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

Calling all 2015 brides - Maggie Sottero Trunk Show!!

It's that time again!  We're now taking bookings for 2015 brides for our annual Maggie Sottero Trunk Show Designer Weekend which will be held on the 4th and 5th of October.  If you're wondering what exactly a trunk show is, read on........

When the designers have finished showing the shop owners their new collections, each shop owner gets a chance to take 30 of their favourite dresses to their premises to show them off to their customers.  These are the dresses which are worn by the models at the catwalk shows and are generally size 8 dresses (suitable for trying on for brides size 12 or smaller). 


When the dresses come to our shop that weekend, we will be putting away any dresses which are not by Maggie Sottero and the dresses on show during the event will be our current Maggie dresses (ranging from size 10 - 18), plus the 30 dresses that are on loan.  We work strictly by appointment only and all appointments must be confirmed in the week of the event.   Anyone who decides to put a deposit on a Maggie Sottero dress during the event will get a 10% discount on their dress.

Please note that if you fall in love with one of the samples on loan, you will not be able to come back and try it on again as the dress has to be sent back after the event, so it's a good idea to make sure you bring any key decision makers with you that day.  You can't bring your mum or your best friend back the following week for a second opinion!!  So if you can't pick a dress without them, then make sure you bring them with you. 

It's always a good idea to have been out looking beforehand so that you feel ready to buy if you do find 'the one' without feeling the need to come back and see it again.  Also, to qualify for the discount, you need to place a deposit of at least £200 on the day.

Key points to remember
- 30 dresses on loan for 1 weekend only.  These can't be re-visited!
- Borrowed dresses are size 8.
- 10% off for orders placed at the event.  £200 minimum deposit.
- Bring your key decision makers with you that day (unless you are going to be making your own choice).
- Have a good idea of what you are looking for before you come.
- Book an appointment in advance.

Shopping for your wedding dress - some questions and answers.......

Hi everyone!!  Haven't been blogging now for a few months, so trying to get back into the swing of it!  I've had several queries recently (particularly at the wedding fayres) and I've been jotting them down to address in a blog, so I'm grouping them all together in this topic.   Your essential guide of Q&As in relation to going wedding dress shopping in our shop. Hope you find some useful tips. xx Ciara

When should I go looking for my dress?
We are always getting new styles coming along and dress styles are always getting discontinued, so in short, my answer is go when you are ready to seriously think about buying the dress.  In an ideal world, we'd all go looking 2 years before to get ideas, we'd find a dress, and then come back 8 months and it's still there waiting for you, but in practice it doesn't work. So don't make the mistake of missing out on your dream dress because you've come too early and found out that the dream dress you found last year has gone discontinued or that we've sold our sample.  And don't leave it too late either or you may be limited to buying off the peg!!!  Last orders are usually 6-7 months before the wedding, but 12 months before is a good time to start looking.  Our brides order on average about 10 months before their big day.

Who should I bring with me?
We have seating for up to three people in our bridal rooms. Any more than this, and the search can often get chaotic with too many opinions and not working on focussing on you and what your wants and needs are. Ideally, one or two helpers is best, but don't be afraid of setting out to look on your own either.  You'll often want your closest friend, a sister, your mum or someone close to you to help you make that final decision, but just make sure that whoever you bring, they will be on the same wavelength as you and that they will give you honest feedback without letting their own personal tastes get in the way if finding the dress for you. Choose your helpers wisely!!  If you don't, you could be setting yourself up for a difficult and frustrating time!

How long do I get for an appointment?
You will normally get 70 mins for an appointment.  However, if you get to the end of your allocated time and you find that you want to see more dresses, you are more than welcome to book a second appointment to come back another day.  We often run on a tight schedule, especially on Saturdays, so try to be on time.  If you are late, we cannot let you eat into the time of the girl after you. (I had a bit of a backlash about this one recently from an unhappy bride, but I'd like to think that most of you would be happy to oblige when it comes to helping to keep our appointment book running to schedule and not keeping other brides waiting.)

What should I wear?
If you can, wear a strapless bra and big knickers (unless you aren't embarrassed about being seen braless or in a skimpy thong!)  You are free to wear leggings or tights if that makes you feel more comfortable (or warmer in the winter).  We do give a one-to-one personal service in our shop and you will be helped into and out of the dresses at all times, so make sure you feel comfortable with what you are wearing.  Bring heels if you can as the dresses are quite long (we'll have extra pairs of court shoes and a box for you to stand on if you need a little help though!!)  And we would would ask for minimal make-up and no rub-off tans. You will be trying on thousands of pounds worth of dresses, so things like heavy foundation and lipstick mean expensive trips to the dry-cleaners for us, so you may be asked to remove make up if you come with quite a lot on!!

I have a strict budget!
Our dresses range from £400 to £1800, and we always will do our best to steer you in the right direction should you be on a strict budget.  Just let us know what your budget is when you arrive or when you are booking your appointment and we will keep you right!!  We would never encourage you to try on an £1800 dress if your budget is £900 and it can often lead to frustration on the brides part, so keep us informed.

Can I take pictures?
I used to turn a blind eye to this one, but due to designers' stricter copyright rules, photography of their dresses in our shop is not permitted (unless it is a dress you have purchased or have placed a deposit on). We are not even permitted to take photos at our designers' fashion shows :(   Almost all dresses can be viewed on the designers' websites anyway, so we will point you in the right direction should you wish to have a picture of the dress to see at home.  And don't forget that you are welcome to come and see your favourite dresses again should you need to - we won't expect you to make a decision based on your memory of one visit.

If I find a dress, what deposit do I need?
You'll need 50% of the dress price to place an order.  However, assuming you have got the time, you can pay an initial deposit of £200 and pay up to the 50% in instalments.  Quite a lot of our brides find it easier to do it this way.


Also, just a note to say that it is always a wise move to look for your wedding dress first before you move on to your bridesmaids.  It can be often a confusing task when presented with bridesmaid shopping when you have no idea if your dress is white or ivory or champagne, when you have no idea if you will fall for a modern style or vintage inspired style, or when you have no idea what neckline you are looking for.  Get the wedding dress sorted first, and your task will be much easier and you'll have a clearer focus.

And let us know if your close friend, your cousin, your sister-in-law or workmate has got their dress with us. Our dresses are available for anyone to order, but if we get a heads-up on connections with existing customers, we can make sure we steer you away from picking the same dress as them :)

And remember to keep an open mind when you go shopping.  You might feel a million dollars in a dress that you never dreamed of trying on, so don't come in wearing blinkers and be prepared to surprise yourself!!  Some girls find their dream dress in their first shop - for others it takes a few more trips around to find one that they love, so be patient and don't get too disheartened if you don't find it right away.