Tall Girl Treat: Brides and Wedding Dresses

When we posted the last Tall Girl Treat column on Facebook, a few of you asked some really good questions. So why not answer them! Today though, is all about brides. Lovely, lovely brides.

@lovelyclaire on Twitter asks: "I've a tall girl challenge - wedding dresses!  I'd like a) to not look like a Disney princess and b) not require a remortgage?!"

Well, as much as I like looking at swishy silken frocks, I'm no expert in this field. But luckily, I know a girl who is: Laura, the 6ft author of All The Tall Things, got married a couple of years ago and I'm thrilled that she is able to share her words of wisdom and get all you tall engaged girls into amazing dresses.

Over to you Laura!

 Benjamin Roberts '2359' I can't resist just one princessy frock, sorry

When I got engaged, my already-married friends told me just how easy it would be for me to find a wedding dress.

“Everything in the bridal shops is made for tall women…”

“I had to take three feet off mine…”

And if you’re 5’9 or 5’10, then YES. The bridal shopping experience will be fabulous. All champagne, perfectly fitting dresses and crying mums. But if you’re very tall, it can be… well. Like your usual clothes shopping experience. Times a MILLION.

I’m just over 6ft, and having previously been a bridesmaid – who had to hack off the straps of her Monsoon dress , turn it into a halterneck and secure it with double-strength tit-tape to give it a few cheeky extra inches – the idea of finding a wedding dress was depressingly unexciting.

But, it should be a fun experience, and if you keep your wits about you, I’ve learnt that it’s absolutely possible to find The One.

Made to measure for only £149? Thanks Honey Pie Boutique!

A few bridal designers now offer the opportunity to add extra length to their designs, and most make the relevant alterations for a long torso too. A few inches extra will generally cost you though, which seems grotesquely unfair. I chose one such designer – Benjamin Roberts – after I fell in love with a mermaid-esque lace and tulle creation. It was love. 

However, my bridal shop totally cocked up my dress (presumably they looked at the measurements in the factory and decided “no one is that tall”), and when I arrived for my first fitting, the hemline floated gracefully to just above my ankles. It prompted my one bridezilla moment of the entire wedding experience – which, given that my Gran died on my wedding day, must have made it a serious cock-up.

Tears flowed, mum anxiously looked over the contract, and the red-faced bridal shop owner protested “that’s how it’s meant to look”, before reluctantly adding an extra lacey scalloped trim to the bottom. And charging even more. But once it was finished, I loved it. And I’ve worn it at least five times to do the washing-up since.

Alfred Angelo actually has a Disney princess-inspired range - sssh, don't tell Claire!

For any occasion though, I find it’s the shoes that are hardest to find, and the prospect of my wedding seemed to exasperate my shoe-shopping nightmares. I couldn’t find anything pretty in a size 9.5, and even a whisper of a heel would have meant that the short dresses available would be even shorter.

French Sole Henrietta Pirouette pump, £100

I’d resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to settle for boring white pumps, but one lunchtime in London’s Bond Street, I fell head-over-flats for a pair of super-sparkly ballet pumps in French Sole. Their Pirouette range of leather pumps goes up to a size 44, and occasionally you can some really pretty pairs. Pricier than your average pump, but probably a damn sight cheaper than your average bridal shoe.

Laura's top tips

• Great brands to try that offer extra length: Justin Alexander, Benjamin Roberts, Alfred Angelo.

• If you’re on a budget, consider finding a pretty vintage-style or 50s prom dress to wear with some killer heels, and show off your legs.

• You might actually want to research prices for a completely made-to-measure, one-of-a-kind creation. You may be surprised to find that it ends up at the same price (particularly if you go off-the-beaten-track of London and other expensive cities).

• If you find a designer that fits, don’t accept the first price you get. Call around other bridal shops to see who else stocks that style. Prices vary hugely from shop to shop, and it may be worth driving a few extra miles to save yourself as much as 500 quid.

• Take some dressy shoes, even to your first fitting. Shop assistants will always say “I’ll grab you some shoes for you to try it on with, what’s your size?” And then look seriously bewildered when you say “Ooh, lovely. Size 10 please.”

• If you want the dress to be trailing along the ground – TELL THEM. And make sure they make a big fat note of it in red pen on your file. It’s your dress.

• Buy a long way ahead. Unless it’s a shotgun wedding. And on that note, if it’s bridal + tall + maternity that you’re looking for, I wish you all the luck in the world. You are ruddy well going to need it my lovely.

Amazing! Thanks so much to Laura for her advice - you can find her over at All The Tall Things. And if you've got a fiendish fashion query you'd like sorted out, just let us know in the comments, or on Facebook and Twitter.