Beautiful Dreamer Wedding Gowns

I can't praise this wedding gown shop highly enough. Most brides know that a wedding dress costs about the same as a 10-year-old BMW, which is a sad testament to our ability to overblow the importance of a piece of woven plant.

And most brides will have gone through what I went through -- shop after shop after blinking shop full of poufy, princessy gowns that cost the same amount as a Zimbabwean loaf of bread. I found a lot of dresses I liked. They were all so expensive, and none of them were QUITE right. On top of that, they just all looked the same, as if they'd been churned out of a wedding dress factory. I felt defeated.

Then, on our way home from a day full of foul-mood-making dress slinging, my husband said to me, "oh look at this shop just on the outskirts of the city -- should we just pop in?". I refused. I was tulled out. But the next day, we decided to give it a go.

I was so pleasantly surprised, I nearly cried. The shop is beautifully decorated, with comfortable couches on which to wait. The owner, an elderly lady, and her daughter, were so attentive, helpful and polite, even though I hadn't had an appointment.

And if that weren't good enough, they had dresses designed in unique styles, very couture and interesting. I was in heaven.

But then, the third level of happiness arrived -- the prices.

These dresses were a full £300 -- 800 less than every other wedding shop. I found a Robert Bullock dress (NYC designer) for £295, originally on sale in NY for $1300. I nearly cried with happiness. There were five possible dresses in the shop, but when I walked out in the "one", my husband nearly cried with happiness (probably because of the price tag).

The shop owner told me I looked astonishing in it, and pointed out the finer areas in which it suited me more than the other dresses. She helped me find shoes and matching jewelry (from other shops not affiliated with her), and went above and beyond any call of duty.

Do yourself a favour -- skip EVERY other wedding dress shop in Birmingham. If you're from out of town, make the trip up here. You, your fiance and your wedding budget will thank you.