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If you’re planning on tying the knot in the beautiful country of Scotland, it makes sense to hire local vendors and services to assist you with the planning phase – including finding the ultimate wedding dress.
When searching for the perfect wedding gown, there’s a lot to choose from, and it can be overwhelming knowing where to start. But fear not! We’ve put together the ultimate wedding dress shop Edinburgh guide to help you on your way.
Wedding Dress Shopping: What You Need to Know
First things first, there’s a few things to consider to make the process easier before starting your search.
Make an Appointment
Resist the urge to just show up at a bridal shop, as most boutiques will be busy with clients and won’t be able to assist.
Once you book your appointment, you can expect to receive tailored, one-on-one treatment that will make the process of finding your perfect gown quicker and simpler than just going in blindly.
Appointment Costs
Be mindful that many bridal shops may charge for an appointment, or at least expect a deposit. This is to protect them from no-shows, which costs the business time and money.
Some boutiques may offer appointment ‘packages’ too, which may cost extra. This might include additional offers such as a glass of champagne, gift bags, and other luxury treatment.
Photography by Wildling Weddings
How to get the BEST wedding photos – tell me where to send these tips!
Bridal Parties
Most brides like to bring along a guest or two to a dress appointment. This could be their best friend, mother, future mother-in-law, a sibling, the maid-of-honour, or the entirety of the bridesmaid ensemble.
Always check in advance if bringing guests is allowed. Some boutiques are limited in space and prefer not to have additional bodies. Other boutiques won’t have an issue with it, but always check in advance.
Come Prepared
Once you’ve booked your wedding dress appointment, make sure you show up prepared. This means wearing appropriate underwear (many brides like to wear their planned wedding underwear to be certain the dress won’t clash/expose it).
It’s also wise to bring along a pair of high heels – or your wedding shoes, if you have them already – to make sure the style and the cut of the dress works well with them.
Photography by Wildling Weddings
Be Open-Minded
This means trying on dresses you ordinarily wouldn’t consider. Many, many brides have a specific design or cut in mind, but when it comes to trying it on, they find the dress doesn’t look or feel right.
Be open to trying on other styles of dresses – you may be surprised what works and what doesn’t!
Be Practical
Keep in mind that you’re probably going to be in your wedding dress all day – and your wedding will be a long (and fabulous) day. This means a certain level of practicality is advised.
While it can be tempting to choose beauty over practicality and go for dresses with compacted bodices, skin-tight lace, restricting corsets, stiletto heels, and the like, be mindful that you’ll be on your feet a lot and you’ll want to enjoy your day without being uncomfortable, in pain, or downright ready to pass out!
Try to find the sweet spot between comfort and style, and you can be sure that you’ll look incredible and feel comfortable enough to dance the night away.
Shop Within Your Budget
Once you’ve established your wedding dress budget, browse within that margin to avoid the potential disappointment of falling in love with an unattainable dress.
Read More: Wedding Dress Hire: 5 Things to Know
Wedding Dress Shops in Edinburgh: Our Top Picks
So, now that you’re ready to head to the marvellous streets of Edinburgh to find your dream wedding dress, here are some of our favourite options.
Read More: Scottish Wedding Dresses: Designers & Ideas
Emma Roy of Edinburgh
With over 40 years in the bridal biz, Leith Street-based Emma Roy of Edinburgh is one of the most well-known and well-loved bridal boutiques in the UK.
Conveniently located in the heart of the city, the award-winning Emma Roy of Edinburgh holds a collection of over 500 bridal gowns, many of which are the creations of some of the industry’s most prestigious designers.
This collection boasts contemporary, classic, and vintage-style dresses, ensuring there is something for everyone. Some of the designers include:
- Milla Nova
- Maggie Sottero
- Enzoani
- Ronald Joyce
- Freda Bennet
Photography by Emma Roy of Edinburgh
Kavelle Couture
Situated in Edinburgh’s New Town, Kavelle Couture hosts the widest collection of wedding gowns in the whole of Scotland, and has been a popular indie bridal brand since the early 90s.
Kavelle prides itself on offering made-to-measure, bespoke services, as well as hosting dresses created by some of the industry’s biggest names (including Vera Wang, Pronovias, and Ysa Makino).
Fittings, alterations, and expert industry advice are all part of the deal with Kavelle, who offer appointment-only services.
La Novia
Offering luxurious and sustainable bridalwear, La Novia’s gowns are made-to-measure, ensuring all brides are comfortable and supported in their dress on their big day.
If an ethical approach is a must for your wedding dress, La Novia is of service with their in-house designed and made gowns, meaning each dress is made especially for the bride, ensuring no wastage. Oh, and a killer dress that looks and feels incredible!
As for bridal appointments, La Novia works to ensure each appointment is fun and stress-free, helping you achieve your gown goals in the best way possible. Other services include VIP appointments (for you and up to 5 guests), fitting and alterations, and dry-cleaning/dress preservation.
Pretty Woman Bridal Boutique
Family-run Pretty Woman Bridal Boutique prides itself on providing a top-tier bridal journey process (which includes complimentary flutes of prosecco, just FYI), as well as hosting a vast selection of gowns from some of the industry’s biggest names, including Justin Alexander and Eva Lendel.
Each bridal experience is tailored to the individual bride’s needs and values, ensuring every single hem fits perfectly and feels fantastic, and every step of the journey is an enjoyable one.
Pan Pan Bridal
Offering exquisite attention to detail with both their gowns and the fitting service, Pan Pan Bridal boasts over 30 years’ experience and hosts an impressive collection of 200+ dresses.
Located in the city’s Buccleuch Street, Pan Pan Bridal hosts an array of dazzling designer dresses from the likes of Nicole Milano, Rosa Clará, Jenny Packham, Eliza Jane Howell, and Naomi Neoh.
The creative brains behind the boutique is Li Gorman, who has immersed herself in providing expert dress designing, fitting, and tailoring for over three decades.
Mairi Brown
Leith-based Mairi Brown has merged her love affair with corset-based garments into a notable Edinburgh boutique that focuses on designs inspired by everything Mairi herself loves – particularly botanicals and animals.
As for her wedding dresses, Mairi works on a bespoke basis, working closely with you to design and make the ultimate wedding gown, which is backed up by her impeccable attention to detail and her 25+ years in the game.
Kudos Bridal Edinburgh
The award-winning Kudos Edinburgh has been catering to brides’ needs for over 15 years, and prides itself on providing appointment-only services seven days a week.
Hosting a collection of gowns from international designers including Rosa Clará, Wendy Makin, and Essence of Australia, Kudos holds studios in Edinburgh and Fife and provides brides’ and bridesmaids’ dresses in both.
Rachel Scott Couture
Specialising in all things bridal – including some seriously gorgeous accessories – Rachel Scott Boutique offers a generous selection of designer gowns, including Andrea Hawkes, Halfpenny London, Rolling in Roses, and Vivienne Westwood (to name but a few).
As well as this, your bridal appointment will allow you to peruse the boutique’s showroom, consultation lounge, and accessories room, meaning everything you need for your killer wedding day look is all under one roof.
Oscar Lili
Last but not least is Oscar Lili. Oscar Lili specialises in bespoke bridal gowns and bridal separates, and allows clients the freedom to customise and add their own unique style to their wedding look.
As well as bespoke options, Morningside-based Oscar Lili holds ready-to-wear options, and provides alterations and restyling services to allow you to tweak and customise your dress to perfection – this includes vintage or family heirloom pieces.
As well as made-to-measure dresses, the boutique also holds designer options, including a stunning Liliana Dabic collection.
Vintage/Pre-Loved Wedding Dress Shops in Edinburgh
If you’re interested in going for a pre-loved wedding dress for your special day, we recommend the following Edinburgh-based boutiques:
- Bliss Studio – I got my own wedding dress from here and it’s currently back there on consignment! I highly recommend second hand dresses for a more sustainable approach.
- Bridal Reloved
- Bijoux Bridal
Wedding Dress Shops: FAQs
As with any wedding dress shop or bridal designer boutiques, it is always best to make an appointment to be sure. It’s rare that you’ll be able to just walk in and browse.
It’s beneficial to do so as you’ll likely be given a one-on-one slot to tend to your needs better than you would get when showing up unannounced.
Designer favourites often come down to each individual bride and her specific tastes. However, some of the most popular Scottish wedding dress designers include:
● Bijoux Bridal
● Joyce Young
● Amy King
● Isabella Jack
● Emma Roy
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