Give it a Year!

So the date is set, the venue is book and the count-down is on!!! Next on the to-do list ... wedding dress shopping. Now you may sit there and be like, but I have ages, that is a job for next year, but I am going to stop you there. Give a year! We live in a world of fast fashion, next day deliveries and mass production, but I am pleased to say that Bridal does not partake in that way of working.

The majority of the bridal world is made to order, most boutiques and designers don't have rails of gowns sitting out the back ready to be purchased. 'So, how does it work?' I hear you ask, let me open the door to this unique industry that you are about to dive into.

Now one thing I should say before I start is that each designer and boutique, though similar in many ways, will work slightly differently, so this is based on how we run at Vicki's Bridal Boutique in Tenterden, Kent. https://www.vickisbride.co.uk/

As a boutique, we work with a collection of amazing British Bridal Designers on a made to order bases. What does 'made to order' mean?; a dress won't be made until we place the order. Unfortunately, we don't have a magic wand like Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, so this takes time. Our designers are all different, but you are looking at a 8–16 weeks turn around for your dress. That's 2–4 months before your wedding dress needs to be ready for alterations, which you will need to allow 3 months for. Going by these timings, that give you 3 months of searching for the one. Which is plenty of time but when you start to fact in life, and you're rallying your bride tribe that 3 months starts to disappear fast.

My aim is not to panic you, it's simply to highlight how this special world of bridal you're about to enter works differently to the fast pace of life we are used to. But how amazing it is to buy a dress in this day and age that has only been made because you choose it!

If you are reading this with less than a year and starting to worry, please don't! Some designers will offer rush cuts, at an extra charge, but is a great option to grantee delivery in time for alterations before the big day. Most boutiques, ourselves included, will offer samples sold off the rack if we are unable to get the dress in time.

Photographs by Tom Keenan https://tomkeenanphotography.co.uk/

So gorgeous 2026 brides, this is your call to get booked in to say 'Yes to the Dress'. https://www.vickisbride.co.uk/book-an-appointment 💕