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Choosing your wedding dress is really exciting. You will probably have a pretty good idea of what you like, but it is only when you start trying them on that you will get a feel for what looks good on you.

You need to take into account your height and shape and choose something that flatters your figure. Just because you’ve always had your heart set on a certain style doesn’t mean it will necessarily suit you.

There will only be four or five basic styles of dress, try them all on to see which one complements your shape. Once you decide the style that suits you best, choosing a dress becomes simpler as you can then just concentrate on the fabric and features that appeal on dresses that are ‘your shape’.

Take someone with you who knows you well and will give you an honest opinion. Check how it feels to walk, sit, turn, bend and dance. If the dress has a train, a hook and eye is often stitched into the back of the dress so that it can be hooked up for the evening. (On the day it’s worth taking a large safety pin in case the hook and eye isn’t strong enough)

Check the material of the dress – will it ‘travel’ well – you don’t want it to look all creased up when you arrive at the marriage ceremony. Also check what the dress looks like from behind. It’s worth remembering that you will probably be standing with your back to everyone for most of the ceremony. It is a perfect vantage point to show off any special detail on the back of the dress.

You have to think about ordering your wedding dress up to a year in advance. Wedding dresses can be quite expensive so the shops do not stock one of each size. You will try on the nearest to your size and it will generally be pinned so that you can see what it will look like and the shop will then advise you what size you need to order. Alterations will be carried out nearer to the wedding day and there is usually a cost for each fitting.

I was very lucky because I tried on only 5 dresses and on the fifth dress I knew that was the dress for me. I was guided by my heart. If you really think a particular dress is the one, don’t go trying on hundreds of others, because in the end you won’t know what you like and what you don’t like.

Once you have chosen and ordered your dress ask the shop for a swatch of material and take it with you whenever you go shopping for wedding accessories. It is surprising how many different shades of ivory there are! I would strongly advise you not to keep going back to the shop to look at the dress once you have ordered it because you will lose the excitement of the dress before the wedding.

Once you have brought home your wedding dress where do you put it? We used the spare bedroom to store all the wedding things (my dad gave the room a lick of paint and shampooed the carpet earlier in the year so that it was fresh and clean)

Some people put a hook into the ceiling joist to hang their dress from. Alternatively, you can open wardrobe doors wide and lay a pole across the top to create a rail on which to hang your wedding dress, petticoats etc. (see picture) If the dress has a train let it spread out over a sheet to protect it

On your wedding day the bottom of your dress is bound to get grubby - don’t worry about trying to keep it spotless, just enjoy your day. Your dress can be professionally cleaned after the wedding.