Suzanne James Bridal

I’m getting married in about a year and a half and have just started noticing bridal shops. Sure, I won’t have to decide on much of this stuff and it’s unlikely my opinion will be sensible or, indeed regarded anyway. I must admit though, where I used to pass by bridal shops without the slightest interest at all, now I stop and look, I imagine my fiancé in a beautiful dress and am all rather pleased.
It is clear, even to a brute like me, that Suzanne James has a beautiful selection and would be a wonderful place to look for formal wear. The window displays are tasteful and eye-​catching and just peering inside offers a glimpse of the fantastic range.
There is a note on the door requesting customers to ring the doorbell and another note asking people to kindly wipe their feet on entry. This might suggest that customers aren’t coming and going at a great pace, but I’d suggest an arranged visit is definitely worthwhile.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. And again. And again, if needs be: I have no place in Suzanne James Bridal Store.
Sadly, I, for some utterly unfathomable reason that I can only assume to be malice, was dragged into this man-​forsaken place against my will by a friend of mine who was getting a little comfortable in her nest and wanted to have a peek around.
This is not a place for men! The dresses represent something that eighteen year old males should not have to think about. It tends to fill one with an existential fear that kind of consumes the soul right as you’re sat there. And on top of this, all the dresses look like cakes, and if you’re hungry because your friend wants to look at dresses before you go get food, that just compounds the issue. Now you’re hungry as well as suffering an existential breakdown leaving you a barren husk of a man.
I exaggerate. It’s not that bad. Yeah, there are dresses everywhere, and all the conversations are punctuated by loud «squee“s and seem to be had several magnitudes higher than men are capable of hearing, but if you’re a man being dragged to this place, just bring a Gameboy and you’ll be fine.

Like Carrie Bradshaw, I’m missing the Bride Gene and should be put in a test tube and studied. Why spend £5,000 on something you wear only one day, only to then stare at wistfully when you heave boxes in and out of the attic?
But thankfully, not everyone is like me, or places like Suzanne James Bridal would be out of business. I found it quite soothing to walk around this boutique and was pleased to find a range of reasonably priced dresses from the cupcake organza gowns to elegant floor skimmers suitable for a more mature bride.
Carrying exclusive stock lists of designers like Lyn Ashworth, Hollywood Dreams, and Amanda Wakely, Suzanne James offers exquisite occasion wear for not only the bride, but her Mother, bridesmaids, and soon-​to-​be-​husband as well.
If I had forthcoming nuptuals, I’d definitely come here — the staff are helpful, but not pushy, and the dressing rooms on the lower ground floor are incredibly spacious.

I visited this shop with my friend when she was wedding-​dress-​shopping.
First off, it has plenty of space — and a lot of bridal shops fall at this first hurdle. The fitting rooms are really airy and spacious, with floor-​to-​ceiling mirrors, and there are plenty of accessories (shoes, tiaras, etc) to try along with the dresses.
Secondly, the staff go out of their way to welcome brides (and their tag-​along shopping buddies!) and help them find the perfect dress for their big day — and they also carry stock for bridesmaids, and for mothers of the bride and groom.
And finally, the shop carries some beautiful dresses (although obviously this comes down to taste!) from some of the industry’s most respected designers — including Ritva Westenius who has dressed the likes of Jane Seymour and Faye Dunaway. It’s also an exclusive stockist of Amanda Wakeley, Hollywood Dreams, Lusan Mandongus, Charlotte Balbier, Stewart Parvin, Lyn Ashworth and Kate Sherford, and more.
My friend didn’t actually end up buying her wedding dress here, but only because she fell in love with one she found elsewhere — so I can’t comment on their after-​sales service.

I don’t make a habit of visiting wedding shops, in fact this is the only one I’ve ever been in and it’s every girls dream. There are rails and rails of the most beautiful dresses. How people manage to pick just one is beyond me!
Downstairs is where the transformation happens. There are light and bright and spacious dressing room to try on your dream dress, and even a catwalk like corridor for you to practice walking down! It was however a bit hot down there and the poor bride did once faint after standing there for some time in her heavy dress and probably not eating anything to slim herself down!
The staff were all really friendly and helpful, especially the lady who was altering the dress and did everything to make sure the bride to be looked her very best, while keeping the costs down. Probably not the cheapest or the most expensive place to buy a wedding dress, but defiantly somewhere you should check out if you’re shopping for the big day.