Simply put, no. Because all of our dresses are made bespoke for our clients we do not 'stock' dresses, and any of our collection dresses will be bespoke sizes.
Bespoke means custom made. Our dresses are specially made for each person. We do not make dresses to a standard size, e.g, 12,14,16, but instead to the exact measurements of our clients.
As mentioned above our dresses are made to your exact measurements, this means you will get a better fit than store bought dresses, that more often than not need costly alterations. As well as getting a great fit your bespoke dress will be 100% unique, so you don't need to worry about seeing someone else in your dream dress!
We understand that your wedding dress is probably one of, if not the most expensive item of clothing you're going to buy, but having a dress made isn't always as costly as you think. As with all retail areas, wedding dress shops will purchase their dresses at a wholesale prices, and bump the cost up when selling it to customers in order to make a profit and cover their shop costs etc. At E M Bridal we keep our overheads as low as possible so we don't have to transfer the cost on to our brides. That way we can offer a bespoke wedding dress to suit most budgets. The average bride spends just over £1300 on her wedding dress before alterations; a bespoke gown from E M Bridal can start from as little as £1500 and won't require the extra expense of alterations.
We advise a minimum of 7 months before the date of your wedding to come for your initial consultation. Making a wedding dress takes many hours of work and is not something that can be rushed, and we want to make sure we have plenty of time to get every last detail perfect.
Of course. Picking your wedding dress is an exciting time that you will want to share with your nearest and dearest, however, we would suggest only bringing a couple of friends/family for your initial consultation, this means we can really focus on you and what it is you're looking for in your perfect dress.
We're sure you've probably already got lots of inspirational images saved so feel free to bring these along, as well as any other bits you may have; magazine tears, colour ideas, fabric swatches and any accessories you might already have. These all help to give us an idea of what you're after.
We generally say around 3 fit sessions. This includes the initial toile sample fitting, any alterations on the toile will be fitted again, and then a final fit just before the dress is finished. This can obviously vary from client to client, depending on style of the dress etc.
Once the final design of your dress is decided following your consultation this is the design that will be made into a toile for you to try on. Minor alterations aren't a problem, for example, slightly changing necklines, lengths, and general fit. However, major design changes such as adding sleeves, adding or removing main features etc, will be chargeable as the pattern will need to be reworked significantly. Similarly if you decide you want any elements altering once the final fabric is cut, this will be charged as extra for alterations.
We aim to have the initial toile sample ready for you 3-4 weeks after your design selection, although this can vary depending on the design and during busy periods.
No, your toile will be made in a neutral woven fabric. This makes it easier to focus on the shape and fit and allows us to easily mark the dress with any alterations needed.
We usually use the same few suppliers as we know and trust their quality and service. We have plenty of fabric catalogues and shade cards for you to choose from and will obviously help advise you on the best fabric for your dress. We can also help source fabrics and trims if you have something specific in mind that we don't have in the studio.
Once you have selected your fabrics, a further 25% payment is due and your fabrics will soon be ordered. Should you change your mind on fabrics or colour at this stage, any further fabric will be charged as extra as fabrics are non returnable.
Definitely. We offer a range of bespoke accessories, including veils, hair pieces, boleros, and shoe decoration. If you are having your dress made with us we can create your accessories to match. If you already have your dress but would like accessories making, we can usually match most colours/fabrics quite well.
We always aim to have your finished wedding dress/outfit ready 4 weeks before your wedding/occasion date, but no less than two weeks before.
