MADE IN CHINA

Weddings are by anyone’s terms, expensive.
Even those who have small weddings can sometimes feel the pinch as the little bits and pieces add up.
Your wedding dress however, need not be so terrifyingly costly!

More and more brides are either buying their dress from the high street or pushing their chips forward and buying online. Well, what’s so brave about that?- Not a lot when you are buying from a reputable name or official online outlet with free returns... but how about eBay? ... How about from China?

When planning my wedding I chose to take this leap of faith and ended up buying two dresses from China- they were both custom made to my measurements and both created to ‘look like’ the images used in the listings.

My Inspiration - Audrey Hepburn in "Funny Face" Image credit: www.access-fashion.com

I ended up buying from these eBay stores following a manic day of trudging round dress shops in my town... where I was greeted by nothing but rude women, who were interested in your money and not alot else. I know I cannot speak for all bridalwear shops, but honestly, my experience was shocking.

After a few hours of being pushed into dresses I didn’t like- but were more expensive, being clawed by fake nails while getting laced up, and being looked at down noses when I said I couldn’t afford it... I gave up my in-person search and my online quest began.

I ended up on eBay, my favourite haunt, where I typed into the search engine exactly what I wanted... (I always knew I wanted a tea-length 50's A-line style lacy number!), chose “new” as a filter and was left with a few dearer / not quite right dresses in the UK or several options around the £100 mark from China.


The image used to advertise my dress on eBay



I began by investigating... I picked out my favourites and scoped the sellers- what was their feedback like? How many other people had bought that item? How long had they been running for? This filtered the options leaving just a handful- I emailed my favourite two, asking for further details on fabrics etc. and to see just how easy it would be to talk to them...

They both replied really fast, and with good English. They were both extremely helpful in explaining the exact ordering process and describing the fabrics used and different additions available.



So... with the help of my mum, we got measuring and I ordered two dresses... one at £55 and one at £90. They arrived as per the shipping descriptions a few weeks later, and I paraded around the house in them... The one I wore on my wedding day arrived second of the two and as soon as I put it on I knew it was ‘the one’!

A bit of a cinderella, it didn't look much, but with tight purse strings and a bit of vision...

In terms of fit, they were perfect, and though they differed quite drastically from the images, for the money I couldn’t really argue! They were completely worth the gamble. One dress had a slight flaw and I was refunded immediately by the seller for the cost of repair- no questions asked.

I took the dress I had decided on to a good friend who made some minor (though drastic!) alterations to it- she added extra fabric to the bottom to make the skirt fuller, and added a purple ribbon to the waist to match my theme (something I wanted to wait to do, so I could match the colours exactly) and added buttons to the back. Overall, with fabric and alterations (with mates rates, admittedly), the dress came to £260 in comparison to similar dresses in the UK that can come in at around 10 times that!

The results... well, see for yourself, below!



The end result, finished deal, super fantabulous, end of a journey dress!!!


Sarah did the best job ever and completely exceeded all my expectations- I knew I'd love my dress, but I didn't know I'd LOVE my dress! And the best part about it is that absolutely no-one has the same thing!

I do still stick by my thoughts on wedding dresses however, in that I don’t think you should spend a fortune on something you will only wear the once! I did always think too that I would wear my dress then sell it on... but now it is mine and it was such an intimate work in progress, that it means so much more! All in all, from a personal view, and from my purses view- this was the best investment I could have made and was completely worth the gamble.

Besides, most things nowadays are made in China... this way you just cut out the middle man, the designer label adding and the price boost, just by buying straight from source! Your purchase may not initially look or feel exactly as advertised, but with a little work, and very little money, the foundations can easily be built on to create your perfect on-of-a-kind dress, if you are prepared to work on it.

For those willing to take the plunge: the seller below is who I worked with on my wedding- day dress and now would completely trust with another creation!:

wushuang_101

And also, not forgetting the beautiful Sarah, who's wedding room is not one to be missed! Keep your eyes peeled for a special feature on "Room 26" coming soon!

Love,

eBrides on eBay

I have always been a fan of eBay. Whenever I need anything- from travel adapters to homewares, to a cheeky off-the-cuff jewellery purchase(!), it has always been my first port of call, so of course I felt no different when it came to buying for my wedding. When I couldn’t find a dress in stores, I bought my dress on eBay, when I wanted affordable, throwaway favours, eBay. For  photo booth and candy bar props… go on, take a guess! Below are a few reasons why I swear by e-purchasing, and a few tips on how to do it and get it right. Enjoy!

• Online markets like eBay are perfect for finding quality used items / cheap new ones - after all, it’s true that one mans rubbish is another mans treasure and this site alone is so vast, that you are bound to find what you are looking for, regardless of how specific you think you're being.

• The bonus to eBay is that amongst the millions of Jo's and Janes, there are tons and tons of past brides logged on and waiting for people to bid on and get rid of their old wedding bits and bobs and a lot of the time, because so many people discount "used" items as tat, they go for cheap! By recycling, you are helping them and more importantly, helping yourself! ...And why shouldn't you?!

• Use one of the worlds biggest online "shops" to find everything from dresses and shoes to favours and cakes. Some transport and marquee hire services even use eBay listings as a point of contact for enquiries, so you really could plan an entire wedding from the one site! (if any of you reading this, are doing / have done this, please email me!- I am also going to try and do this- a post on my attempts to follow soon!)

• It is also getting more and more common for small businesses and large companies to both have eBay outlets running alongside their standalone / web stores. These options offer good opportunity to put on your best smiley and haggle. Smaller businesses tend to list items with large quantities of stock. By purchasing several (in the case of favours etc.) it is quite easy to request discount either for multiple purchase, or on postage. More often than not, the seller will offer discount. Don't ask, don't get.

• As for the larger stores- there are now increasingly more and more "offificial" fashion sellers on eBay. The majority of which sell items with no faults at all- they are simply past season. This could be a great opportunity for picking up bridesmaids dresses and the like... For sellers guaranteed to be selling top quality goods, check the outlet section of the site, which is linked from the eBay homepage- these sellers have to provide items New with Tags as part of their contracts and also have decent returns policies to match their standard stores.

• Alternatively, using a bit of savvy, you can generally pick out your decent sellers just by checking out their past feedback, selling history and eBay ratings. "Shops" and eBay rated sellers have to conform to strict eBay policies to earn these badges, so 99.9% of the time, you can trust that they are legit.

• The added bonus with eBay is the ability to pay via Paypal. eBay in itself offers buyer protection for purchases to ensure you are never caught short, but the security Paypal offers for online purchases is an added perk, safeguarding your personal account details and protecting the transaction. When buying goods from abroad, it also converts the currency automatically- so no hassle!

• One thing to remember when you are buying goods from abroad is that over a certain value, you will be required to pay import duty and VAT. The charges are relatively small however and should not deter you from buying from outside of the UK if you have managed to find yourself a bargain to beat all others!

•  Items are listed in one of two formats- Auction and Buy it Now. Buy it now is great for goods that aren’t likely to be fought over- ordinary items that may not be considered “unique” or desirable (like in-style clothing or currently trending “vintage” items), whereas Auction is great for finding these more sought after items starting at low prices- great if you are prepared to fight for it! Keep a level head though and try and set yourself a top price you would be willing to pay, otherwise it is very easy to get swept up in those final seconds of bidding, to end up paying well over the odds!

The best thing about the whole thing though is you can literally buy anything on eBay, and from anywhere in the world! You could buy your dress from China, your Favours from America, your shoes from Australia- and combine them all to produce an unforgettable wedding, completely different to everything available in the UK- the envy of all your friends. It’s your one-stop-unique-wedding shop!

Happy bidding! 

 

Make-up your mind!

Every bride wants to look and feel like a star on their wedding day- and when it is the one day where you are centre of attention, all eyes on you, who can blame you?!

I am a firm believer in look good, feel good to the point where even if I feel rough as hell, I’ll slick on some mascara in the hope of feeling just a little more human! Bringing me nicely onto the subject of make-up and whether this is something people feel is worth splurging on for the big day.

I personally don’t wear a lot of make-up on a day-to-day basis, and when I do put on a little extra for going out, due mainly to my lack of knowing how things work, my “face” never stays put. For this reason, I spent a lot of time before my wedding searching for a make-up artist to do the job for me!

My worry was always that I would feel uncomfortable. I have had my make-up done by a pro before, and came out caked-up and resembling an umpa lumpa with bee-stung lips. Not a pretty sight. I tried to make it clear to all the people I was contacting that I didn’t so much want help putting the make-up on, more advice as to how to apply it myself...

I searched online, checked into forums / scoured Facebook and in all, emailed about 50 make-up artists around where I live, where my venue was and salon based. Most people responded, fast to reply and happy to help- not a problem here. The main issue I had with it all were the prices!

The moment you mention “bridal” make-up, the prices shoot up. As with most wedding related oddities, vendors and suppliers think it feasible to charge more, knowing that it is a big occasion and most couples will buckle to get exactly what they want. The prices I was quoted for “bridal” make-up varied from around £80 to £200 (The same cost as my VENUE!).

As an experiment, I have since emailed a few again, this time not mentioning anything about being a bride, and, while a lot fewer have replied (funny that!), the prices quoted are at least halved.

Unfortunately at the time, the money was not something I could justify, so I eventually decided not to go down that route, preferring to gather advice from Internet tutorials (Youtube is a wonderful thing!) and speaking to friends about the best products to use.

Make up by Tiffany is one of the most popular "amateur" make-up bloggers on Youtube

Still slightly bemused by it all, my next port of call were high street store make-up counters. I began in Debenhams, at the Clinique counter, where a woman twice my age tried to convince me I needed to buy every product on her table.... NO.*

Not understanding my want of the “natural” look, I moved on to Boots, where I ended up chatting to a girl around my age, who sympathised with my confusion and after listening to exactly what I wanted to achieve, led me around the store, showing me different options and explaining the use of everything, without ever once pressuring me to buy.

We picked up a few different bits and she did my make-up with them in-store, on the spot (Something I always swore I would never do!- cringe!) but it was all good, and she explained everything she was using and doing as she went. I ended up leaving the store with my make-up freshly applied and ran to see my friend to get her opinion!

After confirming that in no way did I look like a fruit, I returned to the store, to leave with a bag full of the products used- the total coming to little over £25 (A steal compared to what some people dared to charge!). I practised “the look” a few times at home before the big day, so I knew exactly what I was doing and how not to cake, and I soon felt well at home in my new face.

A couple of my website faves:

http://www.lekeuxevents.co.uk/vintagehair.html

http://www.burlesquewomensinstitute.com/burlesque_classes.html

Looking back, I am super over the moon at my choice to do it myself. While it may not have stuck like glue, I know I made more of an effort that day, and I felt good! While I never did try it, I think that if I had had someone else do it for me, I would never have felt quite as comfortable – though I guess this is really down to what you are used to and how much of a transformation to are wanting / willing to take.

I know I am not the only bride that has been in this predicament. My husband and I attended a wedding where the bride had booked a make-up artist but never had a trial... when it came to her wedding day, she felt so uncomfortable in the make-up that she removed it all and attended her wedding bare-faced... Good on her, I say!

The best advice I can give is:

• Do not go with something just because it is “expected”. If you aren’t used to wearing make-up and people aren’t used to seeing you in it, don’t wear it!- The stares and comments will only have the opposite to your desired effect, making you feel more self conscious!

• Whether you decide to book a pro, or go it alone, practice always makes perfect. Book a trial to work out exactly what you want, or use forums and online tutorials to learn how to create different looks and work out how to do it yourself!- Trying lots of different things means you won’t end up with a look that you love, but don’t suit. Last thing you want to be worried about on your wedding day is foundation lines and wonky eyeliner!

• Do your research. If you want to go pro look into several options, and when you have narrowed it down, look into them further again. Check out their portfolios / do they have any testimonials on their site? Try asking round friends for recommendations... some places offer discount for referrals so you can save some money, plus then you have a firsthand account of the standard of their work.

• Most people decide to cake on the make-up because of the common myth that “make-up doesn’t show up in photographs”... not strictly true! Make-up does show in photographs, just in a more subtle way. If your photographer is using the correct lighting and equipment, they should have no issues with capturing your beautiful face!

• If you are still worried about not looking glam in your snaps, do not fret! Many photographers nowadays offer digital editing of images, and so can easily remove any teary mascara smudges / (heaven forbid!) any spots with the click of a mouse, guaranteeing flawless results. Do check with your photographer about this first though as some offer this service as standard, while others charge extra for the pleasure.

Obviously, these words just come from one hens experience, (and I sure feel better for ranting!) but do try and bear this all in mind when considering make-up for your wedding, as otherwise you could end up forking out on something you don't really want or need!

Love,


*This post is not intended to favour any brand or store over the other and is merely a recollection of one persons experience, not at all a reflection of the overall standard of store or service.