Shopping for my Wedding Dress (Part Three)

So I went online this week to try and cure my wedding dress blindness and put together a coherent wedding Pinterest board to send to my wedding florist, Cate Wood who owns Flowers at 180. I had had a tweet from Oxfam who directed me to their second-hand wedding dress site after hearing about my wedding dress dilemmas. Initially, when we got engaged, I adamantly told people I would find my wedding dress in a charity shop and buy some designer shoes to go with it which I would wear again...and again...and again. Sustainable shopping is one of the pillars of The Wardrobe Angel and half my wardrobe is from charity shops so it just felt right to go down this route.

Then something happened:

My Mum very, very kindly offered to buy my wedding dress. 

She remembered shopping for her wedding dress with my Nana as a pivotal moment in their relationship. I'm only going to do this (get married) once: so this kind of enduring, wonderfully special memory, this mother/daughter experience of wedding dress shopping was something I realised I wanted too. As Rich and I planned the guest list and the congratulation cards rolled in late last year, I realised that I had just been going through wedding planning motions, I forgot (or didn't quite realise) how many other people were supporting us and loving us during this frankly awesome time. (And I wasn't about to start dragging my Mum round every Oxfam in the area - she would not have been into that at all!) So I put down my ideas of a thrifted dress and dove head first (albeit terrified) into the wedding dress experience.

Even though I'm committed to trying dresses on in person, feeling the garments, seeing how they looked on me rather than on a picture on a model online, I did find an immensely awesome, minimal stylish label called Houghton based in New York. I spent a good hour browsing the bridal collection wistfully imagining the slim fitting dresses pulling like an elastic band on my 28F chest, dragging miles of fabric behind me as I'm at least a whole person shorter than the models. This was my wake-up call - yes the Houghton dresses are awesome and wonderfully aspirational but they aren't me. Not on my wedding day. They look perfect for weddings in castles, sleek registry offices, cool swanky London bars and on boat trips down the Thames. But a church wedding in Halifax followed by Fish and Chips? Pull the other one.

This is another big realisation I've had in wedding land - I've got to be realistic. I'm 5'3" and my weight is 7 1/2 stone. Too much fabric and I'll be like Alice slipping down the rabbit hole; blink and you'll miss me. Our wedding location isn't high profile, it isn't fantastically glam, but it's our home. And I want a dress which fits our bill, not the bill certain dresses give license for.

So onwards.... I've had so many positive messages from people...

"Just keep an open mind."

"Focus on hair and make-up so all the focus isn't on the dress."

And a lovely message on my blog from a lady who works in a wedding dress shop:

"Everyone is uncomfortable the first time they try bridal dresses on and why wouldn't you be?! You probably have never done it before and hopefully never will again!"

Thanks for all your messages and for reading... it's fun writing these blogs! 

PS - here's s bridal horror story if ever I saw one - click the link ... Brides ordering online receive dresses which can barely be called dresses, and certainly aren't a patch on what they thought they were ordering. 

Flowers at 180

What I've found since starting The Wardrobe Angel is that business moves pretty fast and relationships come and go. You will have an intense friendship with someone, collaborate, meld your businesses together, chat on the phone, email and text then you don't hear from each other for years. It's the relationships that come back around again that I've learned to take note of and Cate Wood is one. 

Many moons ago I wrote about Cate Wood and her awesome jewellery making skills after randomly going to see her house when she was thinking of selling it. Cate dropped me an email a few weeks casually mentioning she'd opened a flower shop. True to Cate the shop is a treasure to behold. Nestled on Mirfield High Street it is a work of Cate's passion for interiors, design, floristry, and above all style. 

I visited Flowers at 180 on the day of the end of Cate's first order pad. Like getting a hug when you walk through the door, Cate is vibrant, knowledgeable and personable. Even the wording she uses reflects her brand down to a tee - instead of funerals she says 'farewells'. Check out her Facebook page for daily inspiration: the beautiful bouquets she creates and the wonderful curated selection of ornaments and vases she sells. 

She's got Christmas sewn up!

Beth Hirst - Queen of Hats

I love a hat. I distinctly remember my cousin Charlotte's wedding as I wore a navy hat with white spots on it. A few years later (ok, ok many years later) I wore what can only be described as a Satellite Dish to my mate Lucy's wedding:

..and then to Sam&Jon's wedding as well...

 That summer I also rocked a headband. Don't judge me.

So with my love of hats firmly established, lets talk about Beth Hirst. A Couture Hat designer based in Leeds, Beth started her business in 2009 working out of her back bedroom. When demand grew she moved to the garage and now owns her own office space - not to be sniffed at in today's economic climate.

Hats in Beth's workshop

The detail is stunning

WOW them as you are walking away!

Trained at the Leeds College of Art & Design, Beth specialises in event head wear including races and Mother of the Bride hats, and she has been known to do the hats for the whole wedding party. WOW. Talk about talented! Prices start from £50 and range up to £200. Simply turn up with your ideas and Beth can design a hat or fascinator which is unique and undeniably 'you'.









After years in the biz she was kind enough to pass on her Hat Top Tips:


1.  When first getting into headwear and hats try lots of on - more than 10. You may be surprised what you like.
2.  Make sure the piece you choose is comfortable to wear, the piece should feel light and fit correctly. That way, you shouldn't even realise you are wearing it.
3.  Think about the colour of the hat/headpiece which is closest to your skin: lighter tones flatter all skin types but dark tones can be draining, especially on more mature skin.
4.  Always consider the event the hat/headpiece is for. If you are in the wedding party your day will be spent kissing, cuddling and greeting all the guests. Saucers and headpieces which sit off the face or pillbox hats are a great option.
5.  Don't over accessorise. You don't need hat, sunglasses, chunky neckalce, drop earrings and strong make-up. Just 2 or 3 will create a more elegant finish.
6.  Hats and headpieces are great for your posture: you will immediately stand up straighter with your shoulders back the minute you put it on.
7. Smaller framed people do not necessarily need to wear small hats. Larger pieces can look great and add height but avoid bigger than the width of your shoulders.
8.  Not really one for wearing hats but feel you have to for a certain event? Go for something off the face, to one side with feathers which add height and movement. This is infinitely better than a few feathers on a comb.
9.  A proper fitting hat/headpiece made by a milliner will be securely fixed to your head and will stay in place all day.
10.  The standard High Street hat fits a 22.5 inch head size but ladies heads can be between 21.5 and 23 inches. A milliner can make the perfect fit for your head size.

For more info about Beth and to contact her about a magnificent hat creations then you can access her website by clicking here. But for now...drink in the images...

Love the DRAMA of this...

Couldn't help myself...

We all love a "selfie" ...

Beth Hirst Couture Hats