This month bride to be Holly became a wedding dress catwalk model. I loved the story of her experiences on the catwalk and how she came to find her perfect dress :-) XOXO Lou

Since my last wedding blog, I feel like every weekend has been somehow wedding orientated. In short: I've been to seven (yes, SEVEN wedding fayres), made our Save the Dates and bought my wedding dress! I've taken quite the U-turn from the girl who was (for a brief period) determined to wear a £12 skirt from Primark in which to get wed. Seriously.

I'm not sure where my fear of wedding dresses came from, but until very recently, I wouldn't even contemplate the idea of going into a bridal shop. I couldn't imagine myself wearing a 'normal' wedding dress. I dismissed the idea completely. It's not that I didn't think wedding dresses were beautiful - I'd spend more than a normal amount of time scouring Pinterest and designer websites fawning over dresses, particularly of the Jenny Packham variety, but I just didn't think it was for me. I couldn't imagine myself wearing one, plus I was petrified of spending a lot of money because deep down, I knew if I tried on something that I really liked... I'd have to have it, regardless of cost. It was easier to stay away from expensive dresses, as then I couldn't be tempted.

That was until August, when I came across Bea's Bridal Boutique in Southam. They were doing a special £1 sample sale in order to raise money for charity - which of course caught my interest. I gave them a 'like' on Facebook and just kept them on my radar until one day, I saw they were looking for volunteers to model wedding dresses at local wedding fayres. Before giving myself much time to think about it - I messaged them to say I was interested. I figured this would be a good way to 'break the ice' with wedding dresses, because if I was trying them on for the purposes of helping someone out, it felt easier to do somehow. Before I knew it, I had four catwalk dates in the diary.

The morning of my first catwalk, I felt sick with nerves! I got up super early to try and make myself look respectable (quite the feat for me... I'm certainly not a natural when it comes to hair and makeup), and made my way there with plenty of time to spare. A few other nervous looking girls arrived and I think it's safe to say we were all as bewildered as each other - what on earth had we agreed to? Dresses started to appear, in their hundreds it seemed, and we started trying them on to see which ones we could fit into and there wasn't a mirror in sight. For me, that was perfect! It meant I couldn't get caught up with what I looked like and could just see how the dresses felt and concentrate on feeling comfortable. Many women have their first experience of wedding dresses in a posh shop, perhaps with a glass of champagne and their closest females around them. Not me. My first experience was in what could be generously described as a garage, standing on a table cloth surrounded by towers of chairs that helped to provide us with a make-shift changing area. I don't think so many people have ever seen me in my underwear - but it's okay, I bought a posh pair of pants from Marks and Spencers especially for the occasion!

Walking onto the catwalk for the first time was completely surreal! I couldn't breathe (which may have had something to do with the lace-up dress I was wearing!). I didn't know what to do with myself and must have looked like a deer in headlights. I practically ran up and down the catwalk before running into the safety of the backstage area, only to sling another dress on and get back out there! Three bridal dresses and four bridesmaids dresses later, I was a sweaty, heart-pounding, exhausted mess. No rest for the wicked though, as it was only 45 minutes until the next fashion show!

It got so much easier once I realised that it was okay to just stand and pose and remembered to breathe. By the end of the day - I was even starting to enjoy it! Now, a month later, I feel like a catwalk veteran with eight shows under my belt. I'm by no means a professional - I stumble a lot (I'm pretty short and wedding dresses are blooming long!) and there's usually more tulle and netting than I know what to do with, but I've had an absolute ball and met some wonderful girls! We've laughed, we've panicked and we've dived under each other's skirts to smooth out petticoats. I can't quite believe it's all over now, especially as I've only just managed to perfect the wedding dress 'swish' and my 'get-out-of-a-dress-quick' wriggle!

The best thing though? Just like that, wedding dresses weren't so scary anymore. As soon I got home from the first fayre, I had the confidence to finally make some bridal shop appointments! I booked a variety of appointments at different salons, and I'm delighted to say that during my third bridal shop visit... I found my dress. Serendipitously, at Bea's Bridal Boutique! Gosh, do I owe the wonderful ladies that work there!

If you're a bride-to-be and you're feeling nervous about the idea of wedding dress shopping, don't be. These dresses are designed with the pure intention of making you look and feel like a million dollars, no matter your size or shape. Honestly. Book an appointment or two and then grab your Mum, your best friend and a strapless bra and go and enjoy yourself. Or go ahead and give yourself a baptism of fire like I did and see if any local bridal shops are after volunteer models!