Christmas Day is the biggest proposal day of the year — and according to Aberdeen Tricker Bridal owner and designer Beverley Tricker, many newly engaged brides will start browsing wedding dresses within hours of saying yes, often before even the closest of relatives even know they’re engaged.
Drawing on real-world conversations across UK wedding forums and what she sees daily in her own bridal studio, Beverley says it’s now completely normal for brides to be scrolling Pinterest, Instagram and bridal websites on Christmas Day itself — fuelled by excitement and fizz.
“I’ve had brides tell me they started looking at dresses before the champagne had gone flat,” says Beverley. “The biggest cause of dress regret isn’t bad taste — it’s rushing while you’re still on a Christmas high.”
Christmas Day accounts for around 10% of all UK engagements, making it more popular than Valentine’s Day for proposals. And while weddings themselves may be months or even years away, Beverley says the dress hunt now starts almost immediately for many.
“For a lot of brides, the dress is the first thing that makes it feel real,” she says.
“They haven’t booked a venue, they don’t have a date – but they’ve got 47 screenshots saved by Boxing Day.”
However, Beverley warns that festive proposals come with a perfect storm of emotion – fairy lights, prosecco, family gatherings and social media – which can push brides into what she calls “panic-planning mode.”
She cites examples of brides to be who have responded to questions in threads like ‘When did you start shopping?’ or ‘Is it too early to start looking … with comments such as:
- “I swear I started looking at dresses about half an hour after he proposed. I couldn’t help myself!”
- “I told myself I’d wait a week… lasted about an hour.”
- “I didn’t want to look unhinged, but honestly? I was browsing dresses later that night.”
- “Just engaged this morning — please tell me it’s normal to already be looking at dresses?”
- “Engaged on Christmas Day — Googled ‘bridal shops near me’ before we’d even had pudding.”
- “I was looking at dresses while he was still messaging his mum about the proposal.”
- “I opened Pinterest before I’d even taken a proper photo of the ring.”
“You’ve just said yes, everyone’s asking questions, Instagram is screaming #SheSaidYes at you – it’s no wonder people rush,” she says. “But that’s exactly when you need to slow down. Rushing into a dress decision too quickly can lead to regret later on.”
Having worked with hundreds of brides over the years, Beverley says she often meets women who booked appointments or even bought a dress in the immediate aftermath of a Christmas proposal.
“I always say: don’t buy a wedding dress while you’re still running on prosecco and fairy lights, give yourself some time to come back down to earth.”
Her advice to newly engaged brides is simple:
1. Enjoy the engagement bubble first
The planning can wait. Let yourself be engaged for at least a day before the spreadsheets appear!
2. Don’t feel pressured to buy quickly
Sales staff, family and Instagram aren’t going anywhere. Your dress will still be there tomorrow. Whether you’re ready to try your first dress tomorrow or in two months, there’s no rush and no rulebook.
3. Try dresses when you feel calm, not chaotic
You’re choosing the gown you’ll remember for a lifetime — not the one you liked in a midnight Pinterest frenzy.
4. Consider sample or preloved gowns
For brides who do fall in love quickly, sample and preloved dresses are perfect. You can take them home the same day, avoid long lead times, spend less — and it’s the most sustainable option of all. Tricker Bridal has more than 250 déjà vu wedding dresses in stock at any time.
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5. Trust how you feel, not how you think you should feel
The right dress will feel like a very special home, not a performance.
Tricker Bridal in Aberdeen created bespoke wedding dresses, a carefully curated collection of sample and preloved gowns all under £599 and carefully restored true vintage wedding outfits from the 1950s to 1990s. More can be found at www.trickerbridal.com.
