'Secret wedding' dress conundrum

[AphroditesSeashell]

Planning an elopement-style wedding for March 2026. A Thursday afternoon registry office ceremony, followed by a quiet meal with our two witnesses. Not booked yet; in our Local Authority, for this kind of 2-person ceremony, you can only apply for the date 3 months in advance.

I've seen a nice dress online. Not sure whether to go for it, or if it's too soon in the process considering nothing is actually booked. It's £240, which i know for a wedding dress is a bargain, but for a dress more generally, I'd consider it a big purchase.

Thought process:
● what if I don't see another one I like as much, if I hold off? Assuming this one will be long sold out/off sale by end of the year. I don't LOVE it but I haven't seen anything I like more. I think for a low-key wedding, hoping for a stunning dress within this kind of budget may be unrealistic.
● what if it's the opposite and I buy this one and in Jan-26 I see an even nicer one?
● What if I change dress size? Bear in mind I've been the same size for years but I'm sure many people could empathise with the eternal hope of shedding some pounds. Maybe I'll magically get some disciple following the purchase of the dress!

If anyone's interested, this is the one I'm considering. The one major downside of a secret wedding is not having anyone to discuss this kind of thing with in real life!

Rosie lace short sleeve dress

You could wear it with these.

https://www.next.co.uk/style/su580100/ap4637

I love that dress, but it sounds like a compromise for you so I’d leave it. You’ve got plenty of time, and you’re probably being swayed towards summery stuff which won’t be suitable for March in Scotland.

Can people stop saying that March in Glasgow will be grey and cold, you'll need a jacket, etc? Nobody knows what the weather will be like, quite often the end of March is really quite lovely in Glasgow. Could also be blowing a gale or snowing, who can tell?

Nah, I’m ok thanks, @owlexpress! I don’t come on to the Internet to have other people censor my idle speculations on the weather. 😂

If I want to say it’s likely to be cold and maybe wet / snowy somewhere in the world next March, people must put up with it, or scroll on. I doubt the OP is basing the whole of the rest of her life on possibilities expressed on MN.

I think if you love the dress then get it! If in any doubt I'd hold off. Renting is a great idea, I have no idea until I'd seen suggestions on MN how much good value renting is, especially if it's something you're never going to wear again and it's just going to take up storage space for ever more.

Also, I LOVE this cape! So pretty. And something like this would be a great idea if you're not wanting to feel overdressed in a restaurant afterwards. You could choose something more low key underneath, that you will feel comfy in. Good luck with the decision and wedding either way.

I love the dress. Buy it!

I love that dress. It's very pretty 😍

Oh now this is fabulous! Love it!
Edit: I meant to quote @Cheesecrunch and her suggested cape from Page 1

I totally understand everyone's comments about the weather. We are aiming for late March and honestly, in Glasgow, it's as likely to be sunshine as pouring down with rain or 5 inches of snow. There's really no telling. Early Spring often brings the nicest weather we get. I think back to the first lockdown we had in C19 times. it was March/April and the weather was scorching sun for weeks on end. It's just a gamble 😊

I’m here with a needle and thread warning! Their dresses are gorgeous and I wanted to get married in one at first. Sadly for me- their designs are extremely high waisted and just did not sit right on my body type at all.
order the needle and thread dress, try it on then decide. It might not even fit or you might adore it when you try it.

I love it but you need to love it too so I'd hold off. As for walking around Glasgow in a wedding dress unobtrusively I wouldn't worry, this was Glasgow yesterday. 😆

I love the frock, West of Scotland you'll have your sandals and wellies on standby beside the big coat and sunhat :D

I'm sure for your secret wedding a few local MN would come a wander round shops with you and give opinions if you asked us to

It’s your wedding. Hopefully your only wedding. So don’t buy a dress you don’t love. Also if ever there was a day to wear whatever it is that stirs your heart, however OTT you think it is, than that day is your wedding day.
Choose something you love and feel lovely in, and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks.

Get the dress, check it fits, then stop looking. I think it’s lovely and perfect for the sort of wedding you want.

I think the dress is really lovely, but you don’t seem like you love it.

This site has some stunners; thank you!

Pretty press 😍

I got my dress a couple of weeks after we got engaged in 2023. We don't get married until later this year. I have zero regrets lol

I’ve never posted on these threads before, (I’m all about the AIBU drama!), but I clicked your link and just had to comment.

I think that dress is absolutely beautiful and totally fitting for the celebration you’ve described. I know you have time, but I just want to send you all the love and happiness in the world.

Buy that dress and enjoy your day.

X

I think you need to order it and try it on. Then you’ll know if it’s the one. If it is, you must stop looking, if you feel like a superfrump then you can’t send it back and have plenty of time to find another. What you don’t want, it’s to be harping back to something you never tried on in several months time and constantly comparing future dresses to it!

Needle &Thread do a good ‘try before you buy’ on their site. You can order up to 5 and you have a few days to try them on.

They all fit slightly differently so I wouldn’t risk a Vinted one before you know your size. Selfridges stock too if you’re near London.

I tried several for my wedding and they are beautiful- but quite heavy and itchy. You may need to try a few to get the embellishment right for you. Also, they don’t resell brilliantly on Vinted. There are lots on there and tend to be priced highly. I had one- new with tags- that I lost a fair bit on in the end just to sell it. I’d got it off Vinted to begin with but still lost a bit. Just a message of caution to try it first!

The dress is lovely and fits your brief. Obviously may need something over it for warmth. The way I always think is helpful in making these decisions is to flip a coin and Heads means they’ve sold out in your size. Do this and measure how disappointed v relieved you feel with the result. That normally helps me get on with the decision.

I would also be hugely uncomfortable with someone deliberately trying to hurt me at a vulnerable moment, in response to an objective comment. You can think someone is nice looking (including women and children) without fancying them.

I'd feel out of place in a bog standard restaurant wearing something that screams "wedding!! @AphroditesSeashell

We eloped and got married in a registry office in a small town in Scotland. I wore a long satin dress that was obviously OTT for regular daytime wear. After the registry office we went to a cute cafe for lunch.
I was definitely overdressed in this indie cafe but it was part of the fun of it!

Also, the obligatory "wear whatever you want to wear, who cares what other people think".

I panicked then thinking I'd posted in the wrong place but it's not me, it's you 😅

That dress is absolutely gorgeous!!