Brides Boutique Buckingham
Brides Boutique Buckingham is a intimate bridal boutique located a stones throw away from Stowe, Buckingham. Offering private consultations & exclusive use. We offer a unique collection of designer wedding dresses, bridesmaids dresses & accessories. More info
Anna McDonald Bridal Gallery
We are a beautiful independent Bridal Boutique situated in the heart of the Market Town of Thame in Oxfordshire. We love nothing more than creating a calm, relaxed and fun environment for all of our brides-to-be who visit the Bridal Gallery. More info
Tamsin's Bridal Boutique
Devoted to providing an exceptional customer experience whilst you find the wedding gown of your dreams, Tamsin's Bridal Boutique of Kidderminster, Worcestershire is a family run boutique stocking a extensive range of wedding gowns and accessories. More info
Serendipity Brides
An individual shop with a beautiful range of bridal gowns located in the heart of Weedon, Northamptonshire. Designer wedding dresses from Augusta Jones, Pronovias, Suzanne, Neville, Maggie Sottero & many more. Bridesmaids dresses, accessories & more. More info
Fifi’s bridal boutique
We are a vintage style wedding gown boutique based at the stunning venue, Leigh court in Bristol. We sell vintage style designer gowns under £900 and have over 100 gowns in stock sizes 6-22 More info
Susie Grist Couture
Your dream wedding dress especially for you. Bespoke, gowns for Brides, Bridesmaids, Mothers and Guests exquisitely made and hand finished. Wedding dress couture based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. More info
Bride To Be
Award winning designer wedding gowns, bridesmaids dresses & accessories in our beautiful bridal boutique in Berkshire. Designer wedding dresses including Sincerity, Enzoani, Stella York, Mori Lee, & Essense. More info
The Waterloo Cleaners
The Waterloo Cleaners are professional dry cleaners located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire who specialise in cleaning bridal wear. Your wedding dress is so important and you want to ensure it's kept well so come to the Waterloo Cleaners. More info
Mae Bridal
A truly beautiful boutique located in Witney, Oxfordshire and also covering Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire & Gloucestershire. Each bride is consulted on a one to one basis allowing her privacy to find her dream dress, shoes & accessories in one place. More info
May and Grace
May and Grace are Situated in the heart of the quaint and beautiful Surrey village of Haslemere, Come and select your perfect wedding dress in an inspiring and relaxing environment with a private 1.5hr appointment. More info
Allbone & Trimit
Bespoke wedding dresses, designed & inspired by you, worn with flare on your wedding day. Private studio in Crystal Palace, London. More info
Bridal Reloved
Brand new and preloved half price designer dresses
Beautiful bridal boutique in the lovely town of Wallingford, Oxfordshire. We sell BRAND NEW, sample and immaculate preloved high end designer dresses without the designer price tag! We offer exclusive appointments styled entirely around our brides. More info
Burr Bridal
Cambridgeshire bridal boutique Burr Bridal offers our brides the ultimate choice from renowned wedding dress designers across the globe. Designer wedding dress stockist for St Patrick, White One, Sophia Tolli, Maddison James, Eternity & Art Couture More info
The Bridal Box
The Bridal Box provides the discerning bride with a beautiful collection of wedding gowns and accessories.Our range includes a variety of designs to suit to each bride and her budget,dresses start at £1000 and we offer an 0% interest free credit plan More info
Love U Forever
Here at Love U Forever we are stockists of stunning wedding dresses at affordable prices. Come & see our friendly bridal stylists at our bridal shop in Ashford, Surrey. Gowns from Maggie Sottero, Stella York, LouLou, Ronald Joyce & plus size gowns More info
Butterfly Bridal Boutique
Located in Bicester, Oxfordshire. Butterfly Bridal Boutique provide a fabulous and customer service experience in relaxed surroundings. Our dress gallery is home to over 80 gowns, spacious fitting areas and professional & friendly stylists More info
Blossom Bridal
Situated in the centre of Witney, Blossom Bridal offers a stunning selection of Bridal Gowns, with Curvy Couture Collection Available, Bridesmaids, Prom and Evening Dresses. Tiaras, veils, Accessories and Shoes to complete your perfect look. More info
Rasha Kashou Couture
Luxury British couture bridal wear brand in Oxfordshire, providing stunning bridalwear designs by Rasha Kashou. Create an utterly bespoke, one of a kind bridal look that specifically fits your own vision, style, personality and shape. More info
Dream Second Hand Wedding Dress
Bridal wear in West London, Hertfordshire & Surrey. We sell brand new, ex-sample and second hand off the peg designer wedding dresses. All our wedding dresses are genuine, from leading designers such as Pronovias, Maggie Sottero, Mori Lee More info
BRIDE by Aster
Our unique bridal shop in Surrey focuses on the experience that our brides have with us. Our range of unique and luxury bridal gowns in a variety of colours and designs will definitely stand out from the crowd. More info
Yasmin Rose Bridal
Yasmin Rose Bridal is based in a beautiful setting within private grounds. Our aim is to provide brides with luxurious wedding dresses that are not typical and traditional in style. More info
Shopping for your dream Wedding Dress
Shopping for the wedding dress is a highlight of the planning process and our bridal boutiques are ready to help! Before you contact them, it is useful to gauge an idea of your perfect dress. Use our dress finder to gather inspiration and refine your search by style, designer and budget. You can also search for shoes, accessories and wedding jewellery to complete your bridal look. The trickiest part is knowing where to start when choosing your wedding dress. It is very important to work out your personal bridal style and then it will be easy from there.
Bridal boutiques choose the next season's gowns at a trade exhibition in Harrogate every September. Bridal magazines report on the new styles being shown on the catwalks which will be available in the shops from January, so if you are wanting the latest styles, wait until late January to shop, and January is also a great time to pick up a cheap bridal gown sample as last season’s stock is put into a Sale to clear space for the new styles.
Use the links below to find bridal wear boutiques in your county and local areas.
Designer wedding dress
Ever wondered what the term ‘designer’ actually means? The majority of bridal boutiques will have a collection of wedding dresses made up from their own "in-house" designer and from a number of "famous name" designers. The more famous the name, the easier it is to sell the dress after the wedding.
There are around a dozen "big name" designers in Britain for whose bridal gowns you can expect to pay between £1500 and £4000. Each has their own unique style, so if you like one bridal gown from a particular designer you may find that their entire collection will appeal. Rather than using stockists these big designers tend to have their own boutiques selling just their own range. If you are considering selling a designer wedding dress after the wedding be prepared to part with it immediately, and if you are planning to use an Agency, register your intentions early to enable them to let Brides know that it will be coming in. Designer gowns lose value as soon as they are no longer this season's design, so time is of the essence.
'Off the peg' wedding dress
The majority of bridal gowns bought in the UK are classed as "off the peg" - these are the wedding gowns that you might have seen in a bridal magazine along with a list of stockists, or at a local or chain bridal boutique.
You try on a sample of the gown in the shop; they take your measurements and order the most appropriate size for you which is then delivered to the bridal shop for alterations to fit your exact shape.
Made to measure bridal gown
If you are planning to have your gown made for you, it’s still a good idea to spend some time trying on different styles to get an idea of what suits you. You never know, you might find the perfect dress with the perfect fit and can save yourself the time involved in a bespoke, made to measure dress.
Choosing from a picture or paper pattern won’t give you a clear idea of what bridal gown actually looks good on you. However, remember that dress designs are protected by copyright law and you are not allowed to recreate an exact copy of someone else’s wedding dress. Think about combining different aspects of different wedding dresses, perhaps the neckline of one, the skirt of another and the train of a third. Allow at least six months for a wedding dress to be made, and check for last minute alteration costs if you’re planning to lose weight before the big day.
Wedding dresses samples
At the end of each season bridal shops tend to sell the end-of-line samples at discounted prices. Any discontinued lines will be included in these sales along with popular designs that have become too marked or damaged. Don't expect to find a spotless sample of a popular design though; the popular dresses aren't discontinued and the samples will be kept until they are too damaged to use.
If you choose to buy a sample then be sure to thoroughly check that you are happy to accept any damage it may have sustained while being tried on in the shop.
Do not go to sample sales if you want the full "bridal boutique" experience. The gowns tend to be sold at cost price and there is no profit margin for sales consultants to spend hours with you. It is usual to have to pay for and collect the dress on the day you purchase it.
Second hand Wedding Dresses
There are several sites where it is possible to buy once-worn dresses. Generally they are designer gowns and you have the confidence that you are buying from a business with a reputation to consider, not an individual, so the gown will be exactly as advertised.
If you are feeling brave then you might like to bid for a dress on one of the online auction sites such as eBay. Some of the dresses have never been worn, and may be a style that you have tried on in a bridal boutique but can't quite afford. The named designers sell best - largely for that reason.
If you are planning to sell your gown on eBay, prepare the listing before your wedding day so that it is ready to upload straight after the wedding. You may need to add photos, if for example the dress has got a bit damaged.
This is a great way to find a designer dress at a bargain price but if the dress has been altered, pay attention to the height and shape of the bride who is selling the dress! It may have started out as a standard size 12, but then had several inches taken off the hem or waist.
Wedding Accessories
You may have found the perfect dress, but it is how you frame your dress that makes it special. There are many different types and styles of wedding accessories to choose from but be patient. It is worth the wait and finding something which complements your dress beautifully then rushing in and buying the first pair of shoes you try on!