatic in general than others and they will have a different reaction compared to a more placid or easy-going bride.   If you find yourself saying that you really like a dress, but feel that you still need to keep looking, then it probably isn't the one.  Some brides tell me when they visit my shop that they have a potential dress picked out in another shop but not ordered, and I always remind them that they wouldn't be out trying more dresses on in my shop if it was 'the one.'  When you find 'the one', you won't be interested in any other dresses.  I often compare it to finding your man - I ask brides if they felt they needed to kiss all the men in their town to be sure that their fiancé was the one for them.  They all tell me that they fell in love and didn't need to kiss any more frogs to know . Finding your wedding dress is a bit like that and you shouldn't put yourself under any more pressure when you find one that you love to keep trying on more and more dresses to try and get some sort of stronger reaction.  When you fall in love, stop looking!!!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

The dress you will pick has to do one thing to you. It has to make you feel beautiful. You should look in the mirror and get a 'feeling' about it. For some, it's simply feeling like a million dollars.  For others, it's butterflies in their tummy or feeling their heart skip a beat.  For many it is feeling excited about your fiancé seeing you walking up the aisle in the dress you are standing in.  The earth won't move.  The tears probably won't flow, and you won't pass out with excitement, but you will will say 'I love this dress!!'  and the thought that for one reason or another you couldn't have that dress would probably make you feel gutted.                                                                                                                                                                                     

Best of luck with the wedding dress shopping!!!      xx Ciara           

Last minute availability for the Maggie Sottero Trunk Show on Sat 4th Oct!!

We've had a few ladies who cancelled last-minute for our Maggie trunk show (see previous blog entry to find out more about this event) so if you'd like to book in, please email me on beautifuldaybrides@hotmail.com or phone me after 9.30am on the event day on 02871 813682.


There are 30 dresses in on loan at the event from Maggie Sottero and it's a once a year event, so if you love Maggie dresses, get in touch and don't miss this opportunity!!

(plus there's 10% on all Maggie Sottero dressses for orders placed at the event)

You can also contact us through our facebook page if you follow our feeds on there.

10% off for one week to celebrate our 10th birthday

From Wed 10th to Wed 17th inclusive, all new orders will have 10% discount to celebrate our 10th birthday!*

*not available in conjunction with other offers - cannot be backdated or exchanged for money - 50% deposit must be made when ordering.  Applies to wedding dress, bridesmaid dress and accessory orders as well as storage boxes.

Beautiful Day Bridal Cottage, Greysteel, Co Derry

www.beautifuldaybrides.co.uk

Calling all girls with curves!!!!

We're really excited to announce that we are now taking bookings for our Curvy Girls event which will be on the 28th and 29th June 2014.    We normally only get to do one of these a year, but we've managed to get a second one organised for this year which our brides will be delighted to hear about!!  Our event at the start of January was a huge success!!

At Beautiful Day, we are well known for keeping stock in a variety of sizes with well over a quarter of our stock aimed at the size 18+ bride, with many from Special Day's Beautiful Brides Plus collection.  However, on our Curvy Girl event, we will be getting a range of plus sized Maggie Sottero dresses on loan for one weekend only which will give our brides an even wider range to choose from.  At the event, we also give 10% discount to anyone who places a deposit on a wedding dress, and the good thing is that even if you are not ready to get measured or to pay the usual 50% deposit, you can pay a smaller £200 deposit and revisit us approx 6 - 7 months before the big day and get the size finalised and the rest of the deposit paid.

This is our fourth Curvy Girls weekend and they do book up fast if past events are anything to go by.  The feedback from past Curvy Girl weekends has been fantastic and all the brides who come to this event comment on how impressed they are with the choice of styles.

Tel us on 02871 813682 or email us on beautifuldaybrides@hotmail.com to book in,

Or fill in our booking form on http://beautifuldaybrides.co.uk/contact/1341570