Perditas Wedding Shoes

Here's a brilliant tip for you all! The web shop Perditas Wedding Shoes has a lovely selection of shoes for your big day ranging from wellington boots to ugg style boots to sandals. The shop is arranged according to heel size, so you can easily find the kind of shoe you are after. So there is no need to trawl through shoes you couldn't even walk in.

Not only that, but they offer two additional services to make your shoes the perfect fit for you. The Colour Studio will dye your shoes the perfect colour, may it be green, red, blue or gold. They also offer to colour shoes not bought from their web shop and they can turn normal shoes into white bridal bliss for your feet!

The other service is the Design Studio where they will

enhance your shoe with genuine Swarovski Crystals or diamonds. So if your a bling bling kind of girl looking for sparkly heels, this is one way to do it.

I haven't personally tried this store, neither their online shop nor the show room in Stoke on Trent, but I am very impressed with what they seem to offer. Free UK delivery sweetens the deal further. When I get around to buying shoes I'll be sure to pop back for another look at what they have to offer.

Mori Lee Dream

Here is another beauty from Mori Lee. This dress is, for me, super bridal. How I imagine a bride if I was to picture one in my head. I'm in love with the lace bodice, the waist band and how the lace crawls down over the skirt. I know from experience that A-line dresses suits my figure extremely well. The trail is a bit longer that what I would want for an outdoor wedding, but other than that, this dress is a keeper. I can't help but being very tempted. I can see myself in this dress, with a veil, on my wedding day. That doesn't happen too often, 'cause even though I might like a dress, I can't see myself wearing it. Me want! Gimme, gimme gimme! At the moment I don't have enough money to buy normal clothes, so a wedding dress is of course out of the question for now, but this is definitely put on my favorite list.

Beautiful Dress

Had this dress had a bit more delicate lace on the bodice, it would have been perfect. A lovely dress ever the less and definitely deserves a mentioning. It's a China dress, which also puts me off, but I love the style. I think it would suit me very well.

Photo from: http://www.brollopstorget.se/Forum-1-81/m4010752.html

Two dresses in One

There is a current trend of having not one, but two wedding dresses. One dress for the wedding day (ceremony and photos) and another for the wedding night (dinner and party). Personally, I feel I would want to wear my wedding dress all day long, because let's face it, you'll never wear it again. However if I was to have two dresses, this would be it.

It's a very clever combi-dress with a detachable ball gown skirt from Mori Lee. I love the dress, and the detachable skirt is just an added bonus. I would get this, not to change during my dinner, but so that even after the wedding day I could use me dress. The dress above changes into this little number:

An absolutely stunning, knee-length, lace dress, that I would have bought if I'd seen it in a store. I love how clever this dress is and how well the ball gown skirt fits on the bodice. You'd never know that it wasn't just one dress. This dress get's the highest score for me. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to retail anywhere in Europe apart from one tiny outlet in Spain. Just my luck.

Papilio

Here are some absolutely gorgeous wedding dresses by Papilio, the designer who made my dream dress. I'd happily wear any of these for my big day. There is something about his designs that is oh-so appealing to me. I also love the styling the 'brides' have been given. Hair and makeup are divine. Anyone have a few thousand pounds spare?

Lace Shoes

Lace is ultra feminine and a new love of mine. There are plenty of lace shoes out there for brides to pick from. Here are just a few selections.

By Lily

By Augusta Jones

By Diane Hassall

New Designer: Claire Pettibone

This is a new designer for me. Her name is Claire Pettibone and she makes ultra feminine lace gowns. I am in love with the dress in the top photo! Her dresses range in price from £1600 to upwards of £3250, which put them firmly out of my budget. I can't help loving her work though. Her dresses are everything I want in a wedding dress: feminine, lacey, understated elegance... simply wow.

The Previously Secret Perfect Dress Revealed

I've had a long hard think about the dress that I've mentioned here, here and here and have decided to let it go, thus showing it here on the blog. I know that it won't be my dress on the big day for many reasons; you can't order it online and it's only sold in a few selected countries around the world, it's most likely in the price range of a couple of grand which is a price I'm not willing to pay and a copy from China wouldn't look nearly as good.

I love this dress for many reasons, but mostly for the back. I love the floral decoration and the see-through fabric. the delicate buttons and the swirly shoulder straps. I know that the first th

ing David fell in love with was my back and I think he would have loved seeing me in a dress like this. I also love the simple, but elegant flow to the fabric, the almost-not-there train, how the floral decorations nips in at the front by the waist and the pearls and flowers. I love the cut of the neckline.

There is nothing I don't love. Except the price. And the fact it's practically unobtainable. And I can't try it on. And I'm slightly worried that the dress would be unflattering if you don't have a completely flat tummy. But other than that...

I'll find something I'll like just as much, I'm sure. But this was the first dress I fell for completely. Papilio is a true artist. Bye Bye dress, may you make some other bride happy...

Flower Crowns

When I first started looking at dresses and outfits for the big day I was dead set on something royal and fit for a castle. However after spending a lot of time finding out what kind of wedding would be right for us I have found that this royal look would feel totally out of place.

At the moment we are looking at an outdoor, relaxed summer wedding. Decorated with buntings and wild flowers, with a buffet of gorgeous summer food. So naturally my outlook on how I want to look as a bride has changed dramatically. I now would like to look like a beautiful nymph, understated, elegant and one with nature. THE dress that I'm still in love with, is actually from a collection called 'Nymph'.

These flower crowns/wreaths would complete the look nicely. My mum actually suggested for me to have flowers in my hair when we talked about the wedding (I don't like to talk to much about it with family and friends as I don't want their opinions to override ours), but at the time I rejected the idea. I didn't think it was elegant enough (at this stage I was still thinking royal castle). Maybe mums do know best? Anyway, at the moment I do really like the free spirited look of the women above. With the right kind of dress and in the right setting, it would be beautiful.

Justin Alexander

This is an adorable dress by Justin Alexander. I love the floral top, the tulle skirt and the waist band. Its available in the colours Natural/Ivory and Natural/Coffee (which is pictured above). I'm actually really digging the coffee colour on this dress and could see myself wearing it. It feels perfect for a garden wedding as it's tea length and I wouldn't have to worry about dragging a train on the dirty ground. I love the 50's style and think it feels very bridal even though it isn't floor length. With the right jewellery and a gorgeous salon made hair-do this would be a dream. Retails for about £1000.

Still Perfect

I still can't let go of the dress I found yesterday. It might be a really bad thing, as I don't want to get hung up on something I can't get. But I haven' seen anything like it anywhere else. I have done more research and still can't find any prices. I have found a website that does copies of designer dresses and where a copy of this dress is reasonably priced. But I'm really worried that they would ruin the design as it's so delicate. Even if it's a good price for a wedding dress I'm not in a position where I can spend money on something that might turn out to be an unusable train wreck. I'm not even suppose to have found THE dress yet. Our wedding is too far away for me to buy anything that important. I was only looking for inspiration. Hopefully my love for this dress will dwindle with time, as things usually do. If you, like me at the moment, have absolutely no money to spare, you simply can't get hooked on things. I can't afford to buy anything right now and definitely not a designer wedding dress. But I guess a girl can dream...

Perfection

I have found a dress that I have fallen head over heals from. It's perfection. I don't want to put a picture up incase this is THE dress in which case David can't see it before the wedding. It gives me butterflies in my tummy just thinking about it. Unfortunately I don't think I can get it in UK or in Sweden, so I would have to order it from another country. I can also not find a price for the dress, which probably means it's way over my budget. And I really can't justify buying something costing thousands of pounds. Or more. If possible I wouldn't mind getting it second hand. Or I might even stretch to getting a copy made for me, although I doubt a copy would be as gorgeous. In any case, I'm gonna let slip that it's from a Russian designer called Papilio who makes the most elegant and sophisticated dresses. I'm drooling over his collections. Literally.

Who doesn't want to be a princess??

I can't remember wanting to be a princess growing up, like little girls so often do. But I certainly wouldn't mind feeling like a princess for my wedding day. When I found out that Alfred Angelo has realised a Disney collection of wedding dresses I just had to take a closer look. All I can say is Oh My Gosh! The dresses seem to be taken straight from my dreams. They really are that gorgeous. My favourites are 'Snow White' (top) and 'Cinderella' (bottom). I really want to go and try these beauties on. The best part is that they are not even that expensive. The collection is priced at an affordable £370-£800 (at least in the states). Have a look at thesefairytale dresses! I would love to wear them on my wedding day.

Update: British websites seem to have bumped up the prices slightly, with the Snow White gown coming in at £999.

Different style of dress

There is something absolutely angelic about this dress. It's by Bari Jay and completely different from anything I have looked at before. It's beautiful, but I don't know if it would be for me?

Dream Wedding

It's fun to dream and I don't think you ever do it so much as when you are planning a wedding. At the moment, when I imagine the perfect wedding, it would be something like this:

A dress and hair-do like this:

(found at: http://tinyurl.com/6j7vghs)

Wedding Ceremony here:

(from: http://weddingblogs.biz/outdoor-weddings)

Wedding Reception here:

(from: http://tinyurl.com/6hynegf)

Wedding buffet might look like this:

(found at: http://tinyurl.com/6br47do)

Short Wedding Dresses - Hot or Not?

I can't decide if I really like or really hate the idea of a short wedding dress. The short dress is far more practical. You can move around with ease, you don't have to worry about stepping on your trail and you don't have to have someone correct the way the dress falls. It's even possible to wear it after the wedding. Dye it another colour even.

But, I don't think its as glamourous as a long wedding dress. It doesn't scream bride in the same way and if we're honest, how many times in your life can you get away with wearing a long dress? With a trail?

A short dress is probably easier to find for a cheaper price as there is less fabric involved. And if you pair it with a veil and a killer pair of shoes, it might look nice enough for a bride? The jury is out on this one... for now.

Update: David thinks short wedding dress on me is a no-no, so I will stick with the traditional length. At least one of us know for sure!

The China Option

I'm member of an online Swedish wedding forum, and on this forum there are hundreds of brides who are ordering their wedding dress from china. Made to your measurements and very cheap, usually between £50-£200. Here's my problems with this option:

1. The working conditions for the workers are probably horrible.
2. Something so cheap can't possibly be of very good quality.
3. There has been horror stories of things not being delivered on time.
4. I have also heard stories were the final dresses look nothing like the ones on the pre-order pictures.

For someone like me, who is an organisation and planning freak, this option feels very unsafe. If it does work out, it's amazing. Just look at the pictures above. You could get beautiful dresses for very little money. But it still feels very unsafe. Too unsafe? I think so.

Photos from: http://www.dhgate.com and http://www.littlecoral.com/

My 1st day of Wedding dress shopping

Last Thursday was an amazing day. It was the first time I got to try on wedding dresses and for the first time it all felt real. My mum, sister and my friend had come over from Sweden and came with me to the bridal shops.

Our first stop was Browns Bride on 12 Hinde Street, London. Exquisite store, with amazing bridal wear. We were greeted by the lovely lady who was going to serve me. Unfortunately I can remember her name, but she was the perfect attendant. Made us feel very comfortable and not a hint of pushiness. We were taken to one of several private changing rooms, where I had my own massive mirror and my family could sit comfortably in a designer sofa sipping complementary pink champagne. I was given a glass of champagne as well, but I was scared to death about spilling any of it on any of the dresses, so I didn't end up having more than a mouthful. I tried on somewhere between 5 and 10 dresses. The attendant was happy bringing me any dress I wanted as well as a selection of veils. I tried on an amazing dress by Carolina Herrera for staggering £8000+. It was absolutely gorgeous and probably my second or third favourite. My family however, thought it ate me up, drawing all eyes to the dress and not to me. In the end I absolutely feel in love with a dress by Delphine Manivet for £4300. Well over my budget, but maybe it's possible to find something similar but cheaper? Or even ask someone to make me a copy? I also loved a veil by Tony Federicci for £960 that my attendant match to the dress. I left the store feeling giggly and very bridal.

The next stop was HoF's Bridal Room. Completely different experience. It's one big room with all the dressing rooms next to each other, so there is zero privacy. Two big mirrors, although the lighting above one of them was broken, so all the four brides that were there flocked to the same mirror. The dresses were of a lot poorer quality, but what can you expect for prices ten times less?? They were also a bit worn out and some had makeup stains and were discoloured from hanging in the light for such a long time. I tried on five or six dresses here. Found it hard to find dresses I really liked. In the end I had three dresses I liked by Tom Flowers, Augusta jones and Rosetta Nicoloni, the last one being my favourite. Prices between £1299 and £1849.

Shopping for a wedding dress is a tricky thing. There needs to be a balance between what makes you feel beautiful and exclusive and what price you are willing to pay. I think £1200 for a wedding dress is still pretty steep. My dream budget would be under £500.

After a quick search online, I've found several of HoF's Bridal Room dresses on second hand sale. That is definitely an option. But it's early days. We'll just have to wait and see.

Pretty shoes

Lovely wedding shoes. I'm not really a fan of peep-toe shoes, but I couldn't resist these. So feminine and classic. I really love them. They cost £110.

Appointments booked

Today I've been into central London and booked a couple of appointments for me and my mum, sister and friend to look at wedding dresses. I feel so excited!

I originally wanted to book appointments with London Brides, but they turned out to not exist. At the address given on their website was a shop selling sofas. I walked up and down the street and even ventured down a couple of side streets, but to no use. Such a shame. I have heard good reviews and the website seems good. Have they moved? Gone bankrupt?

I also wanted to, and did, book, an appointment with Collezione Sposa, but decided to cancel it. If was truly looking to buy a dress, I might have kept it, but the boutique looked horrible. Over-stocked with dresses, barely room for me and the shop keeper, never mind the people I wanted to bring along. They need a bigger shop.

I did end up booking an appointment with Browns Bride. I was not going to go to this shop, but I had it recommended by someone at my fiancés workplace, so I decided to drop in. Such a lovely shop. Large space taking up several rooms, beautiful decor, lovely seats for family+friends, great dresses (although they are probably too expensive for me, but I'm just trying stuff on for fun at the moment, so who cares!) and friendly staff. They did charge £25 for a consultation fee, but I thought that was okay, considering the amazing dresses I get to try on.

I also booked an appointment with House of Fraiser's Bridal Room on Oxford Street. Very strong department feeling, but I still found the staff nice and the dresses good enough to book an appointment.

Hopefully it will be a fun day. I can't wait. Bring on Thursday!