Destination wedding dresses

Are you getting married abroad, somewhere warm, or simply hoping for sunning weather for your summer wedding in the UK? If you’re anticipating hot weather on your wedding day, you might want to look for a destination wedding dress. Destination wedding gowns are specially designed in fabrics and styles that will keep you cool on your big day - after all, no one wants to be a hot, sticky, sweaty bride!

Viva Bride’s destination wedding dress collection is part of one of our most popular vintage style wedding gown ranges, made in light, floaty chiffon, perfect for warm weddings abroad. There are three destination wedding dress styles to choose from, all inspired by iconic actresses from days gone by: Julie Christie, Vivien Leigh, and Shirley Maclaine.

Viva Bride’s Christie destination gown has an empire line style and a sweetheart neckline, with delicate beaded detailing on the straps, neckline and under the bust.

The Leigh wedding dress style is a flowing chiffon gown with a flattering ruched neckline, a beautiful detailed bodice and a floaty skirt to keep you cool.  

Viva’s Maclaine-inspired asymmetric wedding gown mixes elegant Grecian draping with vintage styling, and is available with an extra chiffon layer to add interest to the strap, or a full floor-length layer.

Another option for beach weddings, destination weddings and summer weddings is a short wedding dress, with hemlines anywhere from mini to tea-length. The Viva Bride collection also includes a number of gorgeous shorter wedding gowns with playful full organza skirts, and pretty lace and beaded detailing. These classic 50s style dresses are fun and flirty and allow you to show off your legs and your wedding shoes while allowing you to keep cool and dance the night away on your wedding day.

One of our favourites from this tea length collection was inspired and dedicated to the beautiful style icon Audrey Hepburn and features lace applique detailing across the skirt and bodice with chic vintage style. Channel your inner vintage goddess and enjoy your destination wedding with a light and floaty wedding dress!

Wedding Dress Shopping: 10 Tricks of the Trade

If it’s time to go shopping for your wedding dress you’re probably torn between being super excited and apprehensive about whether you’ll be able to find something you love. Though we think it’s the best part of planning a wedding, we understand that searching for your perfect wedding gown can be overwhelming at times, so here are our top ten tricks of the trade to make things easy for you:

1) Start with a clear idea of what styles you like… but be prepared to have an open mind! You might find that a dress you never would have chosen actually looks fantastic. Bear in mind that dresses often look very different on the hanger than how they look on a body so it’s worth trying on a variety of styles just in case.

2) Wear the right underwear - preferably a nude, strapless bra, or the kind of lingerie you’re planning on wearing on your wedding day. It helps to wear something that makes you feel confident as you’ll be stripping off in front of a mirror repeatedly and seeing yourself in tatty old granny pants isn’t exactly a confidence boost!

3) Bring a few choice companions whose opinion you value. Bringing along a huge entourage can make you feel self-conscious and result in too many conflicting opinions, leaving you confused and flustered rather than excited and clear-headed.

4) Don’t be tempted to look at gowns that are way out of your budget unless you can honestly stretch to that kind of price. Luckily all the wedding dresses at the WDFO are priced under £500 so there’s something for every budget and every bride!

5) Know your body shape and know what looks good on you. It can help to head to the high street before you visit a bridal store to try on some formal dress styles and get a feel for the different necklines, shapes and bodice styles. This way you can take your time finding a cut that really looks great on your body and narrow down your search when you hit the wedding dress shops!

6) Trust the experience of bridal store staff; they really do know their stuff! You don’t always have to agree with them but often staff can make useful suggestions on styles to try on, adjustments that can be made, or accessories that will look great with a specific gown.

7) Think top to toe - you don’t need to be fully made up with a bridal hairstyle but a bit of makeup and a few hair accessories can help you to try out different looks to suit each dress. Similarly, it’s useful to bring along a pair of heels to get a sense of how your dress will look on the big day. Most bridal stores also have podiums to give you some extra height so you can see how the dress falls and so you can spread out your train behind you.

8) Remember that often wedding dresses are handmade and sizing is not the same as high street dress sizes. Many wedding gowns come up smaller than you might expect so don’t be disheartened if you need a size larger than you usually take. Even off-the-peg wedding dresses often need alterations, especially if your upper or lower body are not in proportion (for example if you take a size 14 on top but a size 12 on the bottom).

9) Wedding dresses look completely different on different body shapes! What looks fantastic on an hourglass figure looks shapeless on a woman with very few curves, while a sheath dress will look great on boyish figures while making shapely women feel self-conscious… The shape of the neckline, the height of the waist, the cut of the bodice and the drape of the skirt all give different looks to your body and some will complement your shape better than others. Some make you look slimmer and taller, while some will accentuate the parts of you you’d rather keep hidden!

10) Stay true to your personal style. Part of what makes a wedding dress The One is feeling that it suits your personality. Your partner will be expecting to see you in a way they’ve never seen before on your wedding day but that doesn’t mean they want to see you wearing something that is totally out of your comfort zone. To feel great in your wedding gown you need to be comfortable as well as looking stunning!

And as always, for advice and help finding your ideal wedding dress that is within your budget, come and chat to us on our Facebook page, email us at info@weddingdress-factoryoutlet.co.uk or visit us at one of our outlets in Burbage, Bromley and Bolton.

Five Steps to Planning a Vintage Wedding

Planning a vintage wedding can be so much fun - you have a huge scope of styles, eras and designs to choose from, and can tailor your decoration, vintage bridalwear and accessories to match your personal style. Venturing into the world of vintage can sometimes be daunting, but there’s no need to be scared! With more and more vendors offering a range of retro-style goods and services, and plenty of advice and tutorials for vintage DIY online, you have everything you need for a unique and affordable vintage style wedding. And of course, if you’re looking for a vintage wedding dress that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, the Viva Bride collection at the Wedding Dress Factory outlet offers gorgeous vintage style from just £399. So, where should you start when planning a vintage wedding? Here’s our five-step guide to making your retro wedding extra special!

 1) Pick your era: Decide which time period and style you like the best. You don’t have to be completely true to the historical era you choose, just pick the elements that match your personal style and desired theme and go from there. You might even want to pick several aspects from different eras, it’s up to you!

 2) Focus on a theme: Try to centre your wedding theme around one or two main ideas. These might be colours, patterns, styles or images. Popular examples include polka dots, feathers, flowers, birds, music, classic movies and books and a crossover of vintage and hipster style! Once you’ve decided on a central theme you’ll find that finding all the little details of your wedding will be much easier.

3) Prioritise your budget: Genuine vintage items can be pricey so decide where your budget should be prioritised: on your wedding dress and your groom’s outfit, your venue, your decorations, food and drink, cake, flowers…? Work out what is most important to you and find ways to cut costs on other details. Many vintage accessories and decorations can be easily made at home, or sourced cheaply from charity shops, boot sales and vintage outlets. You might even find some family heirlooms that you can incorporate into your wedding!  

4) Look at the big picture: Think about the overall appearance of your wedding: your venue, entertainment and the wedding photographs that you’ll treasure forever. Does the overview of your wedding match your vintage vision? Sometimes it’s hard to see the big picture when you’re focusing on the details but it’s good to take a step back and look at the whole thing to make sure you’re on track for the wedding you want. 

 5) Mix and match: It’s fine to have a modern style wedding with a few vintage elements, or a retro wedding with a few contemporary twists - it’s your wedding, and should suit your personality as a couple. Try not to bring in too many different styles and ideas though - eclectic doesn’t mean chaotic! Remember that a few key themes work much better than lots of random elements.

Good luck planning your vintage wedding, and check out Viva Bride’s beautiful range of vintage-inspired wedding gowns and destination wedding dresses for retro styling from the 20s to the 70s!