Planning a wedding is a beautiful experience but can also be quite stressful. The pressure to find the “perfect” dress can be quite overwhelming. With so many options available, where does an expectant bride begin her search for what could arguably be the most important dress of her life.
We chatted to youtubber and bride-to-be Nydia Nel about her dress shopping experience.
Nydia describes shopping for her wedding dress as exhilarating, confusing and addictive.
“My heart sank when the two – hour appointment was over”
After a year of dreaming and searching, saving pictures on Pinterest and scouring every Bridal magazine possible, she was still surprised by the range of emotions that overcame her.
Nadia has officially said yes to the dress at Whimsical Exclusive Bridal which stocks designer brands such as Enzoani and Rebecca Ingram. She was torn by the idea of getting her dress custom made or just hiring one. She knew exactly what she was looking for but also wanted the full experience of trying on different styles and making sure she had the perfect design. Scared of rushing into the decision to have the dress custom made, she opted to try on a few dresses before committing.
The first thing she did was estimate a budget and one of her darling bridesmaids helped to scout a few bridal boutiques close to home. She settled on Whimsical bridal after her bridesmaid mentioned that her dream dress was on the website. She booked an early morning fitting and was on her way to finding “the dress”.
She noted that Whimsical charges a fitting fee of R300. (Most bridal boutiques charge an appointment or fitting fee as they provide a private consultation where your needs are looked after. Some places might limit the number of dresses you can try on as well. So make sure to find out before you book).
Whimsical bridal is an owner operated bridal boutique and Nadia describes her experience as unique from the moment she walked in. Her consultant warmly greeted her on arrival and took her to the petite section (they have two sections voluptuous and petite). She provided her consultant with her wedding details, a general description of what she likes and her budget.
Nydia was then ushered into the fitting room and robed. Nydia pulled out the magazine cut out of her dream dress, her consultant presented her with her dream dress and lets just say it was everything she had imagined.
She added that her consultant got her to try on other dresses first which was a clever way of giving her the full experience and allowing her to try out different styles.
She tried out eight dresses but she still didn’t feel like a bride. Until…. She tried on her dream dress…
I walked up to the mirror and for first time in my life I saw myself as a bride, I instantly started crying and so did everyone around me…
Her dream dress was slightly out of budget but ultimately it was the one…
Watch this space to find out what dress Nydia choose.
Nydia’s tips for shopping your dream dress:
- Budget is key, as it will help you find refine your search
- Take a strapless Bra
- If you have already found your perfect bridal shoes, make sure you take them with you
- Try on everything, you just might be surprised
- Do your research
- MAKE SURE you can sit down comfortably in your dress
You can follow Nadia’s journey to I do on youtube and follow her on Instagram @nelnydia
