I'm new here - sammybo84

missglovesteas  @sammybo84 Congratulations and good luck, it is a really good website, everyone is great! For dresses I would recommend visiting sample sales, and nip into bridal shops in your area see if they have any reduced. I managed to get mine on a designer special week so they reduced it and threw in £100 of accessories so its definitely worth shopping about. If you are thinking of ordering online, I would definitely suggest trying lots on first so you know it suits you! There is also a directory on here where things are often sold cheaply? x

sammybo84  @missgloveteas Thank you will definatley have a look at the directory. I was thinking of going round all the local bridal shops to find what I liked and then looking online for it, cheeky I know but a good day out for me and my two bridesmaids!

mrslightfoot  @sammybo84 congrats and welcome this is possibly the most addictive website bar facebook
For a cheap wedding dress check out ebay and keep your eye on the marketplace on this page (seeing a fair few dresses being sold once the big day's over).
if you see a dress you like from china on ebay i'd say check their feedback before buying, i've dealt with companies in china alot through my jewellery making and i've found if the feedbacks good they tend to be reliable (they're usually VERY keen to get your positive feedback and will jump through hoops to get the job right for you most of the time!) only thing that concerns me about buying from that kinda distance is the postage, NEVER forget to check how much it is (alot of the time its more than the item itself!)

sammybo84  @mrslightfoot that is a very good point, I will definatley keep an eye out for postage costs. Just out of interest (I am slightly concerned I am being far too laid back currently lol) you weddings 3 months after mine, how much have you got organised so far?

mrslightfoot  @sammybo84 i keep getting told i'm far too organised with our wedding (i got dead excited when we got engaged, plus we're thinking of moving in march so we're def ahead of ourselves).
church is booked
reception is booked with deposit (about a third paid off whole cost)
horse and carriage is booked with deposit
my dress is bought n paid for
2 bridesmaids dresses are sorted (they're kids so we cant get shoes n cardies yet)
h2b knows where he's getting his suits from and roughly which ones (his bro's abroad atm)
photographer is all sorted
h2b just has to ask dj but he's pretty much a definate

like i say i got a lil excited most places dont wanna do anything before next year now we've got em booked which i have to admit is a good place to be. i've found wedding planning apps for my phone (and the planner my sis got me from m&s) v handy for making sure you're not too late for things. once you've got the venues and your dress sorted you'll feel like you've organised most of it lol

boycee  @sammybo84 hi and congrats on booking the wedding and welcome to Final stitch I hope you will be able to get inspired by all the great wedding preparation and wedding albums themselves (in the Photoblog) and in case of any burning wedding question feel free to search the Forum to see what the other brides have discussed and their recommendations. For e.g. I typed in online dress into the search function on the Forum and found this post http://www.finalstitch.co.uk/forum/thread/online-dress-from-wholesale-from-in....
As the others have said, the Marketplace (for 2nd hand or no longer required goods for the wedding) and Directory of recommended professionals from other brides is also a great place to start.
And I think it's a great idea to go around the local shops, try on some dresses with your bridesmaids (take some pics for us to see here) and then see if you can find it online, best of both worlds
Happy planning xx

missengaged  @sammybo84 Hi and welcome to to the site, as @mrslightfoot has said it is very addictive!! Have fun planning and good luck with finding your dress!! x

quoth_the_raven  @sammybo84 Ah, don't worry about how much you've got done - once you've got the important things sorted and booked you don't need to be particularly nose-to-the-grindstone. Don't know how much of this you have done already, so obviously feel free to just nod sagaciously at any you don't need, but:

- Guest list
- Registrar
- Venue
- Transport (it goes fast in some areas of the country, I'm told)
- Caterer if not included
- Maybe invites

are things I'd recommend booking first. We also got our photographer and chocolate fountain booked pretty early, as I recall, because we went to a wedding fayre and the suppliers were there. Start trying on as many dresses as possible now, though, because you need an idea of what looks good and what you're comfortable in - just about everyone on here ended up getting something different from what they thought they would. For a money saving tip there I agree with the above - sample sales are an absolute bargain.

For saving money anywhere else, though, to get the most it's worth going DIY for stuff. My florist wanted to charge about £220 for centrepieces. I'm making my own instead, and it's coming in at about £56.
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tinks1985  @sammybo84 Congratulations on your engagement and welcome to the site! As the others have said it is very addictive but everyone is wonderful and it's got a wealth of information and advice on all things wedding. I've picked up so many ideas already!

Enjoy your planning and good luck finding your dream dress xx

And i totally agree with @quoth_the_raven about sample sales, i got my dress in a sale. I'm paying £599 for a dress originally costing £1800. And DIY saves a lot of money too. I'm going to try and make things myself to come in under budget on a lot of things. Every little helps and i figure the money is better in my bank account than in someone elses lol

gina130284  @sammybo84 congrats on the forthcoming wedding and welcome. The girls are great on here I've got some great ideas for my own wedding from questions I've asked and from other's posts!

With regards to the dress some girls have bought off online wedding shops but the response about the quality seems to be mixed. I did consider it myself but when I went dress shopping I realised I wouldnt get that service from a website! Plus any alterations and fittings can be done by them and they can store the dress until needed.

Definitely take a look at the directory on here- I didnt doscover it until yesterday and have found an amazing brooch bouquet which will suit the dress I have seen!! Also, checkout the marketplace for items people have used for their own weddings and no longer have a use for.

Ebay also seems to be a favourite for the brides to be on here! Every girl loves a good bargain!

I've been angaged for 2 months now and we have decided to get married abroad in April 2013 - thats all booked, the wedding package booked and paid for and the party back home is booked. We've chosen a theme and colour scheme, I've bought my shoes, found my dress and pretty much know my something old, new, borrowed and blue! H2B has chosen where the suits will be from but cant order them yet as far too early haha. Once you get into planning mode things can happen quite quickly.... I have 4 friends getting married before me and I keep getting told off because I've planned more than them so far haha.

Good luck though, and enjoy every minute of it!!
xxx