Wedding Days of Cheltenham

Made an appointment 4 weeks after my partner proposed on a 5 week Christmas cruise and 5 months before the actual wedding date, which had only been arranged and confirmed 1 week before. On arrival was greeted by being berated for not knocking on the door before entering (sign was obstructed so wasn’t aware we had to knock as had an appointment) I attended with my daughter in law, who was on the telephone on arrival, and the proprietor therefore suggested we wait until ‘the bride’ was finished, to which I replied ‘I’m the bride’. Not a great start! I should have followed my instincts to leave immediately because this was the start of a very slippery slope, leading to me thinking I should settle for getting married in a suit from John Lewis! I was told that I had ‘left it a bit late’ to get a wedding dress that was not off the peg in my size, and needing any alterations, because ‘most shops only stock up to a size 16 and you’ll probably need a size 24’!! At that moment I felt physically sick, hugely embarrassed and panicked. I’m a standard size 16/18 and dropping. But this remark made me want to crawl in a hole. I have never felt so fat shamed and embarrassed in my life, by a woman who wasn’t exactly svelte herself. My height (5ft 2in) was then mocked in terms of dress length, but this time she tried to make light of it saying she was vertically challenged too! I was told that if I wanted the style and colour of a dress that I asked about, it would have to be made to order by another bridal boutique in Cheltenham, and cost over £2,000, this was said in a manner that insinuated I couldn’t afford it. The diamonds on my finger cost 5 x that amount!! When we left the shop I cried. I am a mature bride to be, who has waited 15 years to get married to my lovely partner, but at that moment I just wanted to cancel everything!! Had I gone home then, I would have not gone wedding dress shopping again, but instead settled for an evening dress or smart suit to get married in. My lovely daughter in law immediately rang Wed2B in Bristol, and drove me there saying ‘no, you ARE having a wedding dress’ when I suggested going back to John Lewis to look for a suit. Once at Wed2B, the young lady who assisted couldn’t have been more different!! She was excited for me, encouraging, helpful and complimentary. She gushed about my long silver hair, my engagement ring, my chosen style, my smile. A totally different experience. I was made to feel beautiful, not embarrassed or fat shamed by someone who should have known better! I actually purchased a beautiful dress in a very comfortable size 20 (NOT a size 24!!!) which fits perfectly apart from the length. I was assured that almost every bride has to have a wedding dress at least 2 sizes bigger than her normal size because of where they are made. A very slender young lady opposite was trying on a dress in a size 12 and said she’s normally a size 8/10, I was amazed! Then, when I contacted the amazing Jo Figget in Mitton, Tewkesbury, who’s alternated my daughter in law’s wedding dress and my evening dresses previously, she booked me in for 1st April, saying it would give us ‘plenty of time’ to shorten the dress I purchased at Wed2B, in case I needed any further alterations afterwards, as I am now planning to lose more weight after being fat shamed by this awful shop!! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Jane is incredibly knowledgeable about the range of designers she stocks. She will make you feel wonderful & offer practical advice on how to walk, hold & sit in your dress. She kindly held on to her until the day before our wedding & dropped the dress off for me when time was tight, as venue close by. Thank you to you & your team xx More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Before I went to Wedding Days of Cheltenham, my heart was set on a different dress... the only thing that had been stopping me was how much pressure they tried to put on me at the other store! As soon as I entered Wedding Days of Cheltenham, Jane put me immediately at ease (and bear in mind this was just after the November 2020 lockdown when things were extremely difficult for shops!!). I described what I wanted and she found me THE dress straightaway. She was so helpful with me deciding what size to order, and the timeline for fittings, etc. She also let me come and try my dress on a second time to show my friends when restrictions had loosened, as they had not been able to come with me when I was hunting for dresses. Seema helped make my dress fit perfectly, and advised on what would look good and what wouldn't. After my first fitting after adjustments, something wasn't quite right, so I took it back to Seema and she made it perfect (in a very small timeframe - over just one weekend!) Thank you both so much. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

A great shop with a gorgeous selection of dresses to suit all tastes! They made me feel really relaxed and helped me pick out the perfect dress for me.

Reviewed on Google Maps

Hired suits for myself, my best man and father of the bride from here. Great personable service, nothing was too much trouble - highly recommend for hire of formal ware.

Reviewed on Google Maps