The Dress With Natasha Bray

Finding the perfect wedding dress is a huge part of planning for the big day. In our new series, Natasha shares their journey to finding ‘The One’. Discover the dress with Natasha Bray.

The Journey

Finding my dress was such a pleasure and surprisingly straight forward.

I had my first bridal appointment 6 months before the wedding day – I had seen a dress by Vera Wang Bride online, and was thrilled to find out Pronovias stocked a few Wang styles in their Bond Street store. Whilst at the appointment I tried on a couple of other dresses but neither rivalled my original choice: I was drawn to the corded lace and simple romance of the dress, the pull on lace sleeves were perfect for warding off the late October chill and to take the outfit from day to evening. I ended up buying the dress that day and cancelling the other bridal appointment I had booked for that afternoon.

I’m usually indecisive and didn’t want the journey of finding a dress to become an overwhelming event, this dress felt right so it must be ‘the one’…I probably would have fallen in love with lots of dresses if I had kept exploring options.

The Vision

Initially I had a vision of wearing lustrous satin, so it was a surprise that my final choice was the corded lace. I loved how the lace embodied the romance of the day whilst the pull on sleeves gave a modern touch. The dress suited the aesthetic of the wedding well – if we had got married in another season or venue I would have gone for something very different.

The Decision

I had previously thought that committing to ‘the dress’ would be one of the more overwhelming decisions of the wedding planning process, but in the moment is felt easy and thrilling. I was with my Mum at the time and her judgement gave me total confidence it was the right choice as she knows me so well. What an exciting decision to have to make, it’s not every day you get to choose a lavish white gown.

Style Support

My Mum was my sounding board on the extra choices to complete my bridal look. I liaised with my hairdresser Jordan Garettt from Hershesons to help workout which veil and hair style would complement the dress.

The Evening Look

I wanted to keep my dress on a long as possible but knew the sleek silhouette may prohibit me from having a proper dance. I removed the lace sleeves before the wedding breakfast which gave the dress a whole new feel. I ended up changing into a Reformation dress for the final couple of hours – it was a white velvet midi slip dress that had black grosgrain bow straps, paired with a black barely there kitten heel.

The Accessories

Choosing shoes was straightforward, I wanted as much height as possible and a closed toe for the Autumn weather, I went for a Loeffler Randall satin platform which were incredibly comfortable and had no chance of getting caught in the train of the dress. The veil was from Nensi Dojaka and the statement pearl drop earrings from Simone Rocha, I bought both online from My Theresa. Shortly before heading to the church my Mum lent me my late Grandmother’s bracelet, it featured a blue sapphire which worked as my something blue and something borrowed.

Advice For Brides

Start the process with a vision of what you want to embody rather than anything too specific. When it comes to the style, fit and fabric be sure to be open minded in what you try on and enjoy the exciting process of finding ‘the dream dress’.

Favourite Photo Of The Dress

I love how the wedding dress is captured in this photo of us in Grosvenor Square- the way the Autumn light shines through the layers of lace and tulle encapsulating all the romance of the day.