Most brides usually start looking for their dress up to 18 months in advance, however we recommend that where possible a bride order her dress no later than 6 months before the wedding. Wedding gowns can sometimes take between 4 and 9 months to arrive so this allows adequate time for the dress to come in and then the necessary alterations to be completed. 

If however you have less than 6 months, don’t worry….some of our designers offer a ‘rush’ service and we also have a selection of dresses in the shop that are brand new and ‘ready to wear’, or available to order in as little as 4 weeks.

No. New designs arrive every few weeks so a catalogue would become outdated very quickly, but our website is always kept up to date with our current styles.
Do also keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram page for the latest styles arriving in the shop as we keep this regularly updated with pictures...you may even see some of the staff wearing some of them!

Yes - Appointments are necessary so that we can make sure a stylist is available to see you and that we are better able to give you our undivided attention. Your appointment with us is one-to-one so that we can assist and advise you on all of the different styles.
During an appointment we do lock our door to allow our bride and her friends and family complete privacy, therefore if you arrive without an appointment when someone else is having their fitting, we unfortunately wouldn't be able to see you.

Purchasing your wedding gown is a very important experience and you want the people with you whose opinions you trust, and who know your personality and style the best.
We recommend you bring just a few close friends or family members as in our experience when there are lots of people, it can sometimes be very overwhelming having so many differing and conflicting opinions. Please note that we allow a max of 4 adult guests to accompany you to your appointment.
By bringing those closest to you, you are able to focus on what is really important, finding the gown of your dreams!

Most of our dresses are designed to be worn without a bra so we may ask you to remove it, but if you would rather not then bring along a strapless bra, or otherwise we can just tuck the straps down. Also if you have something special that you plan on wearing on the big day, such as family jewellery or a veil, please bring that too! We do provide shoes for you to borrow but if you have a particular pair that you'd like to wear then bring those along too.

Come with an open mind! Every dress looks so different when it is tried on and unless you already know what style suits you, be prepared to try different shapes, that way you’ll know when you try on the perfect dress! Eliminating styles is just as important as finding the ones that you like in the search for your perfect dress. 

Speak to us! – we will not pressure you in any way but tell us what you like and don’t like so that we can best help you select each dress. We know our collections inside out and how each dress fits and so we can advise you on what will suit your shape the best. 

We will have spoken to you before your appointment to hear about your dress idea's so will probably have a few idea's of our own already as to which might be 'The One'

While shopping over the internet is easy, convenient, and can sometimes save you money, you should NEVER buy a wedding gown over the internet.

The internet is filled with discounters who claim to have the "real thing", but these are nothing more than cheap copies of designer dresses. The dresses arrive in a brown box inside out, wrinkled, and are usually incredibly poor quality. It is not unheard of the dress being sewn together incorrectly with beads glued on instead of sewn on and it falling apart on you.

Not what you might have imagined for the dress of the most important day of your life.
There are also many occasions where the dress doesn’t turn up at all and if it does, the sizing is all wrong.
There are so many benefits to purchasing from a bridal shop. We are here support you throughout the process. A bridal consultant is there to help you choose a gown that is appropriate for the day, your style, body type, and budget. We will also use our expertise to help you choose all of your accessories for that day. We offer a full alterations service and the gown stays here until the wedding.

When you pick up your gown the week of your wedding, it is steamed and pressed and picture ready!

At the point that you order your wedding dress, we take a 50% deposit. The balance for the dress is then paid once the dress has arrived and at the time you come for your first fitting.

Unfortunately a deposit is non-refundable and non-transferable.

Alterations are an extra service that we offer and are priced as a 'package'. Once you have chosen your dress we will discuss the best package option for your dress which depends on the amount of work involved. The alterations package is paid at the time you come for a first fitting. If you choose the package option your dress will then stay with us until the day before your wedding (or when you require it) as the price includes storage. If not you will need to take your dress away with you after the first fitting and arrange alterations independently (we are happy to recommend a seamstress).

If you have plenty of time before your wedding, we can take your order and deposit to secure the dress style that you have chosen and we can then take your measurements a bit nearer the time, although still allowing a minimum of 6 months. We recommend this option only where extreme weight change is likely or due to pregnancy or any medical issues and you should discuss this with your stylist at the point of order.
Once measurements have been taken, we order a dress to your nearest size and at this point we ask to try to maintain the shape you are.
If you do change shape between the point of ordering and the dress arriving (which we know does happen), the dress can be altered for the perfect fit but please be aware that altering a dress too much is not advisable i.e more than 2 dress sizes.

Once your dress has arrived you will need your shoes to determine the finished hem length after alterations, so ideally get your wedding day shoes before your first fitting (don't forget to take them with you!).
At the very least, you need to know the heel high of your intended shoes, and either take or borrow a pair with the same heel height to your fittings until you purchase the actual shoes you will wear.
We do have sample shoes in the shop for you to borrow if you wish, but please advise us if you intend to have a different heel height.

Each manufacturer has their own size charts, and measurements do vary considerably from one designer to another.

It’s best not to assume that you will be the same size in a bridal gown as in High Street clothes as the dresses do not follow the same measurements. Don't be disappointed if your ordered dress is a bigger size than you would usually wear, bridal sizes are completely different and come up much smaller than everyday clothing.

We have a very reputable bridal seamstress that we work with regularly who  facilitates fittings and undertakes the alterations in her work studio here in Bicester.

Alternatively, you are welcome to use any seamstress you may already know of. If you use our alterations service, we usually have the first alteration fitting approximately 8 weeks before your wedding and then do a final fitting the week of your wedding, with additional fittings in between these times.

This may all seem a bit close to the big day, but many brides alter in shape in the last few weeks therefore we feel that a fitting as close as possible to your wedding day will ensure that the dress fits perfectly.

Hot climates can make some dresses more uncomfortable than others. A light fabric can make all the difference to the comfort factor for your big day.

We have a range of dresses in store particularly suitable for weddings abroad. Most of these are made from  light chiffon or organza fabrics which are also easier to transport and less prone to creasing.

These dresses come with very small trains, or without. Any dress can have the train removed by a seamstress if you prefer.

We get new stock at least every couple of months, so if you like our service, but don’t quite find ‘the dress’ we encourage you to either come back, or tell us specifically what you are looking for and we will contact you if something meeting your requirements comes in. 

If you have seen a specific dress by one of our designers that you want to try, let us know! We can usually arrange to borrow a sample if we don’t already have it in the shop.

Sorry, no, we only sell dresses direct from the store.

Yes, we have a large range of stylish adult bridesmaids dresses in a variety of styles and colours which take approximately 4 months to arrive in store once ordered. You'll then need to allow approximately 6 weeks for alterations.

If you have made a bridal appointment with us, you'll just need a separate one if you wish to try bridesmaids dresses.