Most of these fantastic samples are in pristine condition and  are almost half price or less !

So if you are ready to purchase and want to grab a fantastic designer wedding dress at a silly price, then hurry along to Something Special’s Wedding Dress Sample Sale.

We also have a selection of “Off the Peg” Wedding dresses for those who want a bargin in a hurry!

We are open this August Bank Holiday Monday from 11am until 4pm.

Make an appointment or simply call in anytime.

For limited time only we will be offering special discounts on new orders placed, so if you’ve already been in and tried on our huge selection of wedding dresses or if you’ve just started looking for your perfect dress, now is the time to  make a  massive saving.

If you haven’t bought one but have been tempted, then here’s the case against buying fake designer wedding gowns.

We all know that replicating designs is against copyright laws and that fake, replica or counterfeit goods are illegal. In these credit crunch times however there are still some brides who have been so seduced by the promise of a wedding gown supposedly designed by a top bridal designer, for a ridiculous price, that they’ve given in to temptation and parted with their hard earned cash – only to realise, too late, that they have been duped.

It is estimated that the market for counterfeit goods could account for as much as 10% of world trade. Counterfeit trade is not a victimless crime and the buyers of often sub-standard designer copies are not the only victims. The original dress designer is illegally robbed of copyright protected designs and may have its reputation and profits significantly damaged.

For those who have given in to temptation, their saving is, in many cases, their loss as the cheap dress is often very different to the original in terms of material, workmanship and fit. Brides who buy online are unable to see what they’re buying until they’ve parted with the full price of the dress and if the company is not UK based then they’ll need to pay for shipping costs plus insurance, in case it gets lost on its way overseas.

Once they receive their dress, assuming they are not horrified by what turns up in the post, the bride is almost certainly going to need to have it altered to fit at a local dressmaker’s, so the £100 price tag that tempted them will have by now probably doubled.

The returns policy on some of these sites is questionable too as only some goods are returnable. The bride will have to foot the bill for any returns or exchanges so if it’s not what they were hoping for then they’ll be out of pocket to the tune of a two-way round the globe shipping cost – with no dress to speak of at the end of it! So their attempt to save money backfires and ends up costing them more in the long run.

Some websites that sell fakes show photos of the dresses straight from the designer’s website but their copy of the dress can look very different. They offer reassurances that the reason their prices are so low is because they are selling directly from the factory and do not have large overheads to pay like many UK bridal stores.

The reality is more likely to be that they are using different materials to the high quality materials and workmanship the designer would use. Without this knowledge, when faced with a £1000 designer dress for just £100 – who wouldn’t feel tempted to ‘save’ £900? It’s important to understand that that saving, however, is someone else’s loss and there are better, and certainly more ethical ways to save money.

One bride, who posted her warning on ebay.co.uk, now admits she was naïve for having bought a fake designer dress online.

She said:

“Having looked through a lot of websites, at various wedding dresses, I discovered the same photographs reappearing on numerous sites, with the wording ‘direct from my factory’. Being naïve, I decided to purchase a wedding dress online.

The price was £24.99 with postage of £70.00 plus £3.00 postage and packing and the photograph which had attracted me showed a very expensive-looking designer dress. The dress arrived in a small A3 size padded envelope, with a veil and stole. The veil had a paper edging around it as you would find on a paper doily and the dress did not resemble the photo in any way. The finish on the dress was so amateurish I could have wept, the zip was badly put in and the material was substandard…”

She warns fellow brides-to-be:

“Girls, please be warned, be careful about buying from some of these companies, you’ll only get your fingers burnt.”

Pete Meads of Bonny Bridal UK Ltd. has worked in the bridal industry for 25 years and knows what he is talking about when it comes to counterfeit dresses. He has also set up two websites which are dedicated to stopping sales of fake designer gowns (www.bridesaware.co.uk, www.bridestv.co.uk).

He says:

“I strongly advise brides not to buy one of the most important items in their life, online. Most auction website sellers and some USA internet sellers will send the dress to the brides declared to Customs & Excise that it is a ‘gift’. This is to avoid the bride paying the Import Duty and VAT, therefore the dress will be entering the country illegally.

Customs and Excise officers will have the power to gain entry in to the bride’s home and confiscate the dress. Brides just do not know the risk that they are taking. These fake copy dresses are made from far inferior material compared to genuine designer dresses. I have seen some of the dresses myself and I wouldn’t even wash my car with such poor material. They are just very poorly made dresses with no professionalism in design or manufacture.”

Andy Jackson, Manager of Bridal Industry Suppliers Association, an association of wedding dress manufacturers and suppliers, said: “Buying a brand new gown from a professional bridal retailer is by far the best and safest way to look fabulous on your wedding day. Ask any bridal retailer, or look at online discussion forums and you will find horror stories about the quality and feel of a fake designer wedding dress. This is your big day and the one thing that everyone will remember is the dress. Don’t take the risk of the zip breaking, the seams coming apart, or a split in the back of the skirt or bodice.”

If you want to save money on your wedding dress then there are plenty of other ways to do so. By far the best way to get your hands on an amazing designer dress for less is to buy from a designer’s last season collection as these can be snapped up for a lot less at UK designer sample sales. There are also many designers who offer a ‘diffusion range’ at lower prices and, of course, manufactured dresses can be picked up for very reasonable prices too.

Your wedding dress should be the most special outfit you ever wear and there’s a lot of sense in the old adage that you get what you pay for. Just remember, if something seems too good to be true, that’s because it probably is.

Deklan Hurly enjoyed a prom earlier this month, the prom was held at the Country Park Inn, Hessle on July 2nd.

John Denton, of Denton Photography, Bishop Burton, helped launch the career of Beverley pin-up girl Abbie Bulleyment, who won Miss Hull and District title this year. She currently models for Beverley based Fairy Godmothers, among others.

Now, thanks to John’s photographs, Hull-based model Sophia Day has been signed up by one of the country’s leading model agencies, Samantha Bond, after he spotted her in the same competition won by Abbie.

The agency, established since 1977, has been responsible for launching the career of many leading glamour and fashion models.

John said: “When I saw her at the Miss England competition it was apparent that she had huge potential as a photographic model.

“When she came down to the studio she lit the place up and has been a pleasure to work with. I love helping new talent establish themselves in the industry.”

Sophia, who has just been named the face of Canon Cameras, admits she is stunned to have made it on to the books of one of Britain’s top model agencies and is full of praise for John’s efforts.

She said: “It feels a bit like a dream at the moment.

“I entered the local Miss England competition and didn’t win but got the opportunity to work with John Denton to shoot my first portfolio.

“The pictures were amazing and gave me confidence to go for it! I want to go as far as I can with my modelling and have already had some fantastic shoots in amazing locations.

“John suggested I submit my images to the Samantha Bond Agency, I couldn’t believe it when they asked me for an interview.”

The dresses are both very modern and have the best fit and body sculpting built in corsets I have ever seen in a wedding dress, truely amazing!

Catwalk shows at 12pm and 2pm  to include a selection of our Bridal Gowns and Wedding Dresses, our Bridesmaid dresses, a selection of Men’s Wedding suits and new for this Wedding Fayre, our Brand New Collection of Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom outfits.

Wedding Fayre starts at 11am until 3pm but we are open as usual until 5pm on Sundays.

If you visit Something Special Celelbration Village you will find everything for all of your special occassions, from Specialist Cake maker, Rosemea Celelbration Cakes, who can make any cake come to life with her cake decorating talents and Bride and Groom cake topper modelling skills. We have other businesses offering a variety of wedding favours and balloon decorations such as Favours Forever and Bubble-tique, both businesses are happy to help with the finishing touches for your guests, with hand made truffles to delight any chocoholics fantasy! If its a special hand made tiara or fascinator to match your outfit you’re looking for then Crystal Tiara’s has the solution, she hand crafts her unique one off pieces to suit your requirements or colour scheme and her tiara’s are gorgeous to say the least.

We have  table decoration businesses who are ready and waiting to put your finishing touches together for that ever so impressive venue, bringing it to life with their creations and hire wera such as table centre-pieces, light balls and much more.

If you’re in need of some inspiration with flowers and bouquets, look no further than our two florists. Flowers by Anne-Marie will put a smile on any Brides face as she glides down the isle with her her designer bouquet in her hand, if you are looking for something a little different ten let Rosebud Creations make you an everlasting memory of your special day with her hand crafted crystal and preserved bouquets and posy’s, not to mention the buttonholes and ladies crosages to match in with your theme.

Chair covers add that touch of elegance to any room, with a choice of colour sashes to enhance the  room and bring everything together.

And if you haven’t yet found the all to important photographer and Video Production to capture your special day than we that covered too, whether you’re looking for a modern, traditional or comptempary feel for your pictures than speak to the experts at Something Special Hull Celebration Village.

There are lots more businesses offering their dedicated services at the Celelbration Village, come along and have a coffee and a friendly chat with them.

Thanks to everyone who attended.