Frequently Asked Questions

We recommend 12 months prior to your wedding or asap after you've set your date as once a gown is reserved by someone for a specific date it's unavailable for another hire. We always have gowns available though so if you have a short notice wedding we will always be able to provide a beautiful gown for you.

Appointments are not always necessary however we do advise that if possible you book one as we can then ensure you have exclusive use of the bridal fitting room. This is especially true for weekend appointments.

Sapphire Bridal unfortunately now have to  take a £20 upfront deposit ( payable by card over the phone, bank transfer,  in person in the shop or in some circumstances we can accept Paypal) when booking an appointment as we have had a lot of people not turn up to the appointment  after making them in advance. This is unfair on other's as we black those times/days out in the diary and will have turned away other potential clients. Others have used us simply as a place to try a dress to find out their correct size before purchasing one online. The £20 will be deducted off the price of any HIRE PACKAGE, however if after booking and paying the £20 deposit you are not able to make the time or date of your booking you can amend it FREE OF CHARGE as long as more than 24 hours notice is given. If the appointment is attended but a package is not selected the £20 is non refundable as we will have allocated a minimum of 2 hours no rush service where you can try on as many gowns as you wish. In addition you will have the services of a consultant, bridal advice, a one to one service  and unlimited refreshments for you and your bridal party.

We usually advise to allow around 2 hours, that allows you to browse the gowns, relax and have a coffee and try on any gowns that you wish. We offer a no rush service though as long as you leave happy.

You're welcome to bring who you wish to you're appointment although we can comfortably seat 6 in our lounge area.

We have wedding gowns from a UK size 4 to a size 32, although we don't have every dress available in all sizes.

Yes, when you have decided on a wedding gown package we require a refundable  £200 deposit to secure the date for your dress. We accept all major debit and credit cards.

Please see out terms and conditions page for more information regarding your deposit.

Yes, we have parking available on our forecourt for exclusive use of customers of Sapphire bridal. There is also plenty of free on street parking .

For example if you are getting married on a Saturday your dress would be collected on the Friday, we are closed on Sunday so you would return your dress on Monday before close of business.

If you are getting married on a Wednesday, you would collect your dress on the Tuesday and return it before close of business on Thursday.

Most people when getting married abroad have friends and family accompany them for a shorter time than the bride and groom so the best option would be to ask one of your wedding guests to return the dress.

Yes , we can offer you an evening appointment if you are unable to come to the shop during opening hours. Please contact us for details.

We recommend that you wear either white or nude coloured underwear . A strapless bra is best if you intend on trying on a strapless gown . If you are going to  wearing any form of shapewear on your big day it is a good idea to either wear it or bring it to your appointment, this will allow you to see the full effects of your chosen gown. Also a pair of shoes with a similar heel or wedge that you will be wearing on the big day. This ensures that you can truly visualise yourself in the gown. 

We appreciate accidents happen and if there is some minor damage to the dress ie grass marks on the underskirt or a small spillage then we will have our seamstress repair any minor damage and every dress gets dry cleaned upon return so we would not charge you.

If, however there was a lot of damage or the dress had clearly not been looked after then we would have to deduct the cost of the repair / replacement of the dress from your deposit. However this is very unlikely to happen.