Tips and advice - all you need to know ahead of your appointment.

For some people, finding their perfect dress can be a difficult decision, and for others they might find it on their first ever appointment. No two brides are the same, but we will always work with you and your vision to hopefully help you find the dress of your dreams.

You will need six to eight months to get your gown in store and altered in time for your wedding day, but don’t completely freak out if you don’t have this much time, we will work with you and see what we can do. If time isn’t on your side, sometimes we can get gowns in at short notice or you might even find your perfect dress off the peg.

On the other side, you don’t want to shop for your gown too early, don’t start shopping with more than 12 months in advance, unless you are ready to buy. You may be tempted to go to a bridal shop 'just to get an idea', but you are risking falling in love with a dress that may not be around by the time you are ready to commit to buying. We also find that having your dress does shape the rest of your wedding, so once you've decided, it might help other bits and bobs fall into place.

Absolutely nothing but yourself is the official answer.

In-store, as well as dresses, we have a selection of accessories for you to try with each dress. We also have heels, if you prefer a little height.

We would recommend wearing nude underwear, but this isn’t a necessity, as with most dresses you can see them better without a bra. On your wedding day, no matter what your cup size, with most gowns all the support you need is built in. If you prefer to try gowns with your bra on, this is totally fine; we will always work around you and prefer you to be comfortable.

If there are any special things you want to include in your day, such as your mums tiara or best friend’s veil, bring them along too, so you can try them with dresses.

Finally, if you absolutely know you’d like to wear your hair in an up-do, we’d recommend coming with it pinned up, as it might help you to visualise your complete look.

Think about your venue: is it a castle, stately home, chic hotel, stylish teepee or a stunning beach? Your venue will often play a part in your style of dress. Bring pictures, show us your Pinterest boards - it helps us to visualise what you are thinking. On the other hand, allow us to guide you. We may pull out a style that 'in your head' is not your style, but give it a go and try our wildcards. You might love it more than you think!

We often get clients going for the opposite of what they imagined with a little help from us, as sometimes the dresses with no hanger appeal look the best on. Trust us - we’ve seen them and have faith in our experience styling our lovely brides, whether you need a little help or know what you love.

Most brides have one, but not everyone likes to talk about it, and typically we won’t ask you about it. That said, please don’t be afraid to tell us. The last thing we want to do is to put you in a dress that you fall in love with and it be over your budget.

To give you a guide:

Essense of Australia dresses range from £1,000 - £2,000

Pronovias from £1,300 - £4,000

Watters £1,800 - £3,100

Willowby by Watters £1,000 - £2,000

Sometimes dresses are discontinued by the designers or we sell off our sample dresses. These can sometimes be a fantastic opportunity to bag yourself a bargain. The sample sales are continuously changing and won't show on the website, so please ask in store for current samples in our sale ranging from £200.

Yes, children are welcome. However, we ask that they are monitored by yourselves at all times. We appreciate they may need snacks during your appointment, if this is the case we ask that they please eat clean snacks and are tidied up after including a good finger and face wipe to preserve property in store in case they come into conact with any goods. It is imperitive that they do not enter staff areas for safety and remain under your supervision. Any damages caused must be paid for.

The simple answer to this question is... bring those whose opinion matters to you the most!

Whether this be your mum, dad, grandmother, best friend even your fiancé (yes, some ladies do this and that’s OK), what matters the most is when you're stood in that dress wanting that very important opinion - who will you turn to? The answer to that question is the person whom you should bring along with you.

It’s fine to bring along more people to Ivory White, but remember, a lot of people equals a lot of different opinions - you have to tune into the one that matters the most!

We do have seating for up to three guests, so please let us know if you will be bringing along more, and we will try to accommodate you.

Sometimes brides feel scared saying 'yes' to their gown. You don’t necessarily need to try on 100s of dresses to find ‘the one'.

We especially look for signs within you and when you stand tall, have a big smile, sometimes a tear, feel absolutely amazing and you don’t want to take it off then it’s a really good sign!

The question you have to ask yourself is:

Do you love it?

Is it in budget?

If the answer to both is YES, then go for it!

As one famous bridal celebrity once said, 'when you met your fiancé did you say I’d better try a few more before I say yes to you!’ When you know, you know.

We honestly don’t mind if you want to cancel or change your appointment, or if you find your dream gown at another store. What we kindly ask is that you let us know. Ivory White is an appointment-only store and we open up, especially for you and your exclusivity. Please call or message 07935 221444 as soon as you know about needing to cancel or alter, allowing us to book someone else in or us not going down to the shop to open up.

All purchases are final as each piece is made to order for your specific wedding day this includes dresses and accessories. Sample sale items are also non-refundable and sold as seen.

ABOVE ALL HAVE FUN AND LET IVORY WHITE FIND YOU YOUR DREAM DRESS!