Embark on Your Gown Journey at Our Salon

How far in advance should a bride start shopping for her dress?

A great question and one we are asked all the time.

We recommend starting at least 12 months ahead of the wedding day for a more relaxed bridal experience. This will allow enough time to explore our entire collection of gowns from each designer and to lock in the dream gown and have it fitted perfectly for your big day without rushing.

Every place can have a slightly varied timeline compared to us, but here at Bluebell Bridal®, most of our designers need about 6-8 months to create a made-to-order gown in a set size. We then recommend allowing about 10 weeks prior to your wedding day to have the time to get your gown fitted beautifully. This time frame allows you 2 months to explore different gowns and boutiques.

If a bride has missed the ideal timeline for dress shopping, is it too late?

Luckily, Bluebell Bridal’s list of amazing designers offers, in most cases, two streams of rush orders, which means for a fee, an expedited service is provided to ensure a bride has her chosen style for her special day. Rush orders can range from 2 weeks to 18 weeks, with fees varying between designers.

The key is that we don’t want our brides to think, “Oh no, my wedding is under 12 months…. Have I left it too late?” – No worries.

If a bride is getting married in under 9 months, we can still offer standard delivery with most of our designers.

There may be a few designers that are unable to do so, which limits your gown selection choices. However, if you are open to exploring your options, we can definitely find a gown.

When a dress arrives, how much time should be allowed for dress alterations, and do you offer this service?

Bluebell Bridal® has an incredible team of alterations specialists who take our brides from their gown selection through to the day they leave our doors for the last time to marry. It provides peace of mind to know that they will have the perfect fitting gown on their wedding day.

Each gown is sewn by the person who pins the gown – no gown leaves our salon without all the work being undertaken on our premises.

The alterations process is a significant aspect of the bridal journey that often requires attention. It is important to remember that bridal sizes may differ from street fashion sizes, so it’s normal to require some alterations to achieve that dream fit.

Our skilled team works with brides who have purchased their gown from our salon along with brides who have purchased externally, so they really are the experts in the field.

Working closely with the bride and her specific needs, we generally start the alterations process about 10 weeks ahead of the wedding day and spread the appointments over this time to ensure a perfect fit. Having said that, we have had instances whereby we have altered gowns only weeks ahead of the wedding and accommodate wherever we can, but the team books up well ahead, especially during peak wedding season, so forward booking is advised.

How many alterations can you expect to schedule across the gown process?

Following the first alterations consultation, the bride and their specialist work together to book follow-up appointments. We work with care and are meticulous, so generally, an additional 3 appointments are required.

What should brides consider when dress shopping?

The wedding dress is possibly the most iconic piece of fashion garment a bride will wear for her entire life. We all know and feel the pressure of making sure the perfect dress is chosen.

We take this big moment and make it a simple decision for you and fun… consider these factors:

1. Wedding date – this is important for obvious reasons; you want to make sure you can get the dress on time. By having your date set, this will help guide you as to what gowns are available and what timeline works best for you. This will also help you think about what style of dress could work as the date will determine the season – will you be having a summer wedding or a winter wedding?

2. Wedding Venue – we recommend having your venue set as this will also further assist in creating a vision of your dream dress. It also makes a big difference when saying ‘Yes’ to your gown as once you have fallen in love with a gown, you can envision the dress at your venue and in the setting. It really brings the whole gown image to life!

3. Think about your bride personality. We like to think that your wedding dress should be a representation of you as a person… but more elevated. After all, when do you ever get to wear a beautiful gown again? You need the gown to reflect your personal style and not feel like you are playing dress-ups. Do your research. Look on the websites to see what designers are available in each boutique, and if you have any questions about styling or pricing, don’t be shy to reach out.

Here at Bluebell Bridal®, we host an array of designers that have a collection with different silhouettes to help brides determine what shape works for them if you are uncertain. But always keep focused on your vibe and the style of the wedding when trying on gowns.

What are some of your most popular brands or style of gown at the moment?

Each brand in our salon has what we call a singular voice, so each designer sits comfortably side by side on our racks without duplicating a style. It provides a feast of gown opportunity for our brides to explore a range of modern to slightly more traditional and explore multiple designers under one roof – they love this and have told us many times.

Our collection is fashion-forward, glamorous, yet chic.

We love all of our designers I honestly couldn’t choose, including Alex Perry, Ella Moda, Hera Couture, Maticevski, Prea James, Popovski, Sassi Holford and Caroline Castigliano

What can brides expect from their appointments with Bluebell Bridal® ?

A curated experience with a leading industry professional. Our styling team accompanies each bride throughout their entire bridal journey, making the experience unforgettable.

We offer two styling appointments. For brides who know they will need extra time and a more serene salon atmosphere, we offer 2-hour weekday appointments. For a higher vibe, we offer 90-minute Saturday appointments.

Attentive and knowledgeable, our styling experts are also fashion and sewing trained, so they offer the most valuable advice to our brides as they understand fit and design like no other people in the industry – we believe. To have the combined skill of styling and sewing provides not only accurate information but also much-needed peace of mind for our brides.

What should a bride bring along to their appointments?

This is an important factor as the people you bring with you to your appointment need to be able to help you with your dress decision and not hinder it.

The bridal gown journey can be a process, so if you choose to bring people with you to your appointment, you want them to be able to be supportive, honest, and share the same gown vision as what you are looking for. While it’s nice to share your gown with everyone, sometimes it’s more special to just have a select few with you when you lock in your dress and surprise the rest! The rest of your tribe can also come join for a second styling appointment or when you come in to collect your dress.

The bridal gown journey can be a process, so if you choose to bring people with you to your appointment, you want them to be able to be supportive, honest, and share the same gown vision as what you are looking for. While it’s nice to share your gown with everyone, sometimes it’s more special to just have a select few with you when you lock in your dress and surprise the rest! The rest of your tribe can also come join for a second styling appointment or when you come in to collect your dress.

Can we talk about trends – what’s very ‘now’ and what embodies the modern Bluebell bride?

The biggest trend is the change of gown to mini for the reception parties. In line with our modern brides who want the glamour of the ceremonial gown but the freedom to kick up their heels – or bejewelled sneakers when the champagne pours.

This means our brides can go “all out” for their ceremonial gown and now look at ball gowns with textured fabrics like jacquard, floral organza, and Italian lace. That said, sleek Midis are on the rise for more relaxed weddings, with the biggest trend being ruched gowns.

In addition, it is so wonderful to see the return of Chantilly lace-edged veils – feminine and a lovely finish to any wedding day look. Another hot trend is sleek long tulle sleeves.

Written by The Ivory Tribe