So we’ve covered dresses for a thoroughly modern millie, looking for a modern fairytale dress, but as you will know, I was a ‘princess dress’ bride. My love/hate relationship with my own choice of wedding dress is well documented on Rock My Wedding, but despite my yearn for a free and easy day (and dress,) if I were to do it again, I cannot get over the absolute timeless beauty of the classic wedding gown. Thats is how I became ‘Contradiction’ after all!
Of course, no fairytale would be complete without a princess dress and Charlotte and I literally stopped in our tracks at The Designer Wedding Show recently when we caught sight of The Couture Gallery stand, by Britta Kjerkegaard.
And how is this for a fairytale dream of a dress?
The Couture Gallery’s Wedding Gowns are one of a kind, quite literally. Britta told us that each shop sample is a one off piece created by her, whenever she has the time, each one allowing her creative skills to run riot. Brides visiting the shop in Kensington, London, can then try on a range of wedding dresses in different styles to decide which shape suits best.
Once this is decided, Britta then works with each Bride to refine the dress exactly to their specifications. As each piece is custom made the details can be combined to make the perfect dress, right down the the choice of lace, shade of the fabric and type of blooms adorning it.
One thing that stands out about the collection is the use of colour in it. Britta uses lots of blush tones as they are so much more flattering on the paler skin tones of British brides and those from her native Denmark. You certainly can’t argue that they lend an inimitable air of femininity to the designs along with the stunning floral additions.
There are so many clever ideas in the dresses too – for example, one dress as seen in this brilliant short film about The Couture Gallery allows the tulle underskirt and bottom part to be removed, and the dress transforms into an evening party dress so you can really shake it on the dance floor later – Love that idea!
Britta also told us that the shop samples are always for sale, which is a massive bonus as she likes to keep stock current and when she adds to the collection, something has to go. The samples are heavily discounted and The Couture Gallery sample sale is being held in November (click the link for further details) with discounts of up to 60% off. Do head over to the site to take a look and if you think Britta might be able to create your kind of fairytale, book an appointment – you wont be disappointed.
Yours Truly
Rebecca
xoxo
PS. My favourite is up right up there at the top for all to see. The fifties waistline, flowers and tulle literally make me weak at the knees. *Swoon*
Are you going to be a princess bride?
WOW. That dress is amazing.
I have gone for a rather large tulle number (hope the fiance isnt reading this)and I know big dresses aren’t that cool right now I don’t think there’s anything wrong with going for the fairytale.
You don’t have to a pink fluffy cliche of a princess to have a fairytale dress. I will be rocking mine up with a few tweaks and funky accesories.
xx
I keep saying I’m not having a big dress! But I love these so much I may just change my mind!
I LOVE TULLE. I too have gone for a large tulle number of which has been seen right here on these blue polka dot pages.
Me too! I couldn’t resist indulging my tulle love for my own wedding dress (the gorgeous Isola by Augusta Jones). It didn’t have a full skirt but it was swishy, floaty and light, just perfecto! I love it when the tulle blows away from the inner skirt, giving you a dreamy flower fairy silhouette.
I also have a soft spot for anything with a bow – that dress fourth row down is ringing all my bells this afternoon x
I’m a princess bride!!! I have got ‘twinkle’ by Dizzie Lizzie and it’s about as big as it gets.
I love my dress but do have wobbles occassionally as tattybojangles says it doesn’t seem to be cool to have one.
These dresses are beautiful x x
Oh why do you do this to me NOW when I only have 5 days left to go?! When I was having my dress wobbles I VERY nearly bought the most amazing tulle dress with a tiny little plain satin sweetheart corset, sash with flower, and then ACRES of tulle. And I loved it. I still have a little twinge everytime I see a tulle dress now. But at this late stage it’s probably a little late to change my mind. Again.
But to all of you brides rocking Tulle – I am jealous.
Fliss I’m right there with you, but I’m 5 weeks to go
Dear RMW lovlies, please stop postig delicious dresses, at least until 11th Dec
x
I was a princess bride and I loved it.
Fliss – only 5 days! Agh!
These are all stunning. I do have a Tulle monster but these are elegant and sleek as well – how is that possible! I have to say, I love love love FairyTale Fortnight. You can never have enough pretty.
P.S… GOOD LUCK Fliss, I’m your W-Day Twin – hope you have an amazing day! xxx
@Rachael – I know! I’m feeling strangely calm at the moment, but I’m sure as the days tick by the ‘aaaaghhh’ factor will increase exponentially!
@ LizzieMc – eeeek! Hope yu hav a fantabulous ‘RMW’ stylee day too!
Sorry to totally take over the comments, but feel the need to apologise for the appalling typos in the last comment – am obviously not as calm as I thought!
Fliss! Is it that time already?! Oh My God!! Have a FABULOUS day!
LizzieMc – W-day twin this year? as in 5 days too? Oh My God again!
Holly Pocket – 5 weeks?! It feels like five minutes ago it was going to be 5 months, doesn’t time fly eh?
Have the BEST day lovelies
Charlotte xxx
I LOVE these dresses especially the top one! When else does a girl get the chance to wear such a fabulous frock these days?! : )
This makes me so sad! (in a crying way not in a sitting at home in jammies way – although that is true 98% of the time). Having recently started the dress hunt I did so with true gusto.
Within five minutes I had identified that princess dresses make my size 10, 34E figure look like a slutty Christmas Fairy. I was all bossom and my rather pert bottom was hidden. Alas, not for me.
Add to that that the boy is very very slim and I didn’t want to look like a slutty Christmas fairy elephant in a dress that made me look like I was four times bigger than him (even if the tulle was off a dropped waist)
I’ve limited my dress hunting now to dresses which suit my hourglass figure and balance out my child bearing hips and I’ve had to say goodbye to the tulle dream.
As compensation I’ve decided on a veil that requires 40 children to carry it to have my wafting-in-the-wind bridal dream.
And OMGflissandlizziemaci’msoexcitedforyou
I have a suggestion. Can we all start wearing our wedding dresses on nights out please? It pains me to look at these creations (especially the one with the bow! oh the one with the bow!) and realise I’ll never get to wear something like this again. If about 500 of us do it, then surely that’s not too weird? Maybe with a chunky knit over the top to dress it down.
No I’m not going mad…
I like your thinking Anna K – a nice chunky cardi and maybe some cowboy boots with it? With those additions people would hardly notice that it was a wedding dress. Seeing as I have two dresses (whoops) it would be a crying shame to waste one of them – I’m all up for this plan.
PS LizzieMc – did I mess up? In my excitement I just PRESUMED you meant this year, but of course it could be any year. Anyway, whichever year it is, have a wonderful day!
I’m loving the chunky knit/wedding dress combo idea, if only I’d actually chosen a dress!
Loving this post, although I can’t decide whether it has helped or made me more confused than ever! I’m currently trying to decide whether I should go princess or not. Loved trying on the big pouffy numbers in the bridal shop but then having since realised that the shop people tricked me with the ‘it’s the only time you’ll ever wear a dress like that’ line that they apparently use on everyone I’ve been having a re-think. Each day I sway from fanticising about a Sassi Holford big skirt to a slinky Jenny Packham number! I’m not sure I’m ever going to decide!
Fliss, what are your two dresses like? I think that might be the way to go if I could afford it!
xXx
Sooooo exciting! Yes yes, THIS Saturday, 6 November 2010. Actual RMW-Day twins! Going to be amazing!
Anna K, that is the best idea ever. I’m in!
xxxx
EEkkkk LizzieMc and Fliss. The actual thought of getting married in 5 weeks makes my stomach go a bit cold, so Lord knows what I’m going to be like when I have 5 days to go.
Good luck ladies!!
xxx
Jenny – unfortuantely I’m not actually wearing both dresses – I bought one and then changed my mind, and bought another. So now I have one which is hung in a wardrobe waiting to be sold (It’s on undress already), and one that I’ve never actually tried on waiting for me when I get back to the UK on Wednesday – ie 3 days before the wedding. Nothing like leaving things to the last minute! I did think about having two dresses, but from what everyone says, the day goes so quickly, I don’t want to break it down into two parts by wearing two different dresses – I want to stretch it out for as long as possible!
I love Fairytale Fortnight too. These dresses are so stunning! I wouldn’t wanna take it off if I got one like one of these! I really adore the artfully placed flowers, they’re my fave
there is some serious dress-age going on here! (as opposed to actual dressage with horses, that would be weird!!)
and yay for blush, especially for us pale and interesting types, its definitely the way forward.
Anna K – I’m so with you on the dress front, I’ve already got the cowboy boots…
r.now x x x
God, I LOVE tulle and very nearly bought a massive tulle one but it was just pipped to the post by something else very floaty and tulle-like.
Love love love them…. would wear tulle to work if I could. It might get playdoh on, but hey ho, a risk worth taking.
It must be so exciting having 5 days/weeks to go! Good luck! xx
Wow that first gown is stunning, a really fairytale wonder! It will make every girl look fabulous!!
I want a big, massive, f-off bow. Somewhere. It probably won’t fit on my dress. On my head, mebbes?
Anna K and Fliss, I third the wedding dress party – I reckon it won’t look odd at all (and how much would I jump at the chance to wear the dress that never got worn…! Even considering dying it purple and having some sort of post pregnancy trash the dress sesh!)
xx
I want to be a tulle princess! dress number one is my dream princess dress. I wish there was a way to wear each one of my dress fantasies there are just so many stunning dresses out there makes me want to get married all over again. Maybe I could persuade my hubby to have a blessing every year?!!
Loving the dresses!
I really never thought of myself as a princess dress type of girl, I actually wanted something a bit different and Indian inspired as my OH is Indian and we are planning a Fusion Indian/Scottish wedding! (May turn out to be a bit of a conFusion wedding! But should definitely be fun!)
Anyway, what I definitely knew I didn’t want (as much as I love them) was a dress that if it was any other colour, could be an evening/ball dress (albeit a stunning, gorgeous, ridiculously expensive one a la Jenny Packham!) When I actually started trying on dresses, the first one that caught my eye at the first appointment was in fact what I would class as a princess dress and it was STUNNING when I actually had it on, needless to say, after much, much more dress shopping, that was the one I went back for, none of the others lived up to it! I still think it’s different enough for me and like they all say – because it’s so true – when else ARE you going to get to wear a truly gorgeous princess dress?! x
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