Wedding Dress Regrets Last Forever...

Eliza's Story

Ever wondered if the wedding dress you wore or have chosen to wear is your exact perfect dream dress.  It is one of the hardest decisions to make and if not made carefully, could spell disaster and regrets.


Meet Eliza (name changed to protect identity) who wishes everyday that she had worn something different for her wedding but its about 3 years too late now.  Oh dear, maybe Steven (name changed to protect identity) would be open to a marriage blessing and then she can finally wear her dream dress.


Long before Steven proposed to Eliza, she knew what her dream wedding dress would look like.  She was sure it would be perfect for her and she knew what every last detail would be.  She wanted to look like a modern day princess.

The bodice would have been reminiscent of Grace Kelly’s wedding dress bodice: lightly beaded lace, high neck but with cap sleeves rather than long sleeves. The skirt would have been a duchess satin fitted mermaid skirt, ruched from the hips to just before the knees and then full flared and pleated from the knees to the hem. The dress would have been completed with pearly buttons at the back to cover the zip and a fully pleated, lightly beaded train.

Grace Kelly Wedding Dress

Eliza ended up wearing an all over lace, off shoulder A-line dress with a puddle train. The dress was OK and perhaps, someone else’s dream dress but it was not hers. She settled for this dress because she could not find her dream dress anywhere and the bespoke bridal shops she visited were too expensive.  Today, she looks at her wedding pictures with regret because she did not have her high neck lacy bodice and full mermaid skirt; two things she had wanted on her dress since she was 5. Your story does not have to be the same.

3 must know tips to find your own dream wedding dress

Your wedding is more important than you may think and the dress plays a big part of that wonderful day. This day is the one day when you have the absolute right to be the centre of attention and you should bask in this attention and enjoy it to the hilt. Wearing the perfect wedding dress for you, would enhance your confidence and help you to enjoy yourself without worrying about how you look.  Hopefully, these key tips would help you in your search to finding ‘the one’ wedding dress that you can look back on for years to come with happiness and satisfaction.

1. Your dream dress should be the one you dreamt about (or as close to it as can be achieved)…

… and I do mean day dream here and not the full on spiritual experience.

When that proposal comes, every girl becomes a fashion designer and visualises the exact dress she would love to wear and even though many people have said that what you initially picture in your head is not what you may wear or should wear, I believe that whatever it is you end up wearing should reflect what your vision was in the first place. Your instinct for what suits you and what you would feel comfortable and beautiful in should never be ignored.

Beyonce Knowles Wedding Dress

Word of Caution

Be realistic about what can and should be created for you.  I cannot promise you that this bridal ensemble worn by Beyonce Knowles for one of her many fantastic stage performances would be loved by all your guests or even by your groom.  However, if this is your dream look, then either go for it (if you are brave enough) or wear a dress that incorporates some of the detail and not others. 

Words of Advise

• Sketch your dream dress. Not everyone is a Monet or Van Gogh but it always helps to have a visual (no matter how crude) of what you envision your dress to be
• Visit some wedding shops to try on various styles that match your vision and others that don’t. This will help you narrow down what works and you may even find yourself redesigning your dream dress after you may have tried on some dresses you thought you would suit but didn't.

2. Your dream dress should suit your body shape 

4 Main Female Body Shapes

Determine what your body shape is and look for dresses that suit.  Look out for our blog post on the different wedding dress shapes and what body shapes look good in them. 

No girl should show off parts of her body that she is not entirely happy with so your dream dress should cover any lumps, bumps or skin problems that have made you self-conscious in the past.  The rule of thumb is to go for a dress that elongates you elegantly, enhances the best parts of your body and forgives the parts you wish to hide.

Word of Caution

Do not feel pressured into wearing the latest trend especially if it does not suit your body shape or skin tone. This would only spell heartbreak and pain.

Estilo Moda Bespoke Design 2010 (£550) 

Words of Advise

A good designer would be able to incorporate features of the most recent trends into your dress without compromising on the fit. For example, if you really want to wear a mermaid style but have some midriff bumps you would like to hide, you can incorporate side sweeping ruching or pleats which are winners for hiding bulk while minimising the waistline. 

3.       Your Dream Dress should be accessible and affordable

A dream dress would only ever remain a dream if you cannot afford it.  Remember that it’s a wedding dress and important as it is, it is not a matter of life and death so allow common sense to prevail within reason.

You have to do your homework and research extensively to find your dream wedding dress at a budget that makes it accessible to you and at an affordable rate. These days many girls buy dresses that they can ill afford and sometimes on credit. Then they suffer for it long after the wedding has come and gone.  Others do the extreme opposite and buy their dress for ridiculously low amounts from overseas and get stung very badly either by not getting a dress at all or getting a dress that’s not fit to wear. 

If you are unable to find a dress in the shops that ticks all the boxes for you, then a good option that has become the choice option for many brides who have decided not to settle is to have a bespoke dress created by a designer to whom you have easy access and can work closely with throughout the entire process.

Estilo Moda Bride 2012

Brides who come to us to have their dresses designed and created especially for them, have described the experience as simply delightful and the fact that they can achieve any design they desire and at a reasonable price excites them incredibly. The common feedback is that they are deeply satisfied that the choice of what they’ll be wearing was entirely theirs and not a decision borne of circumstance.

Word of Caution

Expensive or cheap, 65% of the newly wed ladies we questioned advised that the dress they chose was not their exact dream dress and ended up being a financial burden or a waste of money.  Double jeopardy is what I call this.

Words of Advise

You can get your own dream dress at a reasonable budget and we believe that you should.  Don’t ever settle for less. No matter how small the detail you will like to have or like to change, I say, ‘go for it’. It’s your wedding you should have your day your way, dress and all.

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If you have any tips to add to the ones we have given, please post these as comments to help other brides as well. We hope you enjoy reading this article and we would love to see your comments. 

In all, happy wedding planning.

Lisa xx

This blog entry comes free to you courtesy of Estilo Moda Bridal and Occasional Wear. Estilo Moda are designers of stunning bridal wear to suit your budget and taste. Other designers create a dress which you can decide is your dream dress. We create your exact dream dress and you decide every single detail and we achieve perfection every time. We are based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. www.estilomoda.co.uk 

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