It’s guest blog time! Now, you may have heard me mention a certain, very handsome and talented, wedding photographer in some of my other blogs. I’m talking, of course, about my wonderful husband, Jonny Draper, wedding photographer extraordinaire. Jonny has photographed a fair few weddings in his time, and he knows a thing or two about making brides, and their dresses, look spectacular. I’m thrilled he’s agreed to write a blog for all you brides out there with some incredibly helpful tips on how to get the most out of your beautiful wedding gowns. Take it away Jonny…

Your wedding dress is probably the single most expensive item of clothing you’re ever likely to buy and only wear once.  It’s taken months (sometimes years!) to find the perfect dress, to get it fitted and ready for the big day.

So what happens when you put it on, on the morning of your wedding?!?!?

Well, it goes without saying that you want to arrive at the church or the venue with it looking pristine, ready to walk down the aisle and get married and of course have some lovely family photographs with you all looking the very best you’ve ever looked!

But what then?

Well, the single best piece of advice I can give any bride, is to relax.  Your dress is a PARTY dress!  Don’t fret if the train starts to get a bit dirty as the day progresses – embrace it!  The very best weddings are the ones where the bride and groom don’t worry about a thing.  If they relax, their guests relax and that intimate, fun, informal atmosphere that so many couples crave, actually happens.

The minute you start worrying about your dress, the more fuss will go on around you.  People will be nervous to approach you as they won’t want to risk treading on your train and all you will be thinking about is whether your dress still looks clean.  Instead of concentrating on having the best time ever.

If photography is important to you and you’ve booked an awesome photographer and want images that will thrill you, then trust them!  If you need to climb over a fence into a field to chase that evening light or to get the killer landscape shot, then do it!  It’s fun!  And you will have wedding photographs that forever remind you of that time on your wedding day when you laughed with your brand-new husband as he carried you over a stream, up a hill, or down into a valley, because you wanted amazing images and you WEREN’T being precious about your dress.

Relax, enjoy your stunning party frock, let it tell a story when you look at it the next day and you see the dust from the dancefloor, the leaves from the church path and the spot of red wine that an over enthusiastic bridesmaid spilled on it.  Let it be a canvas of incredible memories for you to treasure forever.

It’s not just a dress.  It’s an extension of everything that happens on your wedding day.

Relax and let it do its thing.

All dresses worn by the brides are from LOVE:

1. (top left) – Becky – Enzoani ‘Ginger’ 
2. (top middle) – Lauren – Stewart Parvin ‘Blue Moon’
3. (top right) – Sarah – Enzoani ‘Lexi’ with bespoke sleeves
4. (bottom left) – Emma – Enzoani ‘Kerianna’
5. (bottom middle) – Montana – Enzoani ‘Lisa’
6. (bottom right) – Vicky – Enzoani ‘Lucie’ and bespoke jacket