Hi, I’m Emma Hinds…ahem, Emma Stieger-White, I mean. Yes, I’m still getting used to having a new name! A new identity of sorts! I got married on 22nd June 2024 in a stunning Jesus Peiro dress from the impeccable, Frances Day Bridal. I am still comprehending how seismic the whole experience of getting married was; from the waves of love received from friends and family, to the high we were riding weeks after tying the knot.
It truly was a magical day; a church wedding in the rolling hills of the Leicestershire countryside followed by a marquee reception complete with sunset, full moon and fabulous DJ’s who played late into the night. And in all of this, my wedding dress carried me through.
At first, I thought I knew exactly what sort of dress I wanted, but my brain was clouded with Pinterest images and Instagram feeds of other brides: trousers suits, billowing long sleeves, puffed sleeves, veils, low backless dresses? I stepped into Frances Day Bridal on a bright February afternoon with my sister, Sarah. We were greeted at the grand entrance by Julia and Emma who were full of warmth and enthusiasm. We immediately felt welcome and at ease.
The shop is situated at the Old Courthouse in Southwell. Huge sash windows welcomed golden light into the shop, resting magically upon the ivory sea of dresses. This already felt very special. I expressed to Julia that I wanted something simple and understated but with a twist- a jacquard fabric perhaps? Julia selected four dresses for me. I followed her down a corridor to the dressing room at the back of the shop, white sheaths of fabric and lace trailed behind as if we were already walking down the aisle.
We were so busy chatting as Julia helped me into dress ‘number one’, that as I caught sight of myself in the mirror, it dawned on me…this is it, this is the dress! It was simple, beautifully tailored with punched jacquard material (the twist)! I knew at that moment that I didn’t need to try anything else on. This was my dress. I mean of course, I wasn’t actually going to pass up the opportunity to try on three other stunning wedding dresses. All beautiful in their own ways, but my mind kept flicking back to the first.
Forgive the cliché, but I do think there’s a strong case for the dress choosing you. There was something magical in the air that day. Once the dress was chosen, next came the fitting appointments. Each trip to Frances Day for my fittings felt ritualistic; a pilgrimage to visit the dress and a marker that my wedding day was drawing ever closer. Each visit, Jenny, the wonderful seamstress at Frances Day would perfect and tweak the dress so that it perfectly married with my shape.
After visiting with various family members on the first two fittings, I instinctively wanted to go alone to my final fitting. There was something about being on my own with the dress and only me seeing it before the day that felt vital. There is something about wearing an ivory wedding dress with a veil that unifies you with other women, past present and future and whether you’re religious or not, there’s definitelysomething otherworldly about that feeling.
One thing I learnt in this process is to trust it. Trust the fittings, trust your instinct and trust the creative process. It’s always going to feel a bit strange during the fittings when the dress hasn’t been cut to length or the seams aren’t quite in the right place. On my second fitting I had a slight wobble that the dress didn’t quite look how I remembered. I rang Julia later in the afternoon and told her I was having second thoughts about the breast pads- of all things! However, on my third and final fitting, everything fell into place, quite literally, and everything about the dress felt right (including the breast pads). I looked in the spectacular floor to ceiling mirror in the fitting room and it was almost as if the dress was wearing me. My skinseemed to glow; my eyes seemed to shine. The dress lifted me up to an almost heavenly place- I was on cloud 9!
I wore my dress with a simple but beautiful waist length veil with thin ribboning, handmade in Norfolk and I loved wearing it every minute of the day. It’s a sad but beautiful fact that I will only wear it once for this special occasion, but my oh my, was it worth it. The memories and feelings of the day are forever frozen in space and time along with my dress.
Emma x