Your Bridal Consultation
CAROLINE GRIFFITHS, BRIDAL STYLIST & BOUTIQUE OWNER
“You will always be the only bride in my boutique, so I can give you my undivided attention.”
Maybe this is your first ever bridal boutique experience, or maybe you have shopped around and still not found ‘the one’. I get it: shopping for your wedding dress can be the most overwhelming experience, but I promise it will be the best experience ever here at Bridal Gossip!
Before you visit the boutique take a look through my consultation guide as this will give you an idea of what to expect during a bridal appointment and the questions I may ask you. Or download my Little Book of Wedding Dresses for ideas.
If you would like me to give you a call before to your appointment, please do not hesitate to arrange one.
Your wedding dress fairytale starts here, at Bridal Gossip
Welcome to the online home of Bridal Gossip, a relaxed and unfussy bridal boutique in Wadebridge, Cornwall. I created the boutique that I was looking for during my search for my own wedding dress. So, Bridal Gossip offers a relaxed, informal, welcoming and inclusive space. Find our spacious boutique in Wadebridge, Cornwall, just a short walk across the bridge and discover the wedding dress of your dreams.
Bridal Gossip is renowned for a relaxed, no-pressure fitting experience and my own personal determination to make you, the bride, feel and look incredible on the most memorable day of your life. It all starts with an appointment where I promise you will feel comfortable and at ease.
I know that searching for the perfect wedding dress can be stressful. But I also trust that with the right dress, even the most camera-shy bride will look and feel incredible with the right dress. So, it’s my mission to help these dreams come true.
See you soon! Caroline x
Your Consultation
The best part of my job is the first chat on the sofa when I get to hear life stories - dress shopping is NEVER just about choosing a white - or shade of white- dress. Unlike other boutiques I allow time for these conversations because as I learn about the story, the dream dress or why you the bride has absolutely no clue what you want (all quite normal!), a picture begins to form about shape and style. And it is this picture that helps me select the gowns that I know will become part of wedding day dreams coming true.
Tell me about yourself. What do you enjoy, do you have any hobbies, what type of person are you? Building a relationship with you is super important for me to gauge the bride you are and what priorities you have.
Your Vision
Quite simply, I understand body shapes, fabric and styles. And as a wedding planner I also understand the rigours of the day. So, I have some extra words about comfort and the importance of the feel of the fabric against your skin.
I love helping women discover their inner confidence and celebrate the parts of themselves they love the best. It’s very easy for me to tell another woman they look beautiful, but for them to see it, believe it, and feel it for themselves is truly rewarding. So have a think about these questions before your appointment.
What are you looking for?
How do you want your wedding dress to make you feel?
What are your style and fashion likes and dislikes.
Have you tried any dresses on before?
Is there anything you don't want?
But please don’t stress - if you’re not sure how to answer any of the above that’s OK. We’ll start with these questions during your appointment.
Your Inner Mean Girl
Let’s be straight. We as women are NEVER complimentary of ourselves regardless on our shape or size. There is always something we are not happy with and this inner mean girl can be a constant battle in everyday life.
For most of us we all have a particular style of clothing that we stick to when buying everyday clothes or a evening dress to wear to a special occasion. Trust me a wedding dress is not in the same category and until you get into them you just don’t know what will work.
Maybe you have recently had a baby, or struggling to lose a few lbs or trying to put it on. Maybe you are not comfortable with your arms or your neck! Whatever you want to camouflage let me know! There are a million options to help with this so please do not be intimidated. As well as helping camouflage your areas you are not confident in I will most definitely give you the confidence to accentuate the areas that you love!
It's about seeing the most confident version of YOU.
About your wedding!
Your wedding plans are crucial to the type and style of dress you choose. Let me know all the details! Are you having a intimate wedding at your family home, a huge marquee wedding or travelling overseas for a destination wedding. Whatever the plans are these details really help me help you, so don't hold back!
Your wedding venue will also help on the style of dress you choose. There are certain fabrics that suit and work better for a beach wedding for example. I will chat through all this with you during your appointment.
There may be something that will affect your dress choice. You want to be able to dance the night away, you have young children or would like to eat without that stomach bulge! Whatever wedding you are having be honest with yourself in the dress you wear.
Finding the one!
Is this your first bridal appointment? If so then do not underestimate that mosts brides find their dress at the first appointment. Come in with an open mind and don't be surprised if you fall in love.
There are many myths on when a bride knows she's found the one she knows! This isnt always the case. Brides can feel a million emotions when wedding dress shopping. My top tip will be to remember how you FEEL in each dress. Because dresses won't all be the right size and fit you can't always rely on what you see in the mirror during your fitting. You will remember the way that dress made you feel so hold on to this.
*photographs are not permitted in the boutique due to designers’ rights.
Bringing the right people.
It’s exciting to include as many people as you can when shopping for your wedding dress, however as they say “too many cooks can spoil the broth!”
Who are you bringing with you? - Remember this is YOUR wedding day and YOUR dress! It’s you who has to wear it on the day so make sure you bring the right people with you that will support your vision. I suggest bringing no more than 3 guests with you for your consultation. You want to be able to think and make the right decisions without having too many opinions to consider or fight with.
If you have an family politics that may affect your consultation please let me know. I am hear to help defuse any situations that may affect an enjoyable experience.
*the boutique is not suitable for young children. I highly recommended finding childcare for your little ones so you can fully enjoy the experience.
About your wedding!
Your wedding plans are crucial to the type and style of dress you choose. Let me know all the details! Are you having a intimate wedding at your family home, a huge marquee wedding or travelling overseas for a destination wedding. Whatever the plans are these details really help me help you, so don't hold back!
Your wedding venue will also help on the style of dress you choose. There are certain fabrics that suit and work better for a beach wedding for example. I will chat through all this with you during your appointment.
There may be something that will affect your dress choice. You want to be able to dance the night away, you have young children or would like to eat without that stomach bulge! Whatever wedding you are having be honest with yourself in the dress you wear.
Finding the one!
Is this your first bridal appointment? If so then do not underestimate that mosts brides find their dress at the first appointment. Come in with an open mind and don't be surprised if you fall in love.
There are many myths on when a bride knows she's found the one she knows! This isnt always the case. Brides can feel a million emotions when wedding dress shopping. My top tip will be to remember how you FEEL in each dress. Because dresses won't all be the right size and fit you can't always rely on what you see in the mirror during your fitting. You will remember the way that dress made you feel so hold on to this.
*photographs are not permitted in the boutique due to designers rights.
Spend
Is there a spend you would like me to respect? Before you attend your appointment have an idea on what you would like to spend on your wedding dress. Everyone has a budget so be realistic so I can help in the best way achieve the best for you. You may have no idea what wedding dresses cost, or maybe you are needing to save to get the dress of dreams. Let me know!
Most of our beautiful wedding dresses sit comfortably within the £900 - £1,500 price range. Customisable wedding dresses are more affordable than many of our brides realise and at the top end of our bridal range, Bridal Gossip’s couture gowns are priced at £1,600 - £2,300. We have a stunning collection of gowns of varying sizes on our sale rail priced from £500. These are discontinued gowns that the designers are no longer making to order but often these gowns are designer gowns as very affordable prices!
Hidden Costs
You may not realise the other costs that relate to a wedding dress purchase. If you are sticking to a particular spend then don’t forget to consider the below.
Alterations - starting from £120
Bespoke changes can be made to most of our dresses and the costs for these start from £55.
Veil and accessories
Underwear
Shoes
Hair and makeup
I work with a number of bespoke designers who can commission a one-off piece should you want to bring your own vision to life.
Buying a Dress
When you find your dress you will need a 50% non refundable deposit to place the order. Once your dress is ordered it will take up to 3-5 months to come in depending on stock availability and designer. We can ‘rush order’ any dress within 8 weeks so don’t panic, but this will cost an additional £150.
For sale dresses and off the peg sample gowns you will need to pay in full and you can take your dress away today!
Your appointment will be a maximum of 90 minutes.