I’ve been assisting my good friend Katie in the hunt for the perfect wedding dress… and as of last Friday the search is over – we found it and it’s fabulous! We’d penciled in the diary, a trip to the Battersea Designer wedding show, to get a good over-view of frocks. However, instead of having to pour over every single gown we were able to relax and just enjoy the show (www.designerweddingshow.co.uk)!

I’ve not yet planned a wedding, so haven’t had to experience the “joy” of picking the exact shade of ivory napkins or deciding whether to spend £5 per head for a bag containing 5 silver sugared almonds…what a bargain?? But something hit me whilst walking around the show – I pity whoever gets to marry me, because at my wedding I’m going to want everything! The flowers were stunning; the cakes were works of art… It’s quite a terrifyingly over-whelming experience. Not only does a bride have to worry about the dress, the venue, the food etc. But important issues such as, what will the invitations say about me as a person? Does one go “classic” or “contemporary” bride? Hair up or hair down?? So many decisions… If I ever meet someone I want to marry – I think I might be a demented bride!

Also, I know why so many people hire personal shoppers to help them when wedding dress shopping, it’s very little to do with locating the perfect dress, it’s more to assist them with overly-pushy wedding dress sales assistants. Now I understand some people need help narrowing down a gazillion off-white strapless dresses to find the perfect one  – but the use of the “elimination” technique that I witnessed was really annoying. So what if my friend had “eliminated” a particular style dress during their last appointment, if she wants to try it on again then she blinking well can!!

Anyway, rant over… if you want to get some really good ideas in a laid back and glam setting and be serenaded whilst sipping your champagne, then head to BWS. Even though as a “non-bride” I’ve never felt so invisible in my life… as soon as approaching a stand the exhibitor would say “Are you the bride??” “Er no, my friend…” That was it, you no longer existed!

Here are some things that caught my eye at the show…

By Appointment Only Design (www.byappointmentonlydesign.com) – honestly, I’ve never seen floral displays like them… they were amazing! They help you “create the wedding of your dreams”, assisting from wedding planning to event styling, no two weddings are the same.

Linda Fripp Design (www.lindafrippcakes.com) make bespoke wedding cakes “individually created using sensational hand-baked recipes and inspirational techniques”. The cakes at the show really blew me away they were so stunning…

Emmy Custom Made Wedding Shoes (www.emmyshoes.co.uk)  – I had seen them before at Fashion Press Week and I loved the twinkly toed shoes then… They offer custom made wedding shoes “offering a choice of toe shape, heel height, material, colour and detail”. Vintage-y and fabulous if you ask me!

Matthew Williamson needs little introduction (www.matthewwilliamson) but people may not instantly think bridal when they hear his name, but I was seriously impressed with what they had to offer…

The cafe at the entrance to the show…

 The bride and bridesmaid Rachel enjoying a well deserved glass of bubbly in the champagne bar… how civilized (notice I have a peppermint tea with my champers – I’m such a lightweight!!)!

P.S. A couple of other exhibitors worth noting:

David Fielden (www.davidfielden.co.uk) – his dresses have been worn by Liz Taylor, Julia Roberts and Kate Moss… a fairly impressive line up!

Emma Hunt (www.emmahunt.co.uk)  makes made-to-measure and bespoke dresses which are timeless and elegant.

The Magpie Vintage  stand (www.magpievintage.co.uk) was mobbed after the catwalk show and we could barely get a look in but the bespoke jewellery we could near looked fab!

Rosalind Miller Cakes (www.rosalindmillercakes.com)… these were so stunning I couldn’t believe it. They are renowned for their “delcious exquisite couture cupcakes, described as edible works of art”.

Temperley London (www.temperleylondon.com) offers some of the most elegant, romantic dresses around. For the best selection go to their bridal suite in Notting Hill, I’ve only had good experiences with clients in there…

And last but by no means least, The Utterly Sexy Cafe (www.utterlysexycafe.co.uk) are a “highly original catering company offering delicious food creatively served using an extensive range of fabulous vintage china for hire, as well as amazing wedding cakes”. This stand was probably my favourite!