Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Style

    8 Things That Go Through Every Bride’s Head When Shopping For A Wedding Dress

    Does ivory even suit me?

    By Caroline Leaper
    Published 18 March 2016 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Does ivory even suit me?

    You’ve never done it before and hopefully you’ll never have to do it again. But when it comes to wedding dresses, everyone fails to tell you that the struggle to find the perfect one can be oh so real.

    Here are eight thoughts that are totally normal to have during the process…

    'Does ivory even suit me?'  And what actually is the difference between pearl, off-white and just plain regular cream?

    'That sales assistant is a dick…' She’s snooty, she’s trying to up your budget, and she’s making all the wrong noises when yanking you into that corset. You always wear a size 12, and she better know it.

    You may like
    • Wedding planning I Love My Fiancé, but I Resent the Emotional Labour of Planning Our Wedding
    • @oksanarim1 wears white dress, big sunglasses Not All White Dresses Are Equal—These New Silhouettes, Fabrics and Styles Are the Ultimate in Elegance
    • Susan Bender I'm a Stylist Who Knows a Lot About Vintage Shopping—Here's Where to Shop, Based On Your Personal Style

    'This is nothing like my Pinterest.'  That’s because you pinned 1,000 different images onto your big *Wedding Day* board and had so much fun doing it that you forgot to research where to buy any of it IRL. Easily done.

    'Man, I look good in a fishtail / flapper / meringue gown.'  Because whatever dress silhouette you’d thought you wanted, you can bet it’s the opposite that suits your shape best.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    'Wow, I look stupid in a veil…'  That’s because you’re in the middle of Westfield on a Saturday afternoon and there’s a screaming child in the doorway trying to put sticky hands on the demi-couture display. This look is all about the context.

    'Why isn’t this more like a movie?'  ‘Why aren’t we all swilling champagne while onlookers gather to tell me how lovely I look? Why isn’t my mum even crying?’

    'I’m starving / sleepy/ mentally exhausted…'  These dresses are heavier than all of your other clothes combined and you’re putting them on and taking them off at an alarming speed. Forget the pre-wedding diet, this is your workout.

    Upon trying on dress number 24… ‘I’m a failure. My friends / bridesmaids / own mother are so bored right now and totally hate me.’ Spoiler; all will be forgiven when you finally find The One and you’ll be looking back and LOL-ing in Costa before you know it.

    Caroline Leaper
    Social Links Navigation
    Read more
    Wedding planning
    Relationships I Love My Fiancé, but I Resent the Emotional Labour of Planning Our Wedding
    @oksanarim1 wears white dress, big sunglasses
    Fashion Not All White Dresses Are Equal—These New Silhouettes, Fabrics and Styles Are the Ultimate in Elegance
     
     
    Susan Bender
    Fashion I'm a Stylist Who Knows a Lot About Vintage Shopping—Here's Where to Shop, Based On Your Personal Style
    Realisation Par
    Fashion The Internet's Most-Wanted Dress Is Back in Stock—It's So Good, You Can Wear It (Almost) Anywhere
     
     
    Latest in Style
    Jodie Comer
    Shopping Jodie Comer Just Announced the Start of Knee-High Boots Season
    Kaia Gerber
    Shopping Kaia Gerber Just Wore the ’90s Dress Style That’s as Flattering as It Is Low-Effort
     
     
    Oxfam
    Fashion “The Water Used to Produce Britain’s Unworn Clothes Is Enough to Supply 1 Million People for a Lifetime”: Oxfam’s Latest State of Style Report Finds
    30 AW26 BUYS
    Fashion 30 of the Most Sought-After New Season Buys to Kick-Start Your Autumn/Winter 2026 Wardrobe
     
     
    Latest in News
    New Beauty Products: The Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Dyson Does Teeth, Fenty Rips Up the Rulebook (Again) and a Surprisingly Fragrant Week for Dogs
    Jodie Comer
    Shopping Jodie Comer Just Announced the Start of Knee-High Boots Season
     
     
    Kaia Gerber
    Shopping Kaia Gerber Just Wore the ’90s Dress Style That’s as Flattering as It Is Low-Effort
    Oxfam
    Fashion “The Water Used to Produce Britain’s Unworn Clothes Is Enough to Supply 1 Million People for a Lifetime”: Oxfam’s Latest State of Style Report Finds
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.