Trying on your wedding dress or suit and turning towards one another can make the day feel suddenly real. When choosing a gown, groom’s formalwear or a traditional kwa, consider the setting, how much you will move and how many changes you want. Wear suitable shoes at fittings and try walking, sitting and lifting your arms. Notice how comfortably you can move as well as how the outfit photographs.
Before hiring or ordering, confirm the exact outfit, accessories, alterations, final fitting, collection and return dates. Get written terms for deposits, cleaning, damage, late returns and rescheduling. Group each look’s shoes, underlayers and accessories together, and decide who helps with changes and keeps track of belongings. Ask the make-up and photography teams to check the changeover time.
Coordinated photographs are lovely; so are the relaxed smiles of the friends in them. Before choosing bridesmaid dresses and groomsmen's outfits, share the colours and feeling of the wedding, then ask about budgets, sizes, clothing preferences and practical needs. A shared colour or accessory can bring dresses, suits and trouser outfits together beautifully.
Agree who pays before anyone orders. Include alterations, shoes, ties, accessories and hire deposits in that conversation. If friends will choose their own clothes, give them a clear colour reference and a date to check their choice. Avoid changing the brief after purchases have been made. If a change is necessary, agree together how any extra cost will be covered.
At a fitting, sit down, lift your arms and try a few steps. The clothes need to work for travelling, helping with a dress and carrying essentials. Take the intended shoes, or their heel height, when checking hems. Consider outdoor weather and indoor air conditioning, with a layer, spare shirt or comfortable shoes if useful. Decide where these extras will be kept during the day.
Make a short collection-and-return list: who collects each outfit, who presses it, where the accessories go, when hired pieces are due back and what happens if something is damaged or missing. When allocating wedding-party jobs, leave time for everyone to change, eat and join the photographs. The friends helping you make the day happen deserve to enjoy being there, too.
One small place to begin
Agree the colours, individual budgets and payment responsibilities first, then arrange fittings that include sitting and moving comfortably.
These notes offer general planning guidance. Adapt them to your wedding, your family and the arrangements you agree with each team. Confirm what each service includes before booking.
← Back to the wedding notebook
