welcome to my journal

It can be the best yet hardest decision a bride will make… THE dress! We all know you’ve been planning your wedding day since being a teenager, writing in your fluffy journal in your purple bedroom and dreaming of meeting your Prince Charming one day. Well, that day is coming!

But how do you start to look for your dream dress? Our good friend Kate, owner of Queen Bee Bridal, has kindly answered some of our bride’s top questions when dress shopping.

When should I start looking for a wedding dress?

There are no rules to timescales, it’s not uncommon for us to help brides who have 2 years to go before their wedding, but we would say 2 years is a bit early! More usual is 12-18 months before their wedding, most ladies will look at the 12 month point, and 10 months before is a minimum if you want to have the choice of all our designers. However, we have an extensive range of Off The Peg gowns too which are perfect for a bride with on a shorter timeframe! 

What should I bring with me to my appointment?

Just your lovely self really! Sometimes it can be useful to be wearing a strapless bra and nude underwear, but the underwear you have on you at your appointment is rarely what you will be wearing on your big day (because this may be dependent on the dress type you choose), so it doesn’t really matter. If you have a Pinterest board or any photos of styles you like, that can be useful for your stylist to see, but explore a variety of shapes and styles with you, so don’t worry if you haven’t got hundreds of images on your phone! 

How many dresses should I try on?

We advise our brides to pick between 6-8 dresses to try. From there our stylist will get a better idea of what the bride is liking and, as importantly, not liking. We will then select further dresses for the bride to try. So in total, our brides usually try between 10-12 dresses. 

How many people should I bring to my appointment?

We advise bringing a maximum of 3 of your most trusted guests to help you at your appointment. We are great fans here at Queen Bee of the less is more! There are so many reasons for this, firstly the less people that have seen your dress before the wedding, the more magical people’s reactions will be on the big day…and you want maximum magic! Secondly, too much noise and too many opinions can make focusing on the dresses very hard for a bride at her appointment, it’s a big decision and you need to be in a fun but calm environment, otherwise everything can get a bit overwhelming! Also, the only opinion that matters at the end of the day is the brides, even the most well meaning guests can get caught up in the moment and forget this! So, just two or three of your favorite people who will be there by your side is best for our brides. 

Can I take pictures at my appointment?

Yes, we do allow photos here at Queen Bee….however, there is a but. Photos of you in a dress that doesn’t fit properly yet (nothing will fit perfectly until after your alterations have taken place), without your hair and make up done, taken by a non-professional photographer, in lighting that may be casting shadows, and possibly at an unflattering angle (we can all pull a funny face if caught off guard!), is not a true representation of how you, or the dress will look on your day. By all means take them as reference, but do not base your choice of dress on them, that can only be done by looking in the mirror and listening to your heart. 

Do you offer alterations?

We do not offer in-house alterations here at Queen Bee, but we do have a list of highly skilled recommended and trusted bridal seamstresses that we give you when you find your dress with us. A good bridal seamstress (they must be a specialist in bridal) can get booked up 10-12 months ahead, which is another reason we advise finding your dress no less than 10 months before the big day. 

Do you sell veils and accessories too?

Absolutely! We have a wide selection of veils, jewelry, belts and shoes for you to purchase when you find your dress, or at your dress collection appointment. 

What size dress should I order if I’m planning on losing weight?

It’s very normal for a good bridal seamstress to take in a wedding dress by up to two sizes, three sizes is also possible but will get a bit trickier and so more expensive. So, ideally we would order your dress so it’s a good fit at the time of order, and then if you lose two sizes thereafter it’s not a problem. Your first fitting take place between 6-12 weeks before your wedding day, so you have right up until that point to go through any changes in body shape or size…..but you’ll need to stay the same shape once that first fitting has taken place! 

Can you do rush orders?

Due to high demand, at the moment many of our designers have stopped offering rushed orders. If a designer has the style and size we need in production and it will be ready in 8 weeks then that’s great. However, we have to assume that most of our dresses are taking between 4-6 months to arrive at the moment. If the designer can offer a rushed service please expect to pay them a small fee. 

How many fittings should I have?

Most brides will have between 2-3 alterations fitting appointments with their seamstress, but this can vary depending on the style, fabric and lever of changes being made to the dress. 

What colour options do you have?

All of our dresses come in ivory, with the majority also available in subtle warmer shades including Sand, Nude, Champagne or Latte. Our private label collection also offers brides our satin designs in more statement colour options including Blush, Gold and even Black!