The Bride's Dress

Choosing the right wedding dress is one of the most daunting decisions you will have to make. What you choose will affect how you feel on the day, and you will be permanently reminded of your choice in years to come by all your wedding photographs.

You will need to start looking for your dress 6-9 months before your wedding - ready-to-wear bridal retailers do not, as a rule, hold stock; the dresses on display are for clients to try and then order which can take several weeks, or even months.

Bear in mind that most bridal shops will require an appointment, especially if you visit them at the weekend or evenings. If you're planning on visiting several shops in one day, make sure you leave plenty of time between each appointment - trying on dresses takes far longer than you can imagine, and is remarkably tiring. Even if you do end up with some spare time in between, you'll be glad of a chance to sit down, relax, and enjoy a cup of coffee!

Finding a Dress in the Sale

Many retailers sell off their display stock in January and February and it is possible to find real bargains. Most of the display stock offered at reduced prices will have been on the rails for a few weeks, or even months, but the retailer will almost certainly arrange for a dress to be cleaned for you, if it guarantees a sale. Cleaning and alterations may be charged as extras, over and above the price of the gown, so you should ask for prices before agreeing to a sale.

Hire dresses are often sold at the end of the season, sometimes by the hire company direct and sometimes through dress agencies, which is a good way of acquiring a very expensive dress at a fraction of its original cost.

Hiring a dress

Wedding dresses can also be hired for the day. Most companies will hire out each wedding dress three or four times: the first person to hire will pay around 50-60 % of the retail value, the second around 30-40% and third and fourth about 25%.

You might not be able to find as much variety in style or design from amongst the hire ranges, as these dresses are generally of a simple design and made of washable fabrics, so you won't tend to find any lace, beadwork or embroidery.