“ I don’t want any bride-to-be to go through what I did, when I was choosing my own wedding dress.

I’d rather your experience was the joyful one that it deserves to be, so you’ll look back on it fondly, memorable for the right reasons.”

Back in 2008 when I was planning my own wedding, I didn’t have any clue of what it would be like to find the ONE, my dream dress. Especially since I didn’t have any friends who’d been through it that I could ask.

I never imagined it could be so complicated to buy a designer wedding dress or that it was so completely different to buying any normal item of clothing.

I was surprised to find the bridal shops only had limited samples. There was nothing I could order which wouldn’t take months to arrive. And there were so many dirty sample gowns, that had been tried on many times.

I had no idea what style would suit me or that my dress might had needed alterations -it was all so overwhelming!

Without my mum close by or a best friend who’d been through this themselves, I had no one to turn to for advice on what looked good. (and what didn’t.)

Now I know I’m not alone, having met hundreds of brides over the course of my career.

I understand exactly how you feel – the pressure of having to make on-the-spot decisions the worries about the cost of alterations…

I remember being unsure which style really suited me. Would I look my very best on the day? What would my husband-to-be and our guests think when they saw me in the dress?

Unfortunately, the bridal consultants I met in the bridal shops weren’t at all helpful. At one, they said they couldn’t help as my wedding was two months away. At another, there was pressure to choose from ex-sample gowns, the assistant telling me every single dress I tried “looks stunning” even if was way too big and suited neither my bodyshape nor my personality.

They had not put in the slightest effort to listen to what I was drawn to or what ideas I had. Rushed try-ons as impatient staff hurried on to their next appointment. I felt awkward and embarrassed, and more than once left frustrated and upset with no memorise to treasure and no closer to the look I wanted.

I never found the once-in-a-lifetime gown.

Put off by finding samples that didn’t fit well, and with no styling help, I went to pick a dress off a rail in a high street store.

My big day finally came and was, of course, filled with love. It was a happy ending, but looking back at the wedding photos I still feel some regret for not having found my special, unique dress.