How did you hear about Ava May Bridal ?
I found Ava May Bridal through a google search. I was looking for somewhere that had dresses within my budget but I also noticed that a lot of places were charging for appointments! I found this very off-putting as it felt like an additional cost on top of the already big expense of a wedding. Ava May Bridal don't charge for normal appointments and as I wasn’t 100% sure what style of dress I was looking for, this was a big bonus as I was still able to try on a big selection of dresses during my initial appointment.
How did you find your experience at Ava May Bridal from Initial appointment, seamstress alterations to collection?
I loved every minute of my appointments at Ava May Bridal. For my initial appointment I was very nervous about trying on the dresses as it was a new experience and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Kyla was extremely welcoming and made me feel at ease straight away. I initially chose about 8 dresses to try on and Kyla asked me to explain what I liked and didn’t like about each dress. Based upon my comments Kyla actually ended up choosing my final dress! Which I think shows her talents and how attentive she was to my comments. She wasn’t pushy at all with me choosing a dress which also made me feel more relaxed. She made the whole process so rewarding and Ava May Bridal was actually the only shop I visited!
I had a few appointments with Sam due to me wanting to add sleeves and a lace hem to the bottom of my dress. Sam made me feel at ease at every appointment that I had and explained the whole process to me each time which was very helpful. It was so exciting seeing the changes to my dress each time I visited! She is extremely talented in what she does!.
What was your favourite part of your gown?
I absolutely loved the addition of the sleeves to my dress! It absolutely transformed the dress and I loved that I was able to add my own twist to the dress. The lace hem I had also looked so stunning on my train!.
Did you change your gown in any way to make it your dream dress, or were you smitten from the start?
I really loved my original gown but knew that I wanted a dress with sleeves. I loved the chiffon material of the bottom of my dress that Kyla helped choose for me, and the A line shape of it. Kyla explained that I would be able to have sleeves fitted to my dress and showed me a mock up at my initial appointment by clipping some sleeves on to the dress to give me an idea of what it would look like. When I saw some styles of chiffon skirt dresses with the lace hem I knew I wanted to add a little something to my train too and Kyla helped with ordering the pieces that I would need and Sam did an amazing job with the final style.
Where did you get married?
Hanbury Barns Wedding Venue
What were your thoughts when you saw your partner and how did they react to your gown?
I was initially so nervous to walk down the aisle!. It was also so difficult not telling Jamie what my dress looked like after each appointment because I was just so excited about how beautiful it looked. I was so excited for him to see my dress and I felt so confident walking down the aisle once I got started. When I got to the end of the aisle Jamie told me “I knew that you would look amazing but I didn’t think it would be this amazing!”. He also said that the dress I chose is kind of what he had envisioned me in and that he loved the sleeves and the flowy skirt of the dress so I definitely chose well! I had so many compliments about how amazing my dress looked and that I looked like a Disney princess!
What was your highlight of the day?
We absolutely loved our first dance! We were both so nervous about having to dance in front of so many people, so we had tried to put together a few steps for the chorus so that it would be a little more interesting. Having the bustle added to my dress to reduce the length of my train was so useful as my dress still looked stunning but was a lot more manageable to dance in. Jamie only stepped on my dress once so I think we did pretty well! The photos and videos of our dance look amazing because of how flowy the skirt of my beautiful dress was!
What advice would you give to fellow brides?
I think to trust the process whilst trying dresses on! I knew the first few that I tried on wasn’t the right fit for me, but eventually you will find your perfect gown! I think also to be open minded about altering the dress if its not quite right as I loved the style, fit and detail on my dress - it just needed a little something extra with the sleeves and laced hem!. Also trust Ava May Bridal as they really have an eye for what will suit you!.
