FAQs

Firstly CONGRATULATIONS! It is such an exciting time for you! You start your dress shopping by finding one, maybe two shops who you vibe with and request an appointment.

And we would love to be a part of your wedding planning! If you would like to visit us for an appointment, there are many ways to book! Via the website, email or by calling 01622 688413 are the easiest options. 

We do accept walk in appointments if a stylist is available. However we want our all brides to have to have the most supreme experience and as we do get to know brides pre-appointment, it is best to book. 

The truth to this answer is it is never too early.
New research is suggesting that brides are leaving less and less time to look for their bridal gown before their wedding due to fear of missing out (FOMO), a desire to lose weight or not appreciating how long it will take them to find ‘The One’. This then inevitably brings on extra stress, a reduction of options open to you/ additional ‘rush fee’ costs and worry before your wedding if left too late.
To avoid this, we advise you start researching what sort of gown you might like 18 months before you are due to marry, with a view to having ordered it 12 months before. The 6 months difference may sound like a long time, but boutiques can be fully booked months in advance of your appointment and it may take you a little time to find the gown of your dreams. The earlier you start trying on gowns and refining your choice, the less stress you should endure nearer your big day. A good way to get started is to follow shops on Instagram so if you haven’t already, give us a follow (@victoriaelainebridal)

We offer appointments for bridalwear, bridesmaids, prom and accessories. 

All our appointments are free of charge. Accessory appointments are 45 minutes. Bridesmaid and Prom appointments are 60 minutes. Bridal appointments are 2 hours during the week and 90 minutes on Saturdays. 

But we know some brides want to elevate their experience, so we do offer Very Important Bride (V.I.B.) and Very Important Disney Bride (V.I.D.B.) appointments. These are £30 and include a pre-appointment consultation with your stylist (via the phone), up to 5 hand mixed cocktail or mocktails (one per guest), a sweet platter to enjoy and a priority accessory appointment to be held on a different date. This charge is non-refundable and can not be claimed against the cost of your dress due to our licensing agreement.

Our cocktails are also available to purchase during appointments if you wish.

Our made to order wedding dresses range from £850 to over £5000 so we cover a wide range of price points. 

If you are looking for a Disney Fairy Tale Weddings dress, these start around £1700. 

If you are looking for something more affordable or maybe you have less than 7 months until your wedding, our ready to wear collection start at £200. This Outlet collection of dresses are either ex samples, discontinued or brand new dresses and are priced to reflect the condition of the dress. If you think this might be a collection you are interested in, please let your stylist know. 

We allow a maximum of 5 guests to our bridal appointments, however we feel 3 guests is the perfect number. 

You must bring the people you need to say a confident yes to the dress, either because you value their opinion or they may be gifting you the dress. Please do not make the mistake of thinking you won’t find a dress on your first day of trying, you most likely will, so book for a day when everyone you need can be there for the magical YES moment you are looking forward to!

For alteration appointments and Prom appointments, we allow a maximum of 2 guests due to the space your appointments will take place in. 

Ahead of your first appointment with us, there are a few things you can do to make sure your appointment and day runs smoothly.

Firstly, have a think about the styles of dresses you might and the price range you would like to stay within. And it is wise to share this with your group beforehand so you are all working to the same idea. By all means, have a look on our website, save some screen shots and mention these to your stylist…this will give them an idea of what you should be trying on during your appointment. 

When planning your day, try not to cram it full with appointments. Brides are often surprised how much head space each dress you try on will take up and you quickly become mentally drained. Two appointments with a bit of lunch in between is the perfect day for a bride to be! 

And lastly, assign someone to take photos of you (yes, we allow them!). Your assigned photographer should be getting up from their seat, walking around you in the dress and getting the best shots possible. Videos are also a great idea to show the finer details and sparkle. 

When you are attending your alteration fittings. you will need your wedding shoes. This is vital and the seamstress can not fit the dress properly without them!

Congratulations beauty, the hard work is over and you have found your dress! But what happens next?

Well after the celebrations, we will need to measure you. We take a minimum of 4 measurements (bust, waist, hip and height) and use the designers size chart to help you decide which size to order. Each designer works to a different size chart and you will measure up as different sizes for each one, so please ignore the number. 

If you have plans to drop any weight, let us know! As this will change the way we may advise your sizing. 

Before you leave the boutique, we will do paperwork, run through terms and conditions and take payment. We will also ask if you would like your photo taken for our social media. 

Following your appointment, we order your dress and it will arrive to the shop some months later. Designers and prom all offer different delivery times but it can be as much as 6 months later so please factor this in to your planning. 

Once the dress arrives, we will contact you and discuss when your alterations will take place. Balances are taken either before your dress is shipped to us or once it arrives. This will be explained at point of order as it differs with each designer. And then much closer to your wedding, we welcome you back for alterations so your dress is perfect for your big day!

This is such a common question but one that has the same answer no matter your size, shape or style. At the point of you ordering, we will take measurements and discuss which size gown you wish to order. We will always advise you get the gown that will fit at that point as gowns can be taken in up to two dresses sizes with ease, and even further if needs be. However, they cannot be let out by very much.
Bridal gowns are designed to support and flaunt your figure in classy and elegant ways, so even if you are not at your goal weight or not feeling your peak in body confidence, we would advise you still book an appointment as you may be surprised at how magnificent you feel wearing one. It is heartbreaking when brides focus so hard on their weight loss journey during their engagement and do not leave themselves enough time to find their dream dress- aim to visit us a year ahead of your wedding for the most options to be open to you. 

If you are planning to lose a significant amount of weight (using jabs or via surgery), please discuss with us at the time of booking. We can best advise you on when to shop on an individual basis.

Yes we do! We have a very talented seamstress working in the boutique every Thursday to do your fitting appointments. Thursday is the only day of the week we have fittings in the boutique, as we can work in to the evening. However if this day doesn’t suit, you are able to see Jane privately at her studio where she works during the other days of the week. 
For our gowns, we offer alterations packages in order to complete your standard alterations (taking in bust and side seam, taking up hem and adding a bustle loop) at a competitive price. Any additional alterations you require will be at an additional cost. Prices will be discussed as part of your styling appointment.
For your fitting appointments, it is vital that you wear the underwear and shoes you plan to wear on the wedding day, as both will alter the fit of the gown. If you do not have these, it is possible the fitting will be unable to continue.

Your fittings will typically start 3 months ahead of your wedding and the lovely Amy will be in touch to book these in. If you are having design changes made to the dress, we may even get you in sooner so please factor this in to your timings when planning to visit us. 

We are situated in the Royal Star Arcade in Maidstone’s town centre. The nearest car parks are Medway Street (pay and display, off Pudding Lane), Fremlin Walk or Palace Avenue car park (on the one way system). Alternative parking can be found in the The Mall car park, pay and display street parking behind Marks and Spencer’s.

Of course! We realise that a young ladies prom is her first special event where she will buy a dress like this- we want to make it special and memorable!

Your appointment will be 60 minutes and we will select some styles the young lady thinks will work. We will offer the same level of expertise as our bridal appointments, so rest assured you are in safe hands. 

Our samples range from size 2- 18 and we only have one dress in each style. So, just like bridal, the stylist will pin and clamp the dress to fit for the styling appointment. 

When you say yes, we take measurements. The young lady will need to be in her underwear, but can wear a vest and tights if she should feel more comfortable. If a parent would like to witness this, we can happily accommodate this. We order dresses in a standard size, so it is likely that a dress will need to be altered. We offer alterations for this, but as prom dresses are not as complex as a wedding dress, any seamstress should have the skill to do this. 

And finally, please come to us to choose your dress earlier than you think! Our prom season begins in OCTOBER, and where we only sell one style of dress per schools event (so if a school hosts a year 11 and a year 13 prom, we will sell it once per prom) you have more choice the earlier in the season you shop. 

If you want a made to order prom dress with the full selection of colours available to you, you must have your dress ordered by the 5TH MARCH. Otherwise, we will be selecting from a nationwide stock and it sells out quickly!

If you have any other queries regarding prom, please do get in touch!