The truth is that I never imagined that looking for my wedding dress was going to teach me so many things about me. I think that has been the most beautiful thing in the whole process, because despite the nerves, the rush, the stress and having so many obligations .. while looking for the dress, I have been getting to know myself and today I am able to describe my personality perfectly.

I knew that I was undecided, but as I progressed in the idea of ​​finding “my wedding dress”, I have been discovering things about myself that I did not know, although I recognize that not all the things I have discovered, I like them. Among them, that I am so indecisive that I had to try on more than 20 wedding dresses, before I found mine. Yes, crazy. But, honestly, it was worth it.

All the brides of the world begin the search for our wedding dress obsessed with choosing well, without realizing that we will always choose well, because we will always be ourselves. Of course, during the process we will find the conventions and protocols of what should be a bride. What is understood by classical and conventional bride. As this article from Vogue Novias says with which I felt so identified: the brides must wear nude nails or French manicure, long tail, veil, white socks, garter … But what if I don’t want to? And if all that does not go with me?

During my long journey, I’ve visited a lot of brands and ateliers and tried on an infinity of wedding dresses; and when I say many, I mean many (of all kinds and budgets). I’ve tried on princess style wedding dresses, slim fit dresses, civil ceremony wedding dresses, wedding dresses for evening weddings, cheap and more expensive wedding dresses (very expensive) … so here I tell you my experience and my opinion in each of the ateliers ans brands I’ve visited with the unic intention of helping future brides.

The prices of wedding dresses

In some cases I indicate the prices of the wedding dresses that I tried on, as an orientation (because at this moment I hardly remember what each particular model cost). I think it can be quite useful, because one of the things that irritated me most is that when you look for your wedding dress online, you never see the prices of the wedding dresses on their websites.
I recognize that a wedding dress can impact you when you try it on, but having approximate prices of each model seems essential for several reasons, but the main one is to avoid wasting time of brides and shop assistants. As much as you like a dress, if you have a budget, you have a budget and the price, in these cases, is more decisive than we can believe. A bride is excited but not crazy. If her budget is above € 2,000, she will not spend € 4,500.

The wedding dress that I tried on and the ateliers I visited

Summing up, during this time, I had the opportunity to visit more than 15 ateliers, multi-brand stores or bridal fashion brands; and this is my experience.

Discovering how to value the quality of a wedding dress

LAURE DE SAGAZAN. I asked for an appointment in this brand because I wanted to discover if the signs exist… I like giving sense to the things that happen in life. And in my room I have the photo of a girl dressed as a bride for more than three years. It was a cut of Vogue Brides that I used to put in a white photo frame (you can seen it on my Instagram profile) I loved the sweetness of the photo … and finally I discovered that the dress was from Laure de Sagazan, so there I was. The design is completely French and all dresses have fits and flattering patterns. But the most spectacular are the fabrics …. When you touch those dresses, you know perfectly that you are facing something unique and of exceptional quality. This is why prices of Laure de Sagazan’s dresses are around € 3,500 per dress.

The atelier is located in a modernist building in Barcelona that is a delight and you are served by two girls who are lovely. In addition, you know that I am in love with Barcelona and its architecture, and just for that, it was worth going. By the way, after touching those dresses, you start to know what are good quality dresses. Just for this, it is necessary to try them … Thanks to Laure de Sagazan I learned to value the quality – price of all the dresses that I tried on. Notice: They won’t let you take pictures here.

INMACULADA GARCÍA Barcelona. For this firm I only have good words. Mayla, the store manager is charming. She was the first shop assistant who defined my style and was right. If you know the collections of the firm, you will know that they tend to have a very boho air and their dresses are ideal for getting married in Ibiza or in the countryside … surrounded by nymphs. At that time, I still did not know the place of the ceremony, but the dates, and the wedding dress that I liked the most did not match the time of  the year. As for the prices, the dresses that I liked were around € 2,200. And I have to say that for both the designs and the quality, they didn’t seem expensive. Although of course at this point … my measuring stick was (and is) already above normal because everything (everything) related with weddings is … expensive.

ODET SAÜC. The same day I was at Inmaculada García and Weddingland Barcelona I was also at Odet Saüc. In favor of Ainoha, the soul mate of Odet Saüc, I have to say that, despite arriving an hour late, he treated us wonderfully. We create a very fun and very complicity ambient. The dresses are wonderful, just like the building that houses the store. I did not find my dress there on that occasion, but I think that if the store had stayed something more near, I would have returned to continue trying on dresses from Flora Bridal (you have to do it once in a lifetime and feel Hollywood stars), from Madewhitlove or from Anna Kara until she finds mine. They are all gorgeous. In addition, Ainoha organizes Trunck Shows (a period of time in which you can try on models of a specific brand) with exclusive brands that you choose with incredible taste… Prices range from € 1,800 to € 4,800 depending on the dress and the collection. Many of them have rhinestones, which makes the dress more expensive.

Cheap wedding dresses and more afordable in Barcelona

WEDDINGLAND BARCELONA.  This was situation… Black Friday in Barcelona. My mother and I exhausted from such a marathon of bridal fashion; at lunchtime, and after visiting Inmaculada García. It I have to say that the shop assitant didn’t treat us badly at all but I think she was as tired and as hungry as we were. In front of the screen to select the models that we liked the most, I immediately realized that there was no dress that fit me. But I said to myself “Hey try it! It is not the same to pay a dress of € 3,000 than € 1,000. After all … it is a day! What do I say one day! A few hours!” It was impossible.

I tried on three wedding dresses, of which I have no photos; not because they wouldn’t let me do them, but because it wasn’t worth it … Finally, I ended up with a budget in the hand of an Aire Barcelona wedding dress dress from the current collection. Between the conditions of Weddingland and the Black Friday discount, the dress whose current price was € 2,000 at the official store, I had € 800 left! No idea where the secret is. But it is clear that if you are lucky that you like a dress from one of the brands they sell, your dress can cost – with a little luck – much cheaper.

LA NÚVIA PIM PAM. I arrived at La Núvia Pim Pam, a little store located in Barcelona, ​​very excited. It was the first store I visited and I chose it because they distribute Rembo Styiling, Elsa Garay and Marylise wedding dresses. Neus is a charm, he attended me wonderfully, listening to me and trying to understand what I was looking for. But I didn’t know what I was looking for … In this shop in Barcelona they have fluid, light dresses, with beautiful skirts and tails with beautiful finishes and normal fabrics (in some model, one of the layers is “knit” fabric) . Of course, you can find a French style dress (candid, subtle, romantic, fluid …) from € 1,500. I was twice and finally discarded the dresses because as I said, I had not just identified with this style of the dresses, but, of course, I discovered all that after visiting other stores and ateliers and trying on dozens of dresses of different styles. Do we continue?

PRONOVIAS Barcelona.  I thought Pronovias was a must for any bride. At least they will have variety, I thought … But I didn’t like the attention. I waited more than half an hour to be attended, sitting at a table (remember that I was alone), seeing a catalog of the brand. After 40 minutes, “my shop assistant” sat next to me and asked “What, what have you thought?” Luckily there is no voiceover in real life.

I began by explaining the type of ceremony, but I saw that his attention was nil. He asked me to select some dresses and took them out, one after the other, just asking Do you like it or not? The top moment came when I asked her if he had a headband to see me a little the “bridal outft” and he took me … a crown of flowers. I felt so ridiculous that for a moment I saw myself as a “Bride on the run”. As for the dresses … I didn’t like any. No patterns, no fabrics, no finishes, no embroidery … And to top it off, some of the wedding dresses I had selected were not in store. This is something you have to keep in mind if you don’t want to get upset: You may not be able to try on the dress you saw on the web on the first visit (this happens in many stores). Patience.

On the other hand, you can take the photos you want, send them to your family and confirm that this dress is yours (or not). As for the prices … I think I don’t remember any because I don’t like any model, I didn’t ask, but from € 1,800 you can get your dress

AIRE BARCELONA. Several years ago, just when the Wedding Day section of this blog of fashion, beauty and lifestyle started, I saw a collection of Aire Barcelona so beautiful that I thought “When I get married, I will be dressed in Aire Barcelona”. As the song says “como han pasado los años, la vueltas que da la vida…”. To give you the idea: I sat in front of a screen, watching models of dresses go by … and asking the shop assitant: can we go to the section of dresses that DO NOT shine? I spent quite a while in the dressing room and I think that from the beginning I knew that there was not my wedding dress …. As for the prices, if I remember correctly, they passed me the price of two dresses that were around € 1,800 and made me a promotion If I had it within a certain period. I have to say that the girl who attended to me was super friendly and was super attentive to what I was asking, trying to find what I was looking for…

MANU GARCÍA COSTURA (Barcelona). I was amazed at the prices and fabrics of Manu García … If I remember correctly (it was some months ago) you can get your wedding dress for € 1,600 and the designs I tried were very beautiful. Perhaps the worst thing about my experience there was the rush. It was 18.30 in the afternoon and between chatting with the shopping assistant, deciding models, checking availability and everything, we ran out of time. So I had little time to try on models and I could not take any pictures, so seeing them again was difficult for me. But I confess that it is one of my recommended sites, because some models are beautiful. I remember one of bohemian style that I found very, very, beautiful…

Wedding dresses in Zaragoza

ESTELA GARRO (Zaragoza). About Estela Garro I can only say that I am fascinated by her designs, as I am fascinated by those of Valenzuela Atelier, Helena Mareque or Rime Arodaky. Any of the three Spanish ateliers have made my wedding dress in my dreams, sure. But in this life, the budget seemed too much to me: € 3,800 or € 4,500 for a wedding dress to which we must add the nerves of knowing how it is going …. It was not a good plan, I did not want and I would not have felt all right. I am a romantic, but a romantic practice. And my wedding was not going to be a cathedral wedding with 250 guests. So … I ruled out getting dressed by Estela.

Of course, I have to say that both his way of listening to me, his aesthetic taste for fashion, the quality of the fabrics and his know-how, bring a lot of confidence. You only need to see your dresses to know that you have exquisite taste. If you are looking for a special wedding dress, you have to go through its atelier … without a doubt.

MARTHA PETERS (Zaragoza). I arrived at Martha Peters without knowing very well what I was going to find. Its hallmark from the beginning were the wedding dresses with corset. But on his website he had seen a couple of very, very nice collections, and a couple of spectacular dresses. So I was one afternoon in his atelier. Martha is charming and very professional, and gives options for everything. If you don’t like a part of the dress, it has a thousand resources and solutions. If I remember correctly, it has a basic and a seasonal collection. I asked for the seconds and they were going to 2,800 – 3,200 € approx. I tried two beautiful models, but the time was already pressing … The fact that they did not stop taking photos was quite an impediment when deciding, since it seemed crazy to decide alone the final wedding dress. It was impossible to square calendar to go back.

I also have to say that to be an atelier of a personal firm, in my opinion they could have adapted a little more to square calendar. Leaving half an hour later from work or approaching the atelier one hour outside of normal business hours – in a city like Zaragoza – does not seem like a lot. But I also understand that they don’t have to.

Wedding stores in Zaragoza

LOVE STORY NOVIAS. I hallucinated how beautiful the store is. It is located in the center of Zaragoza and is what every bride expects to find when she is looking for a wedding dress. In addition, you can choose right there all the accessories of the dress, so they make the task a lot easier, they have everything from shoes (in pastel colors, white, gold, heels with rhinestones …) to underwear or Satin gowns for brides. Cristina and Laura were a sweetheart and there I tried on dresses with flowing chiffon skirts that were very romantic and ideal; and even a dress by Ramón Herrerías worthy of the Oscars that exceeded € 4,000 (I won’t tell you more! lol).

This is another thing to keep in mind: During the search for the wedding dress, you can see stunning and wonderful dresses, but would you really marry them? Think about it. You will avoid running out, despair and waste your time. And I do not say it for the wonderful dress of Ramón Herrerías, because it was a luxury to be a ble to put on that dress, even if it were a few minutes, and feel like a movie star …. And you know, if you like fashion, they are things that you have to do. ;)

MARENGO MODA. Marengo (located in Zaragoza) seemed like a nice shop but I confess that they didn’t make me feel anything special. I am one of those people who believes that brides arrive excited because they believe that that day, after trying on a lot of dresses, they will finally find hers; but I think they didn’t even consider the place of the ceremony, nor did I really feel they were paying attention to me. Maybe the fact that I went alone that day wasn’t a good idea, but I have always bought my clothes alone and I did not consider it important for anyone to accompany me on a first visit. I already told you that I have personality…. hahaha…

It seemed strange to me that as soon as I arrived, without asking you what style of dress you are looking for, a cancan encased you and with it all the wedding dresses you can imagine. At first I thought it was a matter of decorum, but when I left I realized that according to what dresses went from being straight to being in silhouette A. In addition the cancan not only contributed a horrifying volume but also it avoid me feeling the fluidity or stiffness of the dress, fabrics, movement, lightness… Days later one of the brands invited me to discover their collection, I told them that I had tried their dress in Marengo, all with cancan, and they told me that their dresses were not wear with cancan. Nor did they spend time adjusting the dress to my body with tweezers, something super important if you want to know if a dress fits you or not…

Another thing was the theme of photos. I almost always asked if he could take a picture with my phone as a reminder. That’s why and because I take pictures of my looks daily to see how they look. I know it sounds weird but before taking some photos for the blog, I take photos. Surreal, yes. But I am able to see better if my clothes fit well or not. I still don’t understand why, but in this store they didn’t let me take pictures of any model. According to them, the photo does not do justice to the dress. I have to say that in some other atelier, as I told you, the same thing happened to me.

Looking a wedding dress in Pamplona

VICTORIA IMAZ (Pamplona). Both Yahaira (who was then pregnant with her twins) and her mother were a sweetheart. I think they have revolutionized the concept of bridal fashion, for several things: the first, they bring the most beautiful and original designs tailored to tight budgets; the second, its process of creating dresses has managed to lower prices (based on basic models that they customize to suit the brides) and the design of their dresses is very original. There is none like it: for each bride, her dress. You can have a wedding dress from very cheap prices.

I think that making a custom wedding dress is great if you are a confident person. In my case, I am a very very indecisive person and facing an “under construction” dress made me very stressed. If it is difficult to choose between 30 finished dresses, imagine, decide every detail: this lace or this one, this fabric or this one, with bow or without bow, with feathers or with rhinestones, will this look good? Having a custom dress was too much for me. There will be girlfriends that is what they are looking for; I needed to choose and take the next step. But I think that if I had finally decided to take the step and do it as I would have done it there. Not only because their designs are beautiful, but because they proved me to be the kind of people you meet once in a lifetime and prove to be the best.

Two brands of wedding dresses that I must to visit

CRISTINA TAMBORERO. Well … Point and apart for Cristina Tamborero. From her collection I like the simplicity of her dresses, the fabrics, the details, the elegance …. But being honest, and although I am aware that both she and the girl who helps her in the atelier tried it, the treatment did not He just convinced me. In fact, I’m still waiting for the budgets of the two dresses that I liked; and I don’t understand why they took it with so little professionalism. I understand that I was alone and that sometimes, that misleads; but I assure you that nobody bothers to make an appointment at an atelier to hang out. Both dresses fit me, but ignoring the price doesn’t help much to decide.

Something important: from the first moment they left me very, very clear, that after deciding on the dress there would only be three tests. It is not unusual. Most ateliers close the wedding dress in three tests but on that occasion it sounded like “we like to get dizzy”.

JORDI ANGUERA (Barcelona). I spent once a month ahead of Jordi Anguera, so I said “You can’t get married without trying on an Anguera dress.” So there I planted myself wishing to meet your atelier, shared with El Tocador de la Novia. From there you go dressed from head to toe, because in the Dressing Table, you can find bridal headdresses, shoes and accessories for brides of all kinds. As for the dresses …. They are wonderful. I tried three and I liked all three … Prices, from € 2,900 to about € 3,600 or so, but the fabrics, finishes and customization possibilities deserve it. He has the gift of being able to make the dress of your dreams. Really. In addition, they take great care of you and know how to perfectly understand what you expect from your wedding dress.

In love with Jesús Peiró

JESÚS PEIRÓ. If you have taken a look at my Instagram profile, you already know that I am a Peiro Bride. I stayed with Jesús Peiro because it was impossible for me to decide between so many models. I liked them all! And I have to say that they work with precious fabrics, of very good quality. The value for money is unbeatable … Their dresses start at about € 2,000 approx. forward and let you modify some details. The best thing is that in Barcelona they have a very friendly and affectionate team. Especially Blanca is a charm. It helped me find the ideal dress despite my millions of questions, changes and post-test calls, always with a smile. And I confess, I was a very, very, heavy bride. If this girl is able to smile and be kind after calling her day and day too, she is capable of everything.

They have a team of dressmakers and patronists capable of finding any solution, however difficult it may seem. In short, I think that despite the nerves (and I spent many) I was at all times in very good hands. So if you ask me about a place to buy your wedding dress, it is the first site that I will recommend without hesitation. First visit: Jesús Peiró. By the way, if you haven’t seen my wedding dress yet, you can see it in Wedding Dress In Front Row Style

And here! If you need more information about the different ateliers or bridal brands, do not hesitate to call them before. Maybe a call saves you a lot of time;)

Photos: Unsplash