Wedding Dress Trying On Issue

What i dilema, i understand where you are coming from in regards to wanting to try so many on and while in London it makes sense. Would you be able to book a second appoint for the Saturday if you are still in London and have time after or before you go to Browns?

15 dresses is quite a lot for 2 hours. Don't you want the time to really see yourself in them?

You might have to pick your favorites and work from there. Maybe you can arrange to go back if you don't have enough time? I know that might be expensive though... Sorry this isn't much help.

Im just thinking it may be difficult to make a decision if you're just jumping in and out of dresses without really spending enough time in them to have a proper look at yourself...

Someone recently posted a very beautiful Pronovias satin dress. i can't remember who, but it sounds like something you'd like. I'll have a look and see if i can find the thread...

Their dresses are lovely and very well made. I'm sure you'll have a fun day trying them on.

I tried on 10 in an hour on tuesday haha. I pretty much know as soon as it starts to go if am going to like or not. I will just pick my 6 and then if I got time I can try on others. Probably when I see them in person I won't like some of them. My friends in work till half 5 so she coming at 6pm just to see my favourite dresses. So I haven't got that whole thing of having to go out and show someone just look at it and take it in myself.

Regarding going back saturday its £30 to have an appointment on saturday. That's why i've booked the friday as its free. Am already paying £30 for Browns as that's always £30 any day of the week. I don't really wanna have to fork out another £30. Already costly paying for train up and probably eating out etc. Never been to london so kinda wanna do a bit of tourist stuff whilst there which cost a fortune. Still paying for the train £40 return is cheaper than petrol/trains to different places in north west when you add it up. Don't think can afford to go back again this year. And you have to order pronovias dresses 6 months before and it can take 6-8 weeks to alter. Getting married in june next year so really need to have it ordered end of october at the latest.

Not to be rude and I might have missed important information here as I'm on my phone but why would you pay for an appointment to go and try some dresses on? Also if your struggling to pay for train fares do you really want to buy a dress in a city you can't easily go back to if something is wrong I would want to buy my dress very local so if something wasn't quite right could easily go back particular with the prices you are looking at paying. Also if your so quick in and out of them how can you register them properly in your memory

Hm... i do have to agree with Lala. You need to be able to come back for alterations quite readily so if the train fare and appointment cost are a concern then that may be something to bear in mind?

Pronovias are an expensive brand. so you do want to make sure the dress is fitted by an expert at the shop. That means the cost of the alterations is going to be high. If you're struggling with the train fares that's something to bear in mind.

Are you sure there is nobody more local that stocks their dresses? it's quite far to come for the fittings and you might need a few...

if you don't mind me saying maybe the super quick decision is where you've struggled to find something? I think a dress looks very different when you've just put it on to when it's been properly put in place and held in the right places. When i first put my dress on i thought it was nice enough but not all that. As soon as she put the clamp things on i knew that it was the one. It was too big round the middle and the back so looked weird without being held in place.

I only tried on 5 dresses so i'm of little help to you i'm afraid. I just didn't try the ones i thought looked weirdy on the hanger. Haha! Probably not the best approach so don't follow my advice.

I think it's insane that they a) charge you to try dresses on and then b) only allow you to try on a certain number when you have paid for the privilege. I personally think the designer/company is obviously so up themselves they can't walk and I wouldn't give them the time of day. When I got my dress I walked into the shop with no appointment and was immediately welcomed, stayed for 3 hours to try as many dresses as I like (the shop was huge as well so I tried on tonnes)....that is service. Obviously it's up to you but I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of buying from a shop like that

Good luck though x

Am not buying my dress from London store. Reason am going there is they are a flagship store who have the whole collection rather than selected pieces that independent stock list boutiques have. As I said I've been to the pronovias stock list in liverpool and Manchester and they don't stock a lot of satin as it's not as popular. To order a dress from pronovias to that store (on loan) it costs £50. So it's therefore cheaper to travel to London and try on 6 that I like and when I find the one then I can order it in the liverpool store and have it altered there by their pronovias seamstress. I don't know if that makes sense.

I knows it's a cheek asking for £30 but that's just for Saturday in pronovias am going on the Friday so it's free. I think as they so busy and it's London they only allow you certain amount of time etc.

went to copplestones in liverpool today and the service was awful. No help at all woman just sat at her desk then tried to pressure me into buying a dress.

I normally end up picking around 10 and some are similar so I try a certain style on and know I generally rule out a couple dresses I've picked. For instance a few of the pronovias satin are like deep v neck (which probably look trashy on me) I've selected around 3 as my favourites but I know if I try one and I don't like the cut I can rule out the other 2. I just think you know when you found the one you like and then I spend more time in that. I am looking properly I've found a San Patrick dress I like and had it all pinned to my size but something just missing. You know when you think oh it's nice but it's not making you feel like oh god this is the one I've gotta have it. As I said I realised I like satin but there isn't much choice around.

Still gotta pay £30 for browns but then they are like 7k plus for dresses and you get champagne etc I heard. Just really for the posh experience. Oh and my mum is buying my dress and paying for alternations. The satin is cheaper than the lace buy nearly 1k as well. I've been looking on ebay and some of 2015 satin on there for £500 so even that's an option when I find the one I like.

Just to update incase anyone else thinking of going to the Pronovias London Flagship Store. I highly recommend it. I soon realised that 15 dresses was excessive. I narrowed it down to my top 6 favourite. Disaster struck getting to London. I booked my appointment as you know for 5pm on the Friday (as you have to pay Saturday and shut Sunday). I was already pushing it with my train arriving at 4.30pm at Euston (Any earlier trains were triple the price) but would make it on time with a bit to spare. Anyway my train was cancelled and the next one would mean I wouldn't get into Euston until 5pm. Pronovias don't ever answer the phone (only gripe) so I rang them 4 times to inform them but no luck. I'd also thought that my appointment was only till 6pm (it wasn't they are open till 6.30pm) and thought i'd have 30 mins if that to try dresses on and I already wanted to try more on than they allow. I felt sick but what could I do? Got to London at 5pm nearly had a panic attack rushing to the underground (never been to London before and my friend was in work so couldn't meet me till 5.30pm). Seriously using the tube at 5pm going from Euston and getting off at Oxford Circus is horrendous especially with bags and trying to rush to bond street.

Got to Pronovias at 5.30pm, felt ashamed. The weather was boiling hot (can tell am from up north haha) and I was dripping with sweat in a very posh shop (Also had my card declined at harrods the same weekend the shame, never in my life has my card declined and decides to happen in Harrods of all places). I thought the girl on reception would be angry at me arriving late and snotty (the reviews for the shop are terrible saying they are snotty and unhelpful, and I mean terrible reviews). However she was lovely and even apologised for my train and got me some water and told me to take a seat. My consultant came to greet me and was lovely, we went on the computer and picked out the styles I liked (my dressing room wasn't working for some reason) and she was open to let me say as many dresses i'd like to try on and encouraged me to say if I liked more. We just put stars next to the one's I really loved so I defo had time to try them on. I even asked could I try on the Elie Saab Monet (think its about £8000) she did ask about my budget which I lied about because no way on this earth could I afford it but wanted to try it on. She wasn't rude about my budget and didn't press about it just let me know that it was a lot more expensive than the normal range.

Anyway she was lovely and very helpful couldn't fault her, one of the nicest shops I've been to if not the nicest. I tried around 7-8 dresses on and took my time in all of them. Some of them I could basically say no to straight away as they where just to low cut or not to my liking. It was funny every dress I tried on I loved more than the last and me and my friend where saying this is the one and then I'd try the next one and be like actually this is the one. In the end I did find what possibly is the one (the issue is i'd be happy to wear any the dresses i'd pick as all lovely) it was the Pronovias Dalamo and I nearly didn't try it on as it was leaning away from strapless. I tried the Elie Saab Monet on afterwards and glad I did. It was very similar bottom wise to the Dalamo and quality wise but the top had way to much going on. It was a very pretty dress but not worth the price tag and not as nice.

So if anyone is thinking of going to the Bond Street Store do, they are lovely and the dresses are beautiful. My appointment finished at 6.30pm (i'd actually tried on all the dresses I wanted to) and we still were allowed to browse the store and weren't rushed out it was great.

Now I've gotta decide between the Dalamo Satin and the Pergola Lace. Got another issue now is that no where in the north west stocks Dalamo to try on a show my mum and bridesmaids (I plan to buy a sample or pre-owned dress as my mum paying for my dress). I haven't seen it on ebay the last couple months either but the pergola is always on ebay and for a good price. Plus I still love beaded cap sleeves and I don't think it will work with the Dalamo. Also am selling my dress after I've worn it and I don't think the Dalamo would sell as well as the Pergola. Sometimes you have to weigh all this up in whats the more sensible option. I just wish I could have a satin bottom as I love the material. Maybe I will really fall for the pergola like the dalamo in a better shop (as last time the women was extremely rude and put me off).

I'm glad you had such a good experience in the end! I've just googled the dresses and they're both beautiful. The only thing I would say is that the Pronovias pictures showing the model with her hands in her pockets looks dreadful. I know if I had pockets I would use them, so there's no point me entertaining a dress with pockets - but you might be totally different! The Pergola is my favourite of the two though, even if I ignore the pockets

Good luck choosing, they would both be stunning.

Happy to hear it went well!

I absolutely love love love the dalamo! I'm a big fan of pockets though

I know you want to be sensible and think of the resale but with decisions like this sometimes you have to go with your heart. Don't get a dress that you like second best because you think it will be easier to sell, get it because you love it. There may well be another bride out there like you desperate for a less popular dress to appear!

I decided to go for the dalamo. I went and tried on the pergola in Bolton (can't get hold of dalamo anywhere in north west) and it just wasn't right. I so wished it to be amazing on me but the colour off white does nothing for me and neither does lace. I just tried on a satin pronovias for comparison and it has to be satin. My mum and bridesmaids really love barcaza (think that's the name) which is satin high neck. I plan to have the lower drop waist on it highered but I think I prefer the dalamo as it's more romantic. Just really hard as no one but me and my bridemaid in London has seen it. I've contacted my local pronovias stock lister about hiring it in for £50. Going to wait till end of November to order it in. The problem is wanting to buy it 2nd hand but only person selling it at the moment is in Scotland which is just a bit to far to ask people to travel for a dress I may not even want. If I can't find it by November am ordering it into the shop and buying it there as u need to order it at least 6 months before from pronovias and then allow a month for alterations at least. Mums said she pay the extra as long as I pay for alternation. She was going to pay £1000 for dress and alteration. Don't think I can afford alteration but will have to see if can scrap something together.

You may not need that many alterations when the dress arrives. I had to be pinned and padded into the sample gown when I was dress shopping for my first wedding, and was expecting loads of alterations to need doing, but once my dress arrive it pretty much fitted like a glove. If you are expecting to need lots of alterations, why not make a list of what you think you might need, get a photo of the dress from online, and get quotes from independent seamstresses while you're waiting for the dress to come in? They're likely to be cheaper than a bridal shop. Alternatively, you could try haggling with the bridal shop to get them to throw in the alterations at a reduced cost or free when you buy the dress.

I think I will be going to an independent seamstress anyway. I want some form of beaded or jewelled cap sleeve adding to the dress and not sure if I want it making into a sweetheart yet. So I think that alternations will cost quite a bit. Can't really find just detachabled beaded cap sleeves in uk its a pain.