Image: Maggie Sottero ‘Abigail’

I have been away this weekend staying with my family in the Cotswolds.  My mom, little sister and I went to look at wedding dresses for the first time on Saturday.

It was a strange feeling stepping into the first wedding dress – it felt weird and that somehow I wasn’t old or mature enough to be wearing one.  It has always been my intention to get my dress made by a seamstress friend of mine, but I still wanted a girls day out to try some on and get an idea of what suited me and what styles I liked.

We went to three shops, all quite different – from what I would call that standard ‘off the rail’ wedding dress shop full of strapless gowns that are the current fashion in this country, to one with designer gowns (I tried on some beautiful Jenny Packham’s) and finally to a small boutique shop where all the dresses were bespoke and handmade by the owner.

Image: Jenny Packham ‘Tabitha’ :: ‘Elizabeth’ :: ‘Marie Louise’

What is scary is that I think I might have found ‘the one’.  It is stupidly over what I had budgeted for, or at least aspired to spend on a wedding dress.  But somehow, you try on a dress, you fall in love, and you start justifying why you should spend all that money.

Has anyone else been in this position and what did you do??  Help!