‘I tried on so many dresses and not one set my soul on fire’ – Influencer Niamh O’Sullivan advises brides to stress less

Her something old? “I wore antique jewellery on the day.”

Something new? “My wedding dress. I had it made bespoke.”

Her something borrowed? “My mother’s wedding dress. We used to have an old trunk in my granny’s house that was full to the brim with dresses as well as my mother’s wedding gown — we’d always play dress up in them. It was always my plan to turn the wedding dress into the robe. She loved it.”

And something blue? “Blue was the theme for our wedding and my favourite colour so that worked well.”

With the luck of tradition behind the couple, they had a beautiful wedding day — minus one fallen Champagne tower which thankfully did not stain the bride’s dress.

However, O’Sullivan is keen to remind brides-to-be that it’s OK not to follow trends, not to buy new and to push against the pressure of being a “perfect” bride.

For example, she never experienced that fairytale say-yes-to-the-dress moment. “Dress shopping was my least favourite part. It’s too much pressure,” she says. “I tried on so many dresses and not one set my soul on fire. I was so torn on the dress — I still am to be honest. I’m editing videos at the moment and I’m looking at other ones I tried on and thinking; ‘Should I have gone for that?’”

O’Sullivan’s honesty is refreshing. Many brides stress over trying to find the dress for their wedding day, when in reality there may be 10 perfect dresses that could work for you depending on your mood or vision. At the end of it all, a dress won’t define the memories of your special day.

Now that O’Sullivan has been through the process she has teamed up with eBay to give brides some alternative options for their weddings. “The best tip is to keep an open mind, have a bit of patience and creativity” the influencer says.

“I got this dress on eBay. I think it would be perfect for a register office wedding. I upcycled it to make it a bit more me by ordering different buttons and sewing them on myself. I always tailor my clothes to fit me perfectly so I did the same with the pieces I ordered.”

O’Sullivan also believes that looking for vintage and secondhand items offers an escape from the echo chamber of bridal trends.

“You don’t want to be a copy-and-paste of other people. Going on a site like eBay can open your eyes to some new styles, taking a step back from the virality of it all,” O’Sullivan says. “The way we’re programmed is if you see something a million times you’re just not excited any more. Whereas you can find something secondhand that isn’t shiny and new, but it’s new to you and not what you expected.”

She also reminds brides they can re-sell their wedding wear after the big day. “It’s nice to know you could be selling it onto a future bride and they can be excited about it.”

Instagram: ​@niamh_osullivan