OT and rather cheeky but would really appreciate help!

Done for you ... good luck!

Done by me too.

I found that the bridal shops seemed to carry a loarger selection of smaller gwns. I'm a size 12 dress from normal shops but found many dresss I wanted to try on I couldn't get anywhere near me. The first shop I picked partly due to it having "dream dress" in it and I wanted to try it on but squeeze as I might, i couldn't get it on enough to see if it suited me so dream dress has to go off the wish list.

The other thing i'd say would be to try and stock different designers to nearby shops. I wanted to try on a range of dresses and if 2 shops near to eachother stock the same designer then there was less choice. The first shop I went to was a big Maggie stockist but the second didn't. In fact, it stocked many desginers I'd not really heard of but had some georgeous dresses.

One last comment would be about seating and the size of the changing rooms. The first shop I went to had nice large changing rooms but the second shop was quite small. The second didn't have a huge amount of seating for "guests" either.

Good luck Moya! I'd love to open up my own business so wish you all the best!!! ?

Thanks everyone whos done it so far, the results are looking exactly how i had wanted them which is great! And your feedback is all appreciated!

GeordieBarbie - The designers are something i have looked into in great detail and those im working with arent stocked at competitors shops so thats good, the designers also dont like too many in one area to avoid salons 'competiting'. The shop that has become available has a great space for a lovely big changing room, thats one of the reasons its so ideal!

All done, Good luck ?

All done x

Best of luck!

All done! good luck - how exciting x

Can I add that I really looked into hiring my dress but nowhere round us did that...

One of the reasons I got my dress from the shop I did was because they do alterations free. feel when you're paying as much as I am you should walk away with a dress that fits.

HTH x

Done! Hope it helps

Done. hope it helps.

the most important things for me were that the shop stocked dresses by the designers i wanted to try on. and in turn, they had dresses that i actually could try on (i'm a sz 18). i wasn't too fussed about all the champers and stuff like that, it would have actually made me feel uncomfortable as it feels like a sales ploy. i just wanted to try the dresses i wanted, be introduced to styles that might suit me, and all within budget, with no pressure to buy.

one thing that did influence me was the decor of the shop - if it looked really grotty from the outside, my presumption was that it would be the same indoors - invariably i was right. there needs to be lots of light, space, not too many bookings at once, lots of mirrors and accessories so you can at least begin to picture what it might look like all together.

good luck!

Done.

I chose my shop (i tried the same dress on in 4 shops!) because of the look of the shop and smell of it! I went in one that smelt damp and it was really cold, i didn't want my dress to be in a cold shop! Also, they had a large dressing room away from the dresses so i could choose and go behind the curtain then into the seating area to show everyone, but not being in the middle of the shop (tbh i felt a bit of a tit in one shop as it was on the main road and i'm stood their in a dress for all to see!

Job done! Good luck!

Also... I chose my dress from a really chavvy looking shop that at first my Mum didn't even want to go into! However, it was the best because it had the widest range of styles, not just the usual styles and a variety of sizes (i.e. something smaller than a 12. It's very hard to imagine how a dress will look when you're size 6 and the dress is size 14)

I'm done - good luck - would love to do something like this but don't have the guts so really hope it works out for you

What i really liked about the shop i got my dress from was that i needed an appointment. I got 2 hrs and was just me and my mum and 2 shop assistants and i got to try on whatever i wanted. The assistants were also very good at suggesting dresses for my shape. (my dress i actually hated on the rack but they suggested i try it on and i loved it!!)

The dresses were all sample size (i'm an 18!!) but they were great with bits of elastic and pins so i had a good idea what they would look like for real.

They were also very up front with prices and wanted to know my budget straight away so i wouldn't end up disapointed.

The aftercare is great too - my mum is really struggling to fasten my dress (lace up) and so is going back to the shop for a lesson lol

x