I’m on a budget.

I’m on a budget.

Well what a weekend! An action packed day in the boutique on Saturday followed by a fabulous wedding fair at Ribby Hall today! I love busy weekends, meeting new brides, chatting to family and friends, it’s great however there is usually, at least one person who has a negative story to tell. Be it a friend who had a problem with her dress and where she bought it, an Auntie who remembers someone standing on her dress at her wedding or a Grandma who had a dress she didn’t really like. This weekend though, the story has been brides ‘on a budget’ and their problems. We hate to hear horror stories at the best of times, but when it’s a bride and her dress, it can be really upsetting.

Most of the heartache these days is an internet purchase. Manufacturers on various selling websites that give the promise of a stunning custom made gown from China for £60. With pictures, mostly pinched from other designers and reviews mostly made up, it’s easy to see why a bride who is conscious of the cost of a wedding dress could be drawn to this path. However I can assure you that usually it does not end well. The gown that arrives (sometimes as close as a week before the wedding) doesn’t look like the picture or isn’t as well made, sometimes is a different colour and more often than not, there’s no return policy. Cue complete bride panic and rightly so! Then of course, the stress and extra cost of finding another dress.

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The other thing that has been mentioned this weekend, is brides feeling like they have less of a service because they express in a shop that they want to keep costs down. I mean really? These poor women! A wedding dress and the experience you receive should be the same whether you spend £10 or £3000 and if a bride IS on a budget, that is fine!

Also I ask, aren’t we all ‘on a budget’? Surely every bride sets out shopping with an idea of how much she wants to spend, so we are all aware of the price we want to pay. Yes, admittedly, it may end up being a little more than you expected or sometimes a little less but never the less, we have a figure in mind.

As a retail owner, I opened the boutique mainly to provide a lovely experience for everyone and if someone only wants to spend £200 on a dress, I will try my very best to meet their expectation and believe me, they get no less of a service and no less of my time, the only problem they face is perhaps less choice.

So in summary, if you do want to spend a little less, fine! The best time to shop for your gown is in a sample sale where there are big reductions or if not, when you come to the boutique just let us know the figure you have in mind. Every bride should feel fabulous and have a wonderful time whilst choosing her dress; our main aim at Lottie’s!

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Lottie xx