You would have thought that as a long time member of my team, it would have been easy for my assistant Rebecca to find her dream wedding dress. She is an expert at hand beading wedding dresses, she also has helped many times at my client parties and on my stand at The National Wedding Show, giving advice to brides, their bridesmaids and mother of the bride and mother of the groom. But when she and Angelo were arranging their wedding, Rebecca went through all the same thoughts, feelings and indecision as any other bride planning her big day.

Rebecca had hoped to wear her maternal grandmother’s wedding dress from 1952 for sentimental reasons but it had been mislaid over time. Her mother’s 1980’s wedding dress wasn’t what she wanted so I advised Rebecca to try on various styles of wedding dress: slinky, full skirt, with or without a train to get an idea of what would best suit her body shape.

Rebecca, bride wearing an original 1950’s vintage wedding dress, alterations by Elizabeth Bessant couture. Photographer Juliet Lemon

Rebecca, bride with Elizabeth Bessant. Photographer Juliet Lemon

Rebecca decided she wanted a wedding dress with a nipped in waist, sleeves and a full skirt with a train that echoed the glamour of past decades. After considering the possibility of asking me to help her make a vintage style wedding dress in the studio she opted to search for an original 1950’s wedding dress instead. After an online search and trips to vintage boutiques, Rebecca finally found her dream dress on Etsy at www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheVintageMistress – but it was in America. On a positive note the measurements of the dress were very close to Rebecca’s so she started an online conversation with the seller. The photos showed the dress from all angles and it looked in good condition. But Rebecca was anxious about spending her budget on a wedding dress she hadn’t seen, there was also the added complications of a lot of paperwork and import duty.

Rebecca and Angelo on their wedding day. Photographer Juliet Lemon

Eventually the dress arrived and Rebecca loved it but the ageing silk was yellower than in the photographs – however I reassured her that this only added to its beauty.  Female shapes have changed a lot since the 1950’s when waists were tiny and busts very full. But I was able to let the waist out and pad the bust cups to keep the 1950’s shape. Rebecca is petite so the sleeves and the hem on the very full skirt needed to be shortened. Shortening the layers of the dress and petticoat was a big job. Some of the covered buttons were either missing or damaged so we used off cuts from the hem to make replacements. And then there were repairs to the lace and altering the neckline so that it sat flat. All this added up to a lot of work but when it was finished Rebecca loved her vintage wedding dress.

She teamed it with the tiara her mother had worn when she got married and carried a bouquet made from vintage brooches gifted by family and friends. The centre of the bouquet was reserved for the brooch her beloved grandmother always wore on her coat.

If your heart is set on wearing an original vintage wedding dress here are my 5 top tips:

1. Visit boutiques and wedding shows, like the National Wedding Show, and try on dresses. This will help you determine what style suits you if you decide to go ahead and take the vintage route.

2. Online is a good place to start your search, Etsy is known for vintage but there are other sites for pre loved wedding dresses including Oxfam’s online bridal shop that also sells vintage wedding dresses https://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/bridal/wedding-dresses

3. Find out as much as you can from the seller including the condition of the dress: is it stained or are there any mould spots? What are the delivery costs and times; is there duty to be paid if the dress is coming from overseas; can you return the dress if you are not happy with it?

4. Very importantly pay for your wedding dress using PayPal or a credit card rather than a debit card so you are covered if something goes wrong with the transaction.

5. And finally if the vintage wedding dress you choose needs substantial alteration and restyling take it to a specialist bridal wear alterations service.

If you would like to discuss your wedding dress dreams please do come and find me at the National Wedding Show at Olympia from 15th to 17th February – I am always happy to help.