Top Tips & Tricks of the Trade
1. When you start to plan your wedding - set up an email address especially for the wedding. This keeps all your suppliers in one place!
2. Give some serious thought to WHO & HOW MANY you ask to be in your wedding party. They do have a job to do, both in the lead up to the wedding & on the day! (not just to look good).
3. Ask for colour swatches of your bridal & bridesmaids gowns - these will prove essential when colour co-ordinating.
4. If your bridal gown has a lace trim on the hem line - ask if it can come separately. This can help reduce alteration charges.
5. Decide in advance who will help you get into your bridal gown on the big day. Ideally bring them with you to your final dress fitting.
6. If your dress has buttons down the back - a crochet hook will be your best friend when getting dressed! It pulls the loops over the buttons easily without snapping them (or damaging your nails!)
7. Create a checklist of the key photos that you would like to have taken on the day - its amazing how often full length photos of the bridal gown (back & front) get forgotten, or grandma manages to hide!
8. Don't panic about going to the loo in your dress - step on to the loo so to speak (face the wall) & then your train is always behind you.
9. Try & take a little time out with your new HUSBAND/WIFE on the day - even if its just a walk in the garden.
10. & most importantly - the day will absolutely fly by, so relax & enjoy yourself!
If you have a lace up gown:
- You will need to completely undo the lace up to get into the dress properly - no cheating!
- Try to take someone with you to your final fitting, so they can practice
- Undo most of the lace up the night before, so on the big day you aren't rushing
- Leave enough time on the morning to get into the gown - it takes longer than you think! We recommend about 30 minutes
- Attach safety pins to the ends of the lace up, to make it easier to pull through the corset loops
- You lace up from top to bottom, so make sure the length is even each side before starting
- As you go adjust the laces to make sure they lie flat & aren't twisted
- Initially just lace up the gown, then you can tighten afterwards
- To tighten, again start from the top & pull each section one by one. Repeat if needed
- Make sure to tie the ends in a secure knot
- YouTube has some great easy to follow tutorials, like this one Tie a lace up back
How to tie a wedding ruche:
- It's easier than it looks - we promise!
- You will need to wear a waistcoat with these types of tie
- If you don't want a to wear a waistcoat, use an ordinary tie instead
- Start with the right side facing up, and make each side even
- These wedding ruches tie with the same steps as ordinary ties
- Keep one side of the tie still, and one side "working" - the "working" side is the only side to move
- Wrap the "working" side round the other side twice, then pull up the back of the tie, and tuck down through the fold at the front
- As you are tying, make sure to not pull too tight, keep the knot fairly loose
- We suggest you tie each others, not your own - it's easier
- Make sure to keep the knot nice and big as you tighten, and adjust the knot to hide the top button of your shirt
- Tuck the excess length into your waistcoat
- Again YouTube is a great source of tutorials, like this one How to tie a wedding ruche