Every so often a bride walks out of the changing room, looks in the mirror and says exactly the same thing.
"I love it... I just wish it had a little bit more on the shoulders."
Or... "It's beautiful, but maybe it's a bit plain."
Now here's the thing - they're usually standing in a dress that's absolutely stunning.
One of my current favourites is a beautifully cut white strapless mikado gown – I call her Front Row - with a structured corset bodice and a sweeping A-line. It's elegant and timeless. The sort of dress that, in twenty years' time, will still look every bit as stylish in your photographs.
But because it's strapless, some brides dismiss it before they've really met it.
That's where the fun begins.
One of the biggest misconceptions in bridal is that the dress you try on is the finished look. It isn't. It's the starting point. Think of it like buying the perfect little black dress. Nobody wears it exactly the same way. One person adds a leather jacket, another a silk scarf, someone else reaches for statement jewellery and suddenly they're three completely different outfits.
Wedding dresses are no different. I've photographed this gown with a selection of different accessories, and every single one gives her a completely different personality.
Add a delicate lace bolero and suddenly she feels softer and a little more romantic.
A dramatic cape that sits neatly over the shoulders before flowing into a train at the back? Now she's making a proper entrance. There's something wonderfully regal about it without feeling over the top.
Swap that for a cosy faux fur wrap and suddenly she's ready for a crisp winter wedding. You can almost hear the crunch of frosty gravel outside the venue.
Then there are belts. Never underestimate what a belt can do. Add a crystal belt and suddenly the waist sparkles every time the light catches it.
Pearls make her feel classic.
It's amazing how something so small can completely change where your eye is drawn.
Then we come to opera gloves. I never thought I'd see them back in quite the way they are, but here we are. They have a knack of making a simple strapless gown look as though it's just stepped off a couture catwalk. Audrey Hepburn would definitely approve, although I suspect she'd have chosen white satin and a pair of oversized sunglasses just to finish the job.
And .. adding sleeves … well that's for a future blog!
One dress. Half a dozen personalities. That's one of the reasons I never rush anyone into making a decision. Sometimes all a bride needs is to see what's possible. If your instinct is to rule out a strapless wedding dress because you're worried about feeling too bare, don't.
If you're looking at a beautifully simple gown and wondering whether it needs "something", it probably doesn't. But if you need something, there are so many ways to make the dress feel like yours without changing everything about it.
After all, the best wedding dress isn't the one that looks perfect on the hanger. It's the one that feels as though it was waiting for you all along.
And sometimes all it needed was a cape.
