FREE DELIVERY THIS WEEKEND! FREE UK standard delivery until *Ts & Cs apply From strapless to lace, vintage to ex-catwalk, you can find your dream wedding dress with Oxfam. Browse our online shop or visit one of our specialist bridal stores around the UK. Visit Oxfam Weddings for more from Oxfam. /product-category/ferrari-women/bridal-gowns/ on this server. Your technical support key is: 340d-561b-1756-6707In the spirit of honesty, here we go: my hubby and I were downright nervous about our first dance. All 200+ people were watching and we froze up a bit. While we can laugh at it now, looking back, dance lessons may have been a wise choice. More likely than not, dancing will be a big part of your big day and when you kick it off with your first dance, you want to make your mark. Ballroom Dance Chicago tells us why! You’ve thought through every other detail of this event, no matter how seemingly insignificant, so don’t let this big moment fall flat!

What kind of mood are you going for? Starlight and romance or fist-pumping dance party? The mood of your first dance begins with the song you choose. If you want a relaxed, romantic reception, pick a tender, sweet song to dance to or if you want to kick up the dance party, pick a song that will inspire your guests to get out there and join you on the dance floor! Can You Buy Six Flags Tickets At KrogerBut don’t stop there! Tire Dealers In Chantilly VaBy seeking assistance from a wedding dance professional, you’ll ensure that you and your fiance are able to move together in a way that is a bit more advanced than the hug-and-waddle and that matches your song choice!T Shirt Factory Gulf Shores Al While you might decide to do away with some of the other events at a wedding deemed “traditional” (think garter/bouquet tossing, dollar dances, and grand entrances for the bridal party), the first dance is one you’ll definitely want to keep!

It’s a physical representation of your relationship, and it allows you to have a special moment with your fiance during the reception. Why throw that tradition away? We’ve heard many reasons: perhaps you don’t know how to dance, you don’t particularly like dancing, you have no rhythm, the list goes on and on. But, there’s an easy remedy for all of these problems: take some dance lessons! Wedding planning, work stress, and appeasing all various family demands are what most of your days are probably consumed by. With all of the things on your miles-long to-do list, you really don’t have an opportunity to have quality time with your significant other. Dance lessons are a great way to get it back (while still checking something off of your wedding planning list), so make a date night out of it! Taking time out every week leading up to the wedding to just enjoy each others’ company will keep you connected to the reason you’re getting married (i.e. you really really like each other), rather than allowing your partnership to get bogged down in finances and decision making.

You will practice important skills for your marriage during dance lessons. At the conclusion of a usually long, oftentimes stressful planning process, a wedding is seen as a welcome ending to a hectic period in a couple’s life. However, a wedding is the beginning of two lives merging into one, and this new union can take more work than expected to maintain. Just like a first dance, if you’re able to put in a little preparation and practice, you’ll be able to handle any situation with grace and ease and emerge with your relationship unscathed. By taking dance lessons and learning something new with the one you love, you will develop a closer bond and practice many skills important for marriage. Find a dance school in your area that specializes in wedding prep! If you don’t have one near you, consider Ballroom Dance Chicago’s virtual dance lessons or weekend intensives! ONGOING GIVEAWAYS + DISCOUNTS… The Registry at Bloomingdale’s We’re excited to share that Shine invitations is currently offering FREE SHIPPING on orders over $500 (US orders only) as well as a free sample kit featuring the invitation of your choice, color charts, paper samples, and an example Save the Date!

For our California Brides… Discounts from The Ranch at Laguna Beach and Weddings by Susan Dunne, and don’t miss the Weddings Unveiled event on September 11th! For our Destination Brides… Discount from Hitch’d Weddings & Events For our Tri-state Brides… Discount from Femina Photo + Design, giveaways from NST Pictures and OLLI STUDIO, and don’t miss the Eddy K Dreams Collection Trunk Show at Designer Loft from August 19 – 28th, and the Kelly Faetanini Trunk Show at Gabriella New York from August 25 – 28th! Dance Advice: Ballroom Dance ChicagoGiven the high price tag of wedding dresses in boutiques and department stores, it's no wonder brides-to-be are searching for cheaper alternatives online.But the beautiful bridal gowns pictured on websites are often startling different to the specimens that arrive on their doorstep.That's according to the many aggrieved brides who have taken to social networks to share their wedding dress nightmares. Did this get put in the wash with the green socks?

A case of colour confusion when this dress arrived, right Left: What the bride expected. Right: What arrived on the doorstep. The lace sleeves are missing the laceA quick google search for 'cheap wedding dresses' brings up endless websites offering economical alternatives - some with their original designs and others promising to create copies of designer gowns.But given the flurry of disappointed brides sharing their wedding dress nightmares, it seems that buying a dress online can be fraught with issues.Many of the websites offer cheap copies of designer gowns, made in the Far East - but instead of using lace from Chantilly, what arrives is polyester from China. Left, how the wedding dress looks in the adverts. Right, what one bride-to-be was delivered Right: The designer dress the website promised to copy; Left: The horrific version that arrived. The flowers that trail elegantly under the bust in the original version have been clustered around the neckline One bride wanted a fairy tale dress like Sarah Jessica Parker's Sex And The City character Carrie Bradshaw (left), but was sent this limp version instead (right)One bride-to-be, Grace Jennings-Edquist, started a blog on Australian website Mama Mia about her wedding dress fears after ordering her dress online and was inundated with horror stories from other brides. 

The writer admitted she first had a 'flutter of anxiety' after reading this review of the website she purchased her dress from.  The reviewer wrote: 'Ordered a wedding dress...the thing came in made of God knows what for the lining....weighed a tonne! Never have I put anything (except perhaps the dentist's teeth apron for teeth xrays perhaps) that weighed so much. Trying to get it returned seems to take an act of congress!' Left: The trendy number with feather detailing that the website said they would copy. Right: The frightening dead bird-look the bride was sent Left: The designer version with dramatic full skirt. Right: The sad version that arrived This dusty pink number appeared subtle and classy (left) however in reality it was a shade of bubble gum pink with plastic crystals (right)The writer then warned other brides-to-be: 'That flutter of anxiety may then turn into a sweaty, stomach-turning realisation that you’ve made a huge freaking mistake when the reviews start to include words like "truly hideous dress".

The images sent in from brides-to-be of what they were expecting versus what actually arrived are astounding. Left: This Chinese website promised designer replicas. Right: The bride was sent a disappointing version The structured bodice pictured in the image (left) came with ruching instead (right). When the bride contacted the site she was dismissed and told it was 'very similar' This multicoloured gown appeared to make a statement (left) but the version that was delivered barely made a whisper (right) The online picture suggested an elegant, well-fitted gown (left) but when tried on it seemed more frumpy (right)In some, the lush beading in the picture turns out to be cheap applique in real life. Or what looks like delicate peach edging in what has been advertised, arrives in a hideous shade of fuchsia.In others, the entire shape of the dress is unrecognisable, 'pure silk' turns out to be cheap polyester, and lace just is not lace at all.On Facebook group Knock Off Nightmares , others have shared their bridal gown disappointments with the images of the dresses they thought they were buying and the shocking reality of what arrived.

One writes: 'I bought my wedding dress online, but I am very very disappointed. The dress is from a very bad quality of material. I want to return the product but they don't want to give me the money back. In a few words: they are selling bad dresses, bad quality of material and they are cheating the people.' In some images online the lush beading promised (left) turns out to be cheap applique in real life (right) What looks like burgundy (left)  arrives in a hideous shade of bright red (right) This Edwardian dress appeared opulent with a full bodied shirt online (left), however in reality it was lackluster (right) The model looked stunning in this Celtic style ensemble (left) the real life dress is seriously underwhelming in comparison One bride, who ordered a dress with a fitted bodice received a specimen with heavy ruching instead. When she contacted the site she was dismissed an told it was 'very similar'.Another image is posted with the caption: 'Another bride whose wedding gown is definitely NOT what she imagined!