I wore a shorter dress for my religious service. I loved the idea of something shorter for one of my experiences. It felt grown up and appropriate for the service that was a huge lifelong commitment for Matthew and I.

I have found there are lots of options for shorter wedding dresses that come either from the high-street or online stores. This little one reminded me of a Valentino dress. Sadly it’s not available anymore but I have tagged some other options below instead.

The key with anything you buy off the rail for your wedding (or any big event) is to have it tailored. I find it can even be helpful to buy a size bigger to guarantee there is enough fabric for any customisations, whether that’s using some hem for a belt, or just taking it in exactly to suit your figure. Often your local dry cleaner will offer a tailoring service, it’s worth asking around who is good. Finding a tailor in your neighbourhood you can rely on is so important.

Most girls dream of a long wedding dress. The romantic look. However, you get engaged and think it will cost a fortune to get that dream to become a reality. Now I’m not going to lie to you, there is a big gap (well more like an ocean) between the quality of a wedding dress you can buy off the rack from, say ASOS, verses a custom-made gown from a luxury designer. The cut, fabric and experience will obviously be superior at a designer. However that doesn’t always matter. Maybe this is your second or third dress, maybe the dress just isn’t what you want to spend your budget on. Whatever the reason I wanted to show you with a bit of alteration and good lighting a cheaper dress can still give a wonderfully stunning bridal effect.

This one is from ASOS, but there are great options from Needle and Thread, Three Floor, Self Portrait and Halfpenny London available now.

Suits and jumpsuits are so chic for a bridal look. I really wanted to wear a new look Dior inspired suit for a part of my wedding but I couldn’t find one. That said there are some super sleek and sexy trouser suits and jumpsuits that are more masculine but are still soft and modern. I love the idea of the Bianca Jagger bride. I wore a camisole (which is actually a dress) under the suit here, to cover my modesty a bit more, but if you’re in a tropical country or just bold, a bit of tape could keep you in but let you really reference Bianca Jagger. I love the idea of a bit of hatters net or a more modern veil with a suit.

Stella McCartney does great suits, this one is from Massimo Dutti. You can get net like this from VV Rouleaux or Peter Jones.