As we head into the Summer months and are welcoming lots of beautiful 2024 brides into our showroom, who are just starting their dress search, we wanted to put together a guide to help you feel at ease before you start trying on wedding dresses. When you get engaged and start thinking about your dress […]
As we head into the Summer months and are welcoming lots of beautiful 2024 brides into our showroom, who are just starting their dress search, we wanted to put together a guide to help you feel at ease before you start trying on wedding dresses. When you get engaged and start thinking about your dress it can be hard to know where to start. The wedding industry can be overwhelming but these simple steps will help you stay true to yourself and focus on whats important to you.
Research is key
Research is key when it comes to finding the right dress for you. There are lots of different tools to help you with your research, here are some of our favourite ways to start building and gathering your thoughts.
Our Website and Blog, a great place to start to find out all the information you need. From ‘How and Appointment Works’ through to ‘Our Collections’ and ‘Real Brides’. Take some time to slow down and read a little more about the process of finding a dress, the more information you know the more relaxed you will feel when it comes to your first visit.
Word of Mouth, talk to your friends and family, ask about their experiences. Chances are they will have some great options. So many of our brides find us this way and it’s lovely for us to meet our past brides friends/family and to help them find the dress!
Instagram, this is a great way to find inspiration and advice from our stylists and real brides. View our Feed, watch our Reels and look through our highlights. We are constantly updating this with advice from our stylists and tons of inspiration from our beautiful real brides and collection pieces. Set up a wedding dress folder and save the things you love, we guarantee a concept will start to form.
Pinterest, this is perfect for mood-boarding and planning out your wedding in general. This will help you see how different dress designs align with your venue, setting and overall feel of the wedding. Such a fun and creative way to build your ideas!
Love my Dress, the place to look for wonderful, curated vendors for your wedding. Annabel has worked with us on many articles which is a great place for you to understand more about us as a designer, the services we offer and our lead times.
Defining your bridal style
When it comes to working out your bridal style this can be sometimes be hard. But we always find it helpful to hone in on the things that are important to you as a starting point. This could be something as simple as knowing you love a V-neckline or bloused sleeves. Start by making a list of dress details you are naturally drawn to and that you know make you feel good!
Browse our wedding dress styles for plenty of inspiration!
Next up is the overall aesthetic, do you love modern, clean lines or are you excited about floral lace and full skirts? Our stylists are here to work with your ideas but we also love you to think outside the box and explore ideas you may have not thought about.
View our collections to get a feel for our different designs, save any styles you love to try when you come in for your appointment.
Sustainable Practices
On a wider scale it’s important to think about sustainable practices when looking for your dress. Do you want natural materials? Is it important that your dress can be re-worn? Do you want to know who made your dress?
All of our designs are made right here in our London studio by our talented in house team. We only work with natural, sustainable materials – mainly silk, Tencel and organic cotton. After your wedding we offer a post wedding alterations service to rework your dress into something you can wear time and time again, whether that’s shortening your dress or creating a top a skirt.
Read more about our sustainable practices here
When should I book an Appointment?
If your wedding is end of 2023/2024 now is the time to start your wedding dress appointments. We love to have 6-8months for your dress order so it’s great to start a year in advance. This will allow you plenty of time to explore our designs, try a variety of styles and make sure you choose the right dress for you. Most of our brides like to visit 2-3 times to re-try their favourite styles which can take time! Think ahead about who you would like to bring to your appointment and use our online calendar to find a suitable date for you and your guests.
If your wedding is this summer please get in touch with our team and we’d love to help, there is always a beautiful option available!
What happens at my bridal appointment?
Your bridal appointment will take place at our Islington Showroom, which is a warm, welcoming and relaxed space. You will meet with your stylist as soon as you enter the studio who will offer you and your guests a refreshment. We love to get to know you and your day better and always start with a relaxed chat about your wedding day, dress ideas and any styles you have been drawn to on our website. You will then get the opportunity to browse our rails with your guests to choose your favourites designs to try, our stylists will guide you throughout to make sure you don’t miss any designs we know you will love.
Our samples in store range from a size 8 – 24, when trying on our stylists will help pin and adjust the dress to make sure you get a lovely visual of the design. We have shoes in store that you can borrow, plenty of veils, capes and tops to accessorise and complete your look!
what happens next?
Once you have had your first appointment, your stylist will discuss options with you. If you find your dress straight away we will guide you through our services and process your order. If you have a few favourites or would like a little more time to decide, we will give you all of the details alongside our service options for you to read over in your own time. We would recommend booking in a 2nd appointment to revisit your favourite designs, this is always very helpful and allows you to have more clarity over your final dress decision.
Find out more about our services
Now that you have a little bit more information on how to start your dress search please do get in touch with us if you have any questions. You can e-mail Andrea, Siobhan or Maryann at studio@andreahawkes.co.uk.
We can’t wait to welcome you soon!
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