YES!! Your body shape dictates what bridal gown you wear and the biggest factor in this is usually your boobs. We need to make sure that your girls are behaving and that you can enjoy your day without worrying. We are the experts, if we advise you to wear a good underwired bra then we really mean that you need to… lingerie loops can hide the straps! Your body is wearing the dress, not the other way around.

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Firstly we take your measurements and discuss any potential changes. Being honest at this stage really helps us order your dream dress! We ask for a 50% initial payment and we ask that you pay the remaining 50% when your dress arrives, usually around 8-10 weeks before your wedding.

It is likely that your gown will need a few tweaks. All your fittings and alterations can be carried out in-house by our seamstress this usually takes place 8 weeks before the big day! Or we have a list of recommended seamstresses throughout Somerset and Devon that we can recommend.

Finally, it’s time to become a Real Somerset Bride on your wedding day – don’t forget to send us snaps and tag us #realsomerserbride on our Instagram. When your professional photos arrive please send them in and we would love to feature you on our website.

Yes, and we think we have the best seamstress in Somerset! Jenny visits us on Thursdays or Fridays and she is, quite simply, marvellous. Technically she is exceptional,  there is no alteration or customisation she can't handle. But what makes Jenny truly special is how she works with brides. She understands bridal nerves, she's gentle, she's kind, and she takes the time to make sure you feel completely comfortable throughout every fitting. She also happens to be getting married herself this year, which means she understands better than anyone exactly how you're feeling when you step into that dress.

Your fittings will usually begin around 8 weeks before your wedding, with a follow-up approximately 4–5 weeks later. Most brides only need two fittings, though Jenny will always make sure everything is absolutely perfect before you leave. Please note that alteration costs are not included in the price of your gown, but we'll always give you a clear guide to expected costs before anything is agreed.

If Thursdays or Fridays don't work for you, we also have a list of highly recommended seamstresses across Somerset and Devon that we're happy to share.

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The main thing – don’t stress! Please ring us or message us on our social media if there is anything at all you worried about. Remember we specialise in the nervous bride and there is nothing we have not heard before. If you want, do a little research on styles of wedding dresses you like, we will always talk to you and we often know what sort of dresses will look great on you within a few minutes, we call it our ‘spidey bridey sixth sense’

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We are also the FIRST and ONLY BRIDAL BOUTIQUE to GUARANTEE YOUR HAPPINESS!

Buying a wedding gown is one of the biggest decisions you'll ever make, and we take that seriously. We will never push you into ordering — but once you do, we know that the months between ordering and your dress arriving can occasionally bring a little wobble of doubt. Did I choose right? Will it still be perfect?

That's why we introduced our Happiness Guarantee — and we believe we are the first and only bridal boutique in the UK to offer this.

If you are not 100% happy with your dress when she arrives, we will swap her for any other dress we have in stock and take 30% off the price of that dress.*

In our experience, most brides gasp when they see their gown arrive and wonder how they ever doubted themselves. But just in case — the guarantee is there.

*Terms apply — please see our Policies page for full details

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Yes, we are by appointment only so that every bride has our expert stylists all to themselves with the personalised experience that you deserve. You can book an appointment online here ------ link here

Yes, as many as you like although beware some of your entourage might not be great photographers and it is more important to remember how you feel in a dress. Sometimes we pull funny faces when our photos taken if you are anything like Debbie or Susie!

Inclusivity isn't a trend for us it's been at the heart of Somerset Bridal for over 10 years, long before it became an industry conversation. That means private appointments where no other bride will ever see you, sample dresses in sizes 6 to 46 actually in store to try on, stylists trained to support brides with disabilities, burns and skin conditions, and a warm welcome for same-sex couples and LGBTQ+ brides. We also focus exclusively on brides — no prom, no occasion wear — just 100% of our attention on you and your wedding dayy.

We ask that you arrive at your appointment time rather than early — we'll most likely be finishing up with another bride and need a few minutes to prepare the boutique just for you. If you think you're going to be more than 10 minutes late please give us a quick ring so we can make sure we make the most of your time together.

We accept Apple/Googlepay, cash, debit cards and credit cards or we can give you our bank details for an online payment. Please remember that all sales are final. We require a 50% initial payment and the balance is due when your dress arrives with us. If you want we can take a smaller initial payment, usually 30% and then set you up with an instalment plan. Please don’t be afraid to ask us about finances.

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Somerset Bridal caters to all different budgets with TWO stores, our Outlet dresses are prices from £99 to £699 and the gowns in our main boutique have gowns ranging from £1000 – £4000. So if your budget is below £1000 please book in at the Outlet, if your budget is higher than £1000 please book at our luxury bridal boutique. Always let us know what you are comfortable spending and we will show you a variety of amazing gowns to fit your needs.

Where do we start! We stock sample dresses in sizes 6 to 46, most boutiques only go to a size 12 or 14, which means many brides are left imagining how a dress might look rather than actually trying it on. We have two stores covering every budget from £99 to £4,000. Every appointment is completely privatand no other brides will ever share your space. We have an in-house seamstress. We offer a unique Happiness Guarantee. We offer a Travel Package for brides making the journey from further afield. And we've been doing this for over 10 years with the same passion we started with. We also focus exclusively on brides, no prom, no occasion wear — just weddings, every single day

YES!! Unless you require an evening or Sunday appointment which carry a £30 charge. Our 30 minute First Look Experience has a £20 charge. Our Follow-up appointment has a £30 charge. We love our Somerset Brides To Be and that’s why we give our brides exclusive use of the boutique throughout their time with us. You will never have another bride or bridal party with us at the same time.

We do! Somerset Grooms has its own dedicated, private space right here in our boutique — so your partner and their wedding party can have their own special experience under the same roof as yours. It's a completely separate space, so there's no risk of any accidental sneak peeks before the big day. Brides who purchase their gown with us receive 10% off everything at Somerset Groomss

Bridal sizing is notoriously different from high street sizing — as a rule of thumb, bridal dresses come up about two sizes smaller, so please ignore the number on the hanger! A size 16 on the high street might be a size 18 or 20 in bridal, and that is completely normal.

At Somerset Bridal we stock sample gowns in all sizes from 6 to 46 — over half of our gowns are in larger sample sizes. This means that whatever your size, you can actually try dresses on and see how they look and feel on your body, rather than trying to imagine it. We also have lots of clever tricks to pin gowns to your figure if the sample isn't your exact size

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Evening appointments  are available Monday to Thursday and have a £30 charge, these can be booked online. Sunday appoimtnets are also available at a £30 charge, you can book these online too.

You are more than welcome to bring along all the important people in your life! We know that “saying yes to the dress” can be daunting without the support of your nearest and dearest and you may want to bring along your Mum, BFF, Auntie Connie, Granny, future sister-in-law, and all your bridesmaids. If you can limit yourself to a couple of key people we promise that your experience will be a lot more enjoyable! It’s hard to hear your own voice when you are  focused on pleasing too many opinions – don’t forget that it’s your dress and you need to love it!

Generally two hours, so that gives about 90 mins to find that dream dress and another 30 mins to do all our measuring and paperwork. All brides are different, some like to make quick decisions and some need second (or third!) appointments. Quick tip from Debbie : eat before you come shopping. It’s more work than you think (some dresses are heavy!) and hungry brides can become cranky brides. Eat, please! (If you forget we have lots of nibbles x)

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We love kids! Babies in arms are always welcome and older children are very welcome too. We do find that toddlers and young children can get bored quite quickly during appointments, which can sometimes impact your experience. If you do bring little ones please make sure there's someone in your group who can keep them happily occupied — we want you to be able to focus entirely on finding your dream dress.

Our in-house seamstress Jenny is a highly trained expert at making your dress fit you perfectly. As a guide, allow between £250–£350 for standard alterations, though this can vary depending on the complexity of the work and any customisations you'd like to make. The cost of alterations is not included in the price of your gown, but we'll always give you a clear idea of likely costs before you commit to anything.

We cater for ALL sizes, our mantra is that we are 'unapologetically inclusive'. So whether you fit in a size 8 or a size 36 we firmly believe that you are not skinny-size or plus-size, you are WOMAN-SIZE. What matters is that we understand the female body in all its exquisite forms and size truly does not matter when you are shopping for a wedding gown. Our sample sizes are often larger so that we can help every bride and no-one has to imagine what a dress could look like on them. We have lots of clever tricks to pin a gown to your figure.

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Yes of course, you’ll be stepping into most dresses. Our dresses don’t love heavy fake tans though as they can sometimes stain.

Generally it takes between 6-7 months although some of our designers will let us see what is currently in production and we can ‘nab’ one of those for you and get it quicker.  This is why we say try and start looking for your gown from between 9-12 months before your big day. If you have less time, please don’t worry we love a challenge and we do have rush options available and you can nearly always purchase a dress off the tack in the boutique if it is your size. Remember you need to allow 10-12 weeks for your alterations.

We would say please wait until you have your date and venue decided as both can influence your choice of gown. We will be waiting for you once you have firmed up your day.

We like nothing more than pulling your whole bridal look together and we carry a wide range of veils, bridal belts, hair pieces and jewellery. We don’t sell shoes though!

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Brides can purchase the sample gown that is on our rails right now. We run a couple of sample sales a year, usually in February and November. Sample sales are great for brides that are on a tight time scale or who are looking for a bargain.

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We recommend you start to gather your ideas at least 12 months before your wedding. You should aim to refine these around 9 months before the wedding as it can take up to six months for a dress to arrive! You may also need alterations, which can take another few months.

If this timeline does not fit, do not fret, at Somerset Bridal, we do our very best to accommodate last-minute shoppers. We have a collection of “One and Only’s” in a variety of styles & sizes that can be purchased straight off the rail at a discounted price.

Your bridal appointment will be an incredible experience for you and your #bridestribe. Top of our list of what to bring – an open mind! We will be trying on lots of silhouettes and styles to help you discover what you love but any photos or inspiration for the big day are very welcome. We might not have those exact dresses but chances are we have something similar.

Some brides prefer to wear a strapless bra and some like to wear tummy-tuckers but neither is essential, just try and steer away from the black undies as they will show up underneath bridal gowns. Just be comfortable and we will do the rest!

Yes of course, if you already have some jewellery, a veil, shoes or even something sentimental that you know you are going to be wearing please bring them along, it is important that the whole bridal look is perfect.

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We are not a ‘rules’ kinda shop but if you can avoid anything black that helps as you can sometimes see the underwear through the gown, but if black is all you have then that is fine! Nude is best but please don’t stress about this!

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Our reputation is spreading far and wide! Somerset Bridal is based in Minehead, a lovely seaside town,  so why not make a weekend of it? Somerset Bridal has a Travel Package, it costs £120 and here’s what you get:

• 1 night accommodation in a double en-suite room  for two at a local Minehead hotel.
• An extended 2.5 hour bridal appointment with our Senior Stylist.
• Goody bag with some fab gifts as a thank you for visiting us.
• £120 credit toward your gown purchased at this appointment
• Discount of 50% off any veil and hair accessories purchased with your gown.
• So basically your accommodation is free and you get extra savings and treats on top should you find your gown, and we are confident you will.

Just give us a ring or mention that you would like the travel package on our appointment form and we will contact you to confirm all of your travel plans and answer any questions. It really is worth travelling to see us, especially if you are a fashion-forward curvy bride and we so excited you’re making the journey to see us  – we can’t wait to meet you!

We cannot carry every gown that our designers make and we do try to have a wide a selection as possible. If there is a gown you are just busting to try on please let us know, we may be able to loan her in from the designer for a small charge which we refund on purchase of any gown.

Never. You and your guests have the sole use of the boutique for your entire appointment. No other brides, no members of the public — just you, your people, and us.

There is a free to park layby just down from the boutique and there is plenty of street parking in the surrounding streets

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You’ll have the best time ever! We want your time with is to be memorable and exciting. As soon as you arrive you’ll be greeted by a very warm hello from one of our expert stylists. Then we’ll get you some complimentary drinks and we’ll have a chat to hear about all of your plans, your hopes and very importantly your fears. We’ll either ask you to choose a few gown to start trying on or we can pick some for you… and then the fun begins!

You have two brilliant options. First, our Outlet store has a beautiful range of authentic designer gowns priced from £99 to £699 and unlike most outlets, we stock sizes 6 to 46, so there's something for every bride. Second, we offer a flexible payment plan with no credit check, just an agreement between us. Pay 25% upfront and spread the rest across up to 9 monthly instalments. We also occasionally have beautifully cared-for sample gowns available at a discounted price Please never let budget stop you from getting in touch — we will always find a way to help

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