I have never ever stepped into a bridal boutique and therefore I was acting like a total klutz during my first wedding gown fitting session.
You can also watch my vlog below.
In four months’ time, I will be marrying my best friend and life companion. And as of now, we have already booked several vendors to work with us. What’s left of us to do is to either rent or buy our wedding outfits. At this point, I wasn’t sure if I should buy or rent from a bridal boutique. But I guess there’s no harm visiting bridal shops and try out some wedding gowns first before deciding, right? So I managed to persuade Sam to visit this bridal boutique which is highly recommended by several brides on SG Budget Bride Facebook page.
I didn’t feel like wearing a wedding gown at all.
To be really honest, I wasn’t so keen to try out any wedding gowns. First and foremost, I do not have a very attractive figure and my body shape is leaning towards the heavy and curvy side. Due to these self-esteem issues, I kept on pushing out wedding fitting appointment back, thinking that I could lose some weight before the fitting. But no matter what I do to lose weight, it seems like I could not shed off the kilos. Demoralised and feeling defeated, I told myself that perhaps I should just embrace my physical beauty and hop into a wedding gown as soon as I can. Whatever.
Off to the bridal studio!
It was drizzling non-stop and I took a Grab to the studio which is a 15-minute walk away from Boon Keng MRT station. BQueens wedding bridal studio is well-known for its affordable wedding packages. They also have a range of sizes and beautiful gowns to choose from. Their consultant who helped us with the fitting was really kind and patient. Like what other graduates brides and brides-to-be said, they were not pushy at all.
What are the rental prices like?
There were two floors. The first floor mainly housed all the wedding gowns while the second floor is where they kept their stash of men’s suits, pants and shirts. The consultant first asked me what we were looking for and we told them that we just wanted to rent a suit and a gown. She straightaway shared their ala carte prices with us. Gown rental cost ranges from $600 to $800 while suit rental is priced at $250. All in all, I would say that it is somewhat affordable since this rental cost includes fitting, cleaning and tailoring. It might be even cheaper if you sign up for a wedding package with them which often includes makeup, bridal bouquet and photography.
Gown Fitting Session for the bride-to-be
The consultant said that a typical fitting session would usually require me to try out about 4 to 6 gowns of various cuttings since I wasn’t sure what I wanted. I could pick out some gowns to try or she could pick out some suitable ones for me to try. I trust her to pick my dress since she is probably more experienced in picking the right gown.
The first gown was really tight and I could not get into it. I have really wide hips and maybe my baggy shirt concealed it really well so she could not tell. Upon discovering this, she quickly picked out another dress. And for the following dresses, they all fit me quite well so I would say that she is pretty good with finding the right gown sizes for me.
Gown Fitting Tip: Go with an open mind. Just try all kinds of gowns so that you know what works and what don’t
Even though I told that I was looking for a simple self-wearable gown and perhaps a blue one to suit the theme of my wedding, she picked out gowns that suit my body shape rather than what I wanted. I’m glad she did that so that I know exactly what kind of wedding gowns suit my body shape. But at the same time, I felt that she didn’t attempt to understand what I was going for. As such, I could not say ‘yes’ to any dresses she picked out for me. Though the gowns look great on me, they weren’t the ones I was looking for.
During the fitting session, I also noticed that most of the gowns there look a little worn-out.
Suit fitting for the groom-to-be
After trying out all the gowns, she brought us to the second-storey for Sam to try out the suit. She brought us to this private fitting room where there’s some privacy to ourselves.
Unlike their gown collection, their suit collection seems rather limited.
Likewise, she asked Sam what type and design of the suit he is looking for. Sam wanted to go for blue-coloured suits. Then she sought to pick out 4 suits of various colours for him to try. What’s great about their suit package is that it includes the white shirt, bow or necktie, pants and vest.
Similarly, their suits looked a little worn-out. You might not be able to notice it from afar but if upon close examination, you will be able to tell that the suit has been worn many times.
After the whole fitting session, the consultant asked us if we would like to pay a deposit to reserve any of the gowns or suits. When we politely said that we would like to consider first, she gave a nod and said that it was all right for us to take some time to think through. There was no hard-sell at all. She did not even pressure us to purchase or book anything.
In conclusion, I would say that the whole gown and suit fitting session was pleasant and comfortable. They even offered us some drinks during the fitting session. And the consultant was always there when we needed her to help us with our fitting. Overall, it was a good experience and we were glad that we checked out this bridal studio. However, we might want to check out another bridal studio before making a final decision.
As for now, I better get started with exercising and healthy eating to shed off some kilos.
Check out my wedding journey blog post here!
