Mimi will be marrying Andrew on 7th July 2019 at Hazel Gap Barn in Welbeck, Nottinghamshire, UK. Click here to read all Mimi’s planning posts to date.
THREE FACTS: THREE FACTS: (1) Mimi and Andrew met online in 2013. (2) Mimi is a flight attendant and writes her own travel and beauty blog on the side (3) Andrew proposed to Mimi, who at the time was nearing the completion of her conversion to Judaism, at the top of Masada – wow!
Not as easy as I thought
I’m going to put it out there – finding ‘the dress’ may have been harder than finding the man I’m marrying. I’d always looked forward to the day I could officially admire all of the dresses in Brides magazine with a purpose (rather than sneakily flicking through it pre-engagement) and the host of happy boutique appointments that would surely follow.
However, post-engagement I found that wedding dress shopping was not as fun as shows such as Say Yes to The Dress make out. There was no ‘THIS IS THE ONE’ moment surrounded by a gaggle or crying bridesmaids or total joy when I tried on the dress of my dreams. I had imagined my closest friends and family, all sinking into a velvet sofa, glass of champagne in hand and teary eyed as I emerged from the dressing room looking like Kate Middleton.
Instead, it was 3 months of back to back appointments, 18 different store visits, and what felt like 1000 teeny tiny sample sized dresses. At one point, I remember being stood on a box in the most ridiculous dress I had ever seen, only to learn that the price – should I want to buy such a hideous dress – was just short of £11K. Wow.
Image by Signe Dzile Photography from Jade and Andy’s wedding
Around The World To Find The Perfect Dress
My journey to find the one took me to some far-flung places – I visited Kleinfeld in New York and also had an appointment at the largest bridal store in L.A. (one perk of being a flight attendant, dress shopping whilst on company time!) and then of course I did the London circuit of almost every dress shop known to man.
Most ended in total disappointment as I just could not find what I was looking for. The store owners and assistants seemed hell bent that adding a ‘diamante belt’ would turn any dress from a NO to a YES (If only it were that easy, plus I hate diamante!).
I worried that my dream dress wasn’t actually even on this planet, and I toyed with the idea of having something custom made. My problem was that I knew exactly what I didn’t like – but had pretty much NO IDEA what I did like. This was going to be hard!
Image by Ben Kelmer from Julie and Noam’s wedding
A great experience
Last on my list of bridal boutiques to visit was Mirror Mirror in Angel, which I actually found about about through Smashing The Glass. I was impressed as soon as I walked in, with my own private dressing room and a glass of something sparkly, I knew we were off to a good start.
The ladies that work in there are super knowledgeable and chose the most amazing dresses for me, things that I wouldn’t have necessarily picked out myself but that I ended up adoring. I now had two favourites and I had the luxury of choosing between them!
Mirror Mirror also really impressed me with their knowledge of Jewish weddings. My sales associate Maria was so lovely and so genuine and we chatted away about my chuppah, the order of the day and my venue – so that she had a good understanding of my theme and the look I was going for.
I’ve just been notified that my dress has arrived (YAY!) and we will start fittings in May. Between now and then, I’ll be on the lookout for shoes, accessories and a veil. My fiancà© has his suit and has already had his tailoring, so things are finally coming together!
Image by David Morgan from Aimee and Ross’ wedding
My Advice
My best piece of advise to any brides out there who are worried about finding a dress is just to relax and know that eventually, with the help of your girlfriends, you will find it (just like you found your fiancà©!) so all you need is a little bit of faith!
Image by Jeremy Standley from Olivia and Paul’s wedding
Click here to read all Mimi’s planning posts to date.
Mimi & Andrew’s Wedding Vendors booked so far:
Wedding venue – Hazel Gap Barn
Bride’s dress – Mirror Mirror
