help finding 'The One'

Whaaaaaaa...?

Why should that matter? My OH has said in the past that he doesn't like lace dresses, but the one I found which looked / fitted best is super lacy! Men don't know about this kind of junk, trust me. You go with what YOU like- you're the one who'll be wearing it all day! Plus, he's marrying you for you and should be over the moon to be marrying you, regardless of whether you rock up in a sexy fishtail dress or a frothy lacy dress, or a bin bag!

*rant over*

I think you just need to keep looking. I was like you- completely not a dress or girly girl- so was terrified about my first appointment, especially being a size 18-20. I soon learned to treat it almost like fancy dress and I sort of adopted this 'persona' when I was trying on dresses (kind of a cross between Princess Di and Nigella Lawson). I knew I'd found 'the one' when I tried on a dress which didn't make me feel like I had to try and be someone else, and I could relax and be myself. Also, trust the people in the shops; the often know you better than you know yourself when it comes to dresses- I didn't have a scooby!

There's a couple of outlet stores dotted around, might be worth a shout if you're willing to travel? I'd imagine they'd have a big selection?

I agree that you shouldn't worry too much about what OH likes. I asked my OH in a 'Don't tell the Bide' kind of way to have a look on the internet and show me what he'd pick, not in a million years would it have been something I would have ever worn, no matter how much he liked it. The important thing is that you feel comfortable in it, I'm sure on the day he'll be so happy to be marrying you that he won't care what you're wearing!

I live in Oxford so can suggest some around the area. However, I should caveat that by informing you I didn't actually buy my dress from a store. I never got the 'OMG, this is the one!' feeling when I tried on dresses and believe me when I say I tried on lots and lots - in the UK & Ireland - I ended up buying mine from a lady whose wedding never went ahead but the dress was never worn so I got it altered and cleaned & fell more in love with it once it came back from alterations & cleaning!

The stores I visited in the Oxford area were:

The Bridal Box - Summertown, Oxford - https://www.thebridalbox-oxford.co.uk/. The ladies were lovely and a good selection of dresses. They had some sale ones which were quite reasonable and of the regular priced ones, they seemed to have all the typical designers.

Butterfly Bridal - Bicester (town) - http://www.butterflybridalboutique.co.uk/about-us/. Also very nice lady called Sherrie looked after me here. I almost bought my dress here. Nice selection of dresses & the lady who helped knew her stuff about them. She was really nice, asked me had I any idea and, when I said it had to be A-line, those were the only ones she brought as I knew they'd be the only ones to suit me. She also followed up via email to advise the price on my fave dress had reduced.

Bicester Bridal - Bicester town - https://www.bicesterbridal.co.uk/. Again, very nice. I was the last appointment of the day and it overran but the owner continued to help - didn't try to get me to leave or anything. Again, very good selection of dresses with a good range of designs.

I did go to some others but wasn't impressed. One particular store (not mentioning names) had a dressing room outside their stock/store/staff room & for the 15 minutes I was there trying on dresses, staff (and customers) were walking through while I was in the nip! I was outta there like a shot after the first dress!

I didn't go to this one but have heard good stories - Ellie Sanderson in Oxford - might be worth a go? https://elliesanderson.co.uk/

Also, there are loads of good shops in Witney, Oxfordshire that are also really good. I didn't get to go to them as I had found my dress by then so cancelled appointments.

I think slou90 on here has bought her dress in Oxford - worth asking her where did she go?

Hi, I live in Oxfordshire and did my dress shopping in Witney.

The first shop was Mae Bridal and the lady in there was absolutely lovely, nothing was too much trouble. It's just her in the shop so she only does one appointment at a time and will close the shop while you have your appointment. Unfortunately I didn't find 'The Dress' in this shop.

The second shop was Proposals (about a 5/10 minute walk from the first shop) and this is where I bought my dress from. This is a much bigger shop and so they have a bigger choice of dresses. There are about 3 different dressing areas in the shop so there will be other people in there at the same time as you, however it's all kept quite separate so this isn't an issue.

Also in Witney is Blossom Bridal, when I was bridesmaid a few years back we got our dresses from here, staff were friendly and there was good selection of dresses. The only reason I didn't even look for my wedding dress here was because I remember there being a couple of flights of stairs (I don't remember there being a lift), and I needed somewhere with disabled access so that my mum could come with me.

I hope this helps!

Also, perhaps it's worth just trying on a couple of lace dresses to see how you feel in them....

Good luck!

Thank you for the suggestions. I'll look into them.

Anymore would be welcomed too

Hi, another Oxford bride here.

I got mine from Bicester Bridal and would def recommend. The owner is really lovely and prices were very reasonable compared to a lot of others.

Also had a good experience with the Bridal Box in Oxford, and to add another one I would recommend Fantasia Bridal in Abingdon. Lots of nice dresses and very helpful. All of them had quite a selection too and I tried on lots of non-lacey dresses too.

Hi , I didn't get my dress in Oxfordshire but up north where my mum lives !

however !!! I do live near Witney and two of my best friends got there wedding dresses there. One from proposals and the other from Mia Bridal !

I hope you find what your looking for ! I would also say don't say no to anything , try on everything you can ( even if it is lace ) you may be surprised ! I went in thinking I knew what I wanted and came out something different that made me cry lol xxx

Mae sorry ! X

I live in Reading and had good service in both Bride to Be and Perfection Bridal. I didn't buy my dress from either of these (I found The One in Windsor) but the ladies there were lovely and the dresses beautiful.

Also, with regards to OH not liking lace, as others said, men know very little about this stuff, so don't discount them without trying.

Good luck

I'm no help because I don't live in those areas but I have to say I agree with not taking your OHs opinion tooo seriously! I remember my OH saying he hated Kate Middleton's dress at the royal wedding because it was lace.. well my dress is lace! It's beautiful and I feel special, confident and comfortable in it! I'm sure he'll love it too

Hello!

I have got my dress from Ellie Sanderson in Oxford and I couldn't recommend highly enough. Lovely, friendly girls who really really know their stuff. I am famously awful at decisions and hate my figure, but they managed to help me enjoy an experience I was not looking forward to at all! I loved it. The dresses are beautiful too.

I also went to a lovely shop in Stow on the Wold, called The White Room and they were lovely too.

Have a great time and DEFINITELY try on some lace xx