Strictly FCNK.

Karen's stunning venue of the Inner Temple demanded a beautiful dress. After trying several with us, this fifties lace dress with ruched waist panel made Karen feel most like herself. During several fittings where we caught up with all the wedding plans, we changed the neckline and lowered the back. We also carefully restored all the cut out lace motifs to the new shape. We created a pretty flower headpiece and Karen suggested a striking purpley-blue petticoat edge. And now we can see why! In the amazing first dance, complete with serious dips, everyone caught a glimpse of the eye-catching ruffles.

And after the wedding, we were so pleased to get a thank you letter not just from Karen, but also one from her lovely Mum.

"Dear Laura and Emma, I just wanted to say thank you for everything you did in helping me to find and to create the perfect wedding dress. It has been such a pleasure since the moment I walked into your shop to work with you both, you made every fitting an event worth waiting for! The dress itself was fantastic on the day; it felt wonderful from the moment I put it on all through the day. It just felt exactly like me on my absolutely best day, and was so much fun to dance in!

Everyone loved it and were constantly asking if it was really vintage and where I had got it from, which I very happily told them! Thank you again for all of your hard work, and for making it all such fun! All the best, Karen"

Photography by Sean Gannon

Dancing shoes.

Emily fell in love with this very chic and unusual original fifties tiered tulle dress. We set about making the dress fit perfectly and added a full petticoat, plus a silk waist sash with tails to which Emily added her mum's beautiful butterfly brooch. We made a pretty flower birdcage veil, then with the finishing touches of some family pearls and bright red shoes, Emily was ready to dance the night away.

"Hello I am only just back from a ridiculously long honeymoon. I just wanted to say a massive thank you for everything. The dress was amazing and I was so, so pleased with it. xxxx"

More than a feeling.

Cat came to see us with her lovely friend, feeling a bit nervous about the whole process. After a little while, a glass of bubbly and a good laugh at some of the dresses which didn't suit her, she felt relaxed enough to go for this sixties organza dress with flocked daisies. To make it a little sexier, we made the bodice illusion and added a short bound veil and a metallic gold edged petticoat to match Cat's amazing gold skyscraper shoes. Along with some big hair, a camper van, some hay bails and red Converse for dancing, the scene was set for a fabulous countryside wedding.

"Hey Ladies, thank you both so much for your help and patience with me, I think it's fair to say I wasn't the most enthusiastic of brides when it came to picking my dress. After having one bridal shop experience where I couldn't bring myself to try any of them I was so relieved the minute I walked into FCNK. You put me at ease straight away (I think the bubbles helped too) and I ended up having quite a laugh and enjoying myself that afternoon, maybe not quite as much as Dave who killed himself laughing on a few occasions... I think it's fair to say even up to the final fitting I wasn't in raptures over my dress, you did everything I asked and it looked great but I didn't really get 'that' feeling. (I will come back to this). Laura thank you so much for preventing me from taking the dress to the pub and even bringing to me on your way home from work - what a total legend!

So D-Day arrived, dress went on, then I had 'that' feeling. I'm not sure if it was the shoes, hair, make up and all of the other little bits, but I loved it. Graham bawled when he saw me walking down the aisle - even though we were actually married by then, as we had the legal ceremony first and I wore a different dress. My dad cried, my friend who helped me get ready cried and I swear I'm not imagining this, but people gasped when I walked down the aisle. We've had so many thank you cards from our guests, one of my favourite from a girlfriend who overhead the men folk saying how awesome the dress was the next morning. Praise indeed methinks. Lots of love to you both, Catherine xx"

Photos by Assassynation.

For the fun of it.

Laura came to us wanting a fifties dress for a fun wedding. The one that caught her eye was this fifties tulle dress with beautiful original applied lace, diamonte details and lots of tulle ruffles under the top layer. We helped with a cut-edged petticoat and a bow birdcage veil, to which we added a lace motif that matched the dress. Laura bought some killer heels and lots of laughter and twirling later, she was ready for her stylish wedding.

Laura also wanted to give a special mention to her hairdresser, Amy Liang, from The Hair Boutique in  Harefield.

"Hi Emma & Laura. Thanks so much for making my wedding dress so special and for being so lovely to me. I had the best day ever. Laura x"

Photography by was Hannah Duffy from Wedding Belles.

Making a speech.

Nicki wanted a glamorous party dress to get married in, so we reached for the original fifties dresses and petticoat. However, this beautiful cream lace dress with square neckline, silk binding details and panelled cut was the one. We talked Nicki through making an illusion bodice, and she trusted us enough to allow some of the pretty lace reveal a little of her skin behind it. We made a flower birdcage veil with a vintage brooch in the centre and found a vintage fur cape. Nicki added some beautiful pale blue suede shoes. And we were more than delighted to hear our shop was mentioned in her Dad's speech.

"Dear Laura & Emma, Thank you so much for just making our wonderful day a complete dream for me. Your beautiful dress that you had lovingly fitted to perfection to me, not only made me feel a million dollars, it soothed all my nerves away and just helped me feel like me! I felt so confident - walking into the church, getting up to do my speech and on the dance floor for our first dance. It was just what I wanted - a stylish party dress in a style that suited my figure and personality so THANK YOU!!

I had so many compliments on the dress. Everyone just loved the fact it was so different, so me and was such a unique vintage style that worked so well with our venue. Everyone who had been a bride, commented how they wished they had a ballerina length dress too, as it was so much easier to move around in. My husband (still getting used to that one!) just kept telling me how gorgeous I looked and I have to say I was so gutted when I had to take the dress off after the party ended at 2.30am! You will be pleased to know as well, that my Dad even mentioned the shop in his speech as he loved the name and was intrigued in what I was going to turn up in!!! Nikki xxx

PS shoes looked fab with the dress too ;) "

Photography by Sarah Brown.

Winter wonder.

After trying long, modern dresses that Helen felt weren't quite her, she started looking for a shorter, vintage dress. After visiting a few places that still didn't have the right one, Helen came to us. She loved two dresses but in the end, it was the simplicity of this flattering white lace dress with ruched waist panel that won her heart. The bodice was very different when Helen first tried it. We removed the shoulder straps and using the original drape (which matched the waist panel), we created new cap sleeves which ended in a lovely V at the back. We also finished the back with some lovely cover buttons. Helen wanted red details to brighten up a winter's day, so we edged a full petticoat in bright red. And after spying some red Marilyn shoes on Rachel Simpson's site we ordered them in for her. We also made a long sleeved satin bolero, as her city wedding was in December.

Helen's wedding also featured on Love My Dress.

"Hi girls, so this is to say thank you for all you did to create my dream wedding dress last year, and for being such brilliant fun in the making of it as well! Coming to your shop with my girlfriends and having a glass of bubbly and a chat was one of my most favourite parts of the wedding build-up and I was a bit sad when I finally picked the dress up knowing I had no excuse to come in and see you guys again! I will have to find a friend who isn't married yet and convince her to come to you guys!

Truly though you girls are so talented, with your ability to magically find a hundred dresses that fitted me when no other vintage shop seemed able to, and then transform the prettiest one into exactly what I wanted - from changing the sleeves here, adding buttons there (the buttons were an amazing addition by the way, everybody loved them!). I am just unbelievably grateful that I found you and decided to trust in your vision! The day went perfectly and everybody said my dress, and shoes, were incredible, and from now onIi will be evangelical about FCNK to everybody who asks!

Thanks again you guys are the best! Helen"

Photos by Assassynation. More can be seen on the Assassynation Facebook page.

Third time lucky.

The third in a chain of lovely brides, Rachael was brought to us by her friend Cathy (who got married in one of our dresses on the recommendation of her friend, Marie Claire). After a long day of traipsing round wedding dress shops, Rachael didn't hold out much hope when she came to see us. Particularly as she knew we tend to have a lot more short and tea length dresses and she wanted something long and flowy for her wedding in Ireland. But we just happened to have one beautiful forties long lace illusion wedding dress. Rachel knew it was what she'd been looking for straight away. We set about some adjustments, fitting the dress, lowering the neckline and back binding it in silk, making a slim silk sash and adding a petticoat. Rachael also asked us to make a cut-edged veil for a finishing touch.

"Hi Emma and Laura, I just wanted to say thanks for doing such an absolutely incredible job in finding and adapting the most perfect wedding dress for my wedding in December. We had a brilliant day, with magic crisp winter weather, and lots of Christmas trees. I felt absolutely fabulous in my dress all day, and danced my socks off! Everyone there thought it was a really special and beautiful dress, and Neil was nearly in tears, which was a good result!

The whole process with you girls was just so lovely - from the very first day, it was different to any other shop we'd been to, and that you had my perfect dress was a happy coincidence! Coming for fittings was such a treat, and you both took such care in taking me through the process and perfecting the dress and putting up with me bringing a troop of people with me. No matter how frazzled I was coming into you guys, I always left with a massive smile on my face.

I really hope you both continue to have a ball in your very special shop, and fingers crossed I'll be back with some friends soon to continue the tradition Cathy started! Rachael xxx"

Photography by Will O'Reilly.