Cinderella's in Skipton: As a single woman who has never been married I tried on wedding dresses at a Yorkshire bridal shop and I couldn’t help but feel like I was on a Friends episode

Just like so many of us, I have thought about what my wedding dress would look like but this has always been a far off thought. Never did I expect the moment would arrive so soon.

Owner of Cinderella’s, Mandy Abramson, invited me to her shop to try on three wedding dresses. Let me tell you the experience was surreal to say the least.

When I walked in, I felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement; I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had a browse around the shop and felt overwhelmed with the choices of beautiful white dresses.

I’m a Friends superfan and the entire time I was there I felt like I was on The One with the Wedding Dresses episode in season four; three single women wearing wedding dresses for fun but feeling insecure. Unlike Monica and Phoebe, I felt the opposite: a sense of empowerment.

Times have changed for the better since the 90s; women are encouraged to celebrate their bodies, though we still have a long way to go. Mandy told me that she wishes more bridal shops offer these sessions to help promote body positivity. Now that I’ve experienced it, I think it’s definitely needed.

Mandy recommended I try on one of her latest collections: Celeste.

This beautiful tulle ball gown had a sweetheart neckline in an ivory/blush colour with sleeves that could be worn off the shoulder, on the shoulder or can be removed altogether. I chose off the shoulder.

The bodice was covered in shimmering wild flora beads. The skirt dropped down and fanned out, princess-style. I looked in the mirror and felt unlike anything I’ve felt before.

Mandy had told me that putting on a wedding dress feels very different to wearing any other dress. I couldn’t agree more.

As I stood and tried out different poses, Mandy took some pictures and gushed over how I looked. “Since your mum isn’t here, I’ll [be here] on her behalf,” she said.

With many bridal shops, you feel out of place, but this was definitely not the case here. The atmosphere at Cinderella’s was very down-to-earth. Mandy’s infectious personality made you feel at ease and that’s the environment she has been trying to cultivate at her shop.

She has set up two weeks out of the year to invite women of all ages, shapes and sizes, whether they are married, single or engaged to try on a dress. These events, inspired by one of her friends, Molly Fuchs, in 2022, have been very popular.

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My second dress was called Riley; a high-neck, cap-sleeve wedding dress with an intricate daisy lace and a lush satin ball gown skirt with pockets! I fell in love with the lace detail and the silky satin skirt.

The third dress Lynette was hands down my favourite of the three; a gorgeous see-through style bohemian A-line ball gown in a champagne colour with a lace, sparkle illusion and dreamy tulle and an off the shoulder sweetheart neckline and a long train which can be adjusted shorter. Again, I loved the delicate floral design on the bodice and made me feel like a bride.

I felt a sense of sadness taking off the last dress and wearing my casual clothes again; just like Phoebe, I looked down and I knew the special moments were gone. But I’ll never forget the feeling I had wearing them and you never know, the next time I return may be to buy one for myself.

My takeaway from this experience is that every woman should get the chance to try this out. My body confidence has boosted and every woman deserves to feel like the gorgeous person that she is.