Choosing the wedding dress of your dreams – The One that not only fits well, but inspires you to new levels of newlywed confidence – can seem one of the most daunting experiences on your wedmin calendar.

Make it easy breezy with the help of our very own editor-at-large Peta Hunt’s top 10 tips to dress greatness, before signing up for your own My Special K personal plan. It’s totally free and joining means you’re entered into a prize draw to win £500 towards your bridesmaids dresses!

1. Get a budget, set it and stick to it. You don’t want your dream to turn into a nightmare later if you can’t pay for it.

2. Know what you want. Have a style in mind from images you’ve collected from magazines. Any idea of colour, cut and fabric can help to focus your search, plus it’ll give you an idea of how right it is for your venue (don’t opt for a barely-there dress for a wedding in The Ice Hotel, or wear a huge heavy satin dress with a 12ft train for a beach wedding in Saint Kitts).

3.Go prepared! Head to your chosen boutique with the following sorted and you’ll feel better about yourself and stand taller:

a) Wear good pants, not your comfort pair of were-white-once drawers that have been in the machine with jeans and have no elastic. Please, this isn’t the time for a floss-type G-string either.

b) Get a good strapless bra, maybe even a long line one, so that you can try a variety of dress shapes on. Bear in mind you'll be standing around in your undies – hard enough for Miss UK but for us mere mortals this can be a little challenging. I recently tried on a body slip that held me in and smoothed over all the right places by Chantelle for about £50.

c) Also, bring along a comfy pair of shoes around the height you like to wear. This will make you feel a little more confident and will allow you to walk with ease in, rather than struggling with a new dress shape.

4. Be realistic about time scale. You’ll be limited in choice if you only allow yourself a month or two to find your dream dress and might end up buying off the peg, or paying through the nose to have a couturier make it for you. Equally, don’t order your dream dress two years ahead, as chances are you’ll change your mind before you wed! Six to nine months is best; this allows you time to enjoy the process too.

5. Keep your shape expectations realistic. If you're planning to drop a few dress sizes before W-day do tell the shop, they’ll then be able to order your gown closest to the size you are aiming for. Do be realistic though, any weight loss you attempt before your wedding should be healthy and gradual, no unsustainable crash diets please!

6. Don’t take 20 people with you. This is not a sporting event; keep onlookers down to a couple of close family members or friends who love hanging out with you in bride-mode. That way you can also keep an element of surprise for guests on the big day too.

7. Do not try on 100s of wedding dresses. This will only confuse things and you’ll be left wondering which one is which. However, don’t let a shop dictate to you what and how many you should try.

8. Keep an open mind You may have thought you were a simple-shift-dress kinda girl, and then you appear from the changing room and, all of a sudden, you've turned into a full-on bouffed-up princess. The dress will ‘speak’ to you. I know that sounds silly, but you really will know when it is The One.

9. The strapless dos and don’ts. If your dream style is strapless, make sure that the top has an inner corset and that you still buy a great-fitting bra. You don't want to be yanking it up all night or have that mono-breast look. Try a shrug or body on with your strapless dress so you can change it up and get a versatile day-to-night look.

10. Don’t drink every glass of champagne offered! Bridal boutiques can be wonderfully welcoming, offering champagne to sip while you try. Do limit your alcohol intake though as it may cloud your judgement – not to mention piling back on those hidden calories you’ve worked so hard to shake off.

Lastly… Trying on your potential big-day dress should be a hugely enjoyable experience. If you feel uncomfortable, or are not sure of a gown you’ve just spent 30 minutes being helped into, don’t feel pressured, just say NO and walk away. Likewise, if you love it, shout about it with confidence!

Why not sign up for a free My Special K personal plan and be entered into a prize draw to win £500 towards your bridesmaids dresses?

Return to the My Special K Slimming Club for more expert advice and confidence-boosting bridal articles!

Advertisement feature