
Before we left Australia I took my Mum into a couple of wedding dress shops to have a looksee. On the whole I wasn’t too impressed, and it took some suggestion for me to try things on. Looking at dresses on the rack really doesn’t give you much of an idea of how it might look when you have it on…there are bows hanging here and beads over there that might look altogether too much when the dress is hanging up, but when you put it on it might be just the right amount of embellishment. Unfortunately for me, white has never really been my colour and shades thereof against my pasty white skin tend to make me look washed out. Some are too large, many too small, and most marked with some size not even close to relating to the reality of the bodies on the inside. It’s no bloody wonder that brides are so often on crash diets before their weddings, as the woman in one of the shops kept bringing me size 18 and 20s when I’m much more accustomed to a 14! One 18 was tight, the next was massive…!
So, while I enjoyed the experience with my Mum, and I did despite the above whinging, I have to say, and I think she’d agree, I’ve never really been able to see myself in a wedding dress, full stop.
With this in mind, I wandered passed a number of wedding dress boutiques in Dublin, peering in their windows and dreading the thought of going in without the company of my Mum to whom I could moan when the saleswoman brings in a sample in no way matching the discription of what I’ve suggested while proceeding to tell me it will look much better when it’s on and in my correct size and tucked here and pinned there if only I place an order this afternoon…!
Venturing online was my solution, as if I was going to have to get a dress in Ireland I might as well plan ahead so as to avoid drowing in the masses of tule and taffeta clouding out the boutique windows. It was online that I first came across Candy Anthony, and fell in love immediately! Specifically, this dress inspired my actions hereafter. Based in London, she’s just a hop accross the water, I thought to myself, as I emailed off and asked for an appointment and estimation of how long a dress might take to make. At the same time I did some sums and worked out what I might have been willing to spend on a dress back home, converted it to Euros, then Stirling and had a small coronary, before deciding that yes, this might be budget-able.
So below is my dress…sort of. It’s a similar shape, with the strapless bodice and a tule pettyskirt underneath, but mine is dark blue with silvery/ivory flowers instead of the red ones you see here.










