Alternatively, this blog could be called ‘The One Where Bronwen Reviews Her Own Wedding Dress’. Yeah, you might have worked that bit out for yourselves… but, now being one of the most expensive things I actually own, this dress is absolutely worthy of a detailed review.
Introducing Chotronette
Through the years, Chotronette has firmly established itself as a favourite with geeks and dress lovers alike. Whether you’re planning a fantasy photoshoot, an elaborate cosplay, or (in my case)… your wedding day, this is definitely the dress shop of dreams.
Here’s how they describe themselves:
Chotronette merges fashion, fantasy, and storytelling. Every dress is a page from an unwritten fairytale, handcrafted with couture artistry
Now, I got engaged last December. I didn’t really have any high expectations about dresses, or even any real idea, until a friend of mine directed me to Chotronette. Have you ever just seen something so perfect that it’s then all you can think about? Well, that’s what happened here.
This is known as the Armour Dress. I saw it and fell in love. The details are so intricate and jaw-droppingly stunning that at first, it was just a dream, and not necessarily something attainable. Then I had a look at other dresses, and a meeting about designing something unique to me, but… I couldn’t stop thinking about this one.
The description:
Sprinkle sugar sequins on top this exquisite dessert. Pour golden honey syrup and fight your battles like a queen.
It soon became My Dress, and I couldn’t really believe my luck.
Ordering process
The ordering process was fairly straightforward, although I was a little stressed when it came to getting my measurements right – that’s where my friends at Sew Ho Studios came in! They helped me ensure I was ordering correctly; not too tight, not to long, not too loose.
I ordered, and then got ready to wait the 4 – 6 weeks it’d take for my dress to be made and sent to me, all the way from… Romania! (On a side note, did I calculate potentially hideous customs charges before I ordered? Did I heck. Did it come back to might me on the ass? Absolutely. Still worth it, though!)
I did get updates throughout the process, and the Chotronette team were really lovely and great to communicate with.
Dress arrival/tailoring
When my dress arrived, it arrived in a box, very professionally packed up and within a garment bag to keep it well protected. I was so excited I laid it out on the floor to take a photo, before trying to get into it. I knew fairly soon that I would need some help, as the dress had a corset back and would need properly tightened.
The cape part felt too loose around my neck, and upon closer inspection of the bodice, my tailor decided I could do with some firmer boning added to what she described as a ‘fashion corset’. Kate doesn’t take any chances when it comes to wedding days!
The dress itself fit me perfectly, but the extra boning made it feel a little more secure on my torso, and the adjustments to the cape made it more secure around my neck. The cost for these adjustments? Just £60.
Edinburgh-based Sew Ho Studios are my heroes! They also helped my mother, and future mother-in-law by showing them how to get me into my dress on the day (because I had a tiny wedding – just in a castle!).
The big day
My wedding day, as most wedding days do, went by in a bit of a blur. The dress went on, and I could finally stop worrying about falling down the stairs whilst wearing something so bulky – it was actually just fine. Going to the toilet was also less problematic than feared!
Throughout the day, I received so many compliments on my dress from both hotel staff and guests at the castle. I walked down the aisle to O’Fortuna, posed for many photos, went out into the wilderness at the back of the castle and… that was a mistake.
PRO TIP: Don’t take your heavily-chiffoned dress out to heavily-green, wild areas unless you want your dress to turn into a giant bug net.
Did I greatly inconvenience and then save a bee by having to cut it out of my wedding dress? Sadly yes, I did – it got stuck between some intricate beading and was not easily accessible.
As soon as I realised, I panicked, made a quick exit back to the castle and sent my husband ahead of me to get scissors. The good thing is, you can’t actually tell I cut a tiny hole in my dress to let a bee out.
And I’d rather cut a small hole in my dress than kill a bee on my wedding day. I did not step one foot back into the castle until all bugs were safely removed from the dress.
So, let that bee a lesson to you, and don’t make the same mistake I did! This is the pic that was taken right before Bugmageddon:
The rest of the day, after the slight bug trauma, went without a hitch. It mainly involved eating too much food, and it’s a testament to my dress that it held up just fine and I wasn’t feeling overly uncomfortable despite (probably) overly indulging in it.
What now?
I never imagined spending this much money on a dress before. So, giving it just one wear and then never taking it out of its garment bag again doesn’t seem right. Selling also doesn’t seem right, so I’m going to keep an eye on the popular medieval balls that seem to be cropping up.
I have the perfect dress, so why not?!
Thanks to Chotronette, and Gavin, our wedding photographer, I now have some incredible photos of me in basically a fantasy dress, on one of the most important days of my life.
You can check out the Armour Dress on the Chotronette website right here. Or, take some time to browse and find your own favourite.
What do you think of Chotronette? Had you heard of them? Have you bought from them, and if so, where did you wear your dress? Comment below.
