Real bride wedding dress shopping at Kudos Bridal Dunfermline: finding 'the one' first time

Photography | Capercaillie Films

Katie Milne married Paul McAnulty at her family home, Barns Farm in Aberdour, on 5th July 2025, wearing Essense of Australia’s D3901, a low-back detailed column dress which she found at Kudos Bridal Dunfermline.

The new Mrs McAnulty shares a first-hand account of her wedding dress shopping experience and doesn't leave out any details...

12 years in the making 

"Paul and I met in a nightclub – which makes us sound ancient, because I don’t think people really meet in nightclubs anymore.

"It was coming up for Christmas, I was on my work night out and, a few Malibus in, I decided to tap this guy on the shoulder and tell him just how rude he was for being the only one of his friends not wearing a Christmas jumper. That night, I left with his phone number on a napkin.

"We went on a date the next weekend, had moved in together by the April, and have been together ever since – coming up for 12 years now."

A Christmas proposal in Dunfermline

"There was never a big 'what are we?' chat in our relationship; we’ve always just… been together. We had our daughter Esme in 2022, and as our 10-year anniversary approached, Paul decided it was time.

"We were on our way to the Christmas lights switch-on in Dunfermline with Esme and our dog Foley (aka 'the big handsome' as Esme calls him), walking through the park, when a local band I love, The Cognac Twins, started playing. I thought it was just a wonderful coincidence… until I turned around and saw Paul down on one knee.

"He had decided on the Wednesday and here he was proposing on the Sunday, having managed to buy a ring and plan the whole thing in a matter of days – without me noticing a thing!"

A marquee wedding at Aberdour family farm

"I always knew I wanted to get married at Barns Farm in Aberdour – it’s my family home and the place I grew up. I wanted a day that felt organised but not regimented, where people could properly enjoy themselves.

"Setting up a marquee in a field is not for the faint-hearted. The week of the build was awful weather-wise and I had a moment on the Wednesday where I thought, 'I’ve made a terrible mistake.' But the Saturday was dry (the only dry day of the whole week) – windy at first, but warm, and the rain stayed off."

Wedding dress shopping at Kudos Bridal Dunfermline

"Dress shopping was the decision I kept putting off because it felt so huge. I was so apprehensive that I’d decided I was going to go by myself. The only thing I knew was that I wanted buttons somewhere – those tiny little buttons down the back are just so beautiful.

Find 'the one': your guide to stress-free wedding dress shopping 

"My first appointment at Kudos Bridal in Dunfermline was in early July 2024. I walked in feeling okay, then got that proper nervous-stomach panic… but Megan made everything feel easy.

"I picked out a handful of dresses, all with different looks, thinking I wanted lace and thinking I wanted white. Turns out I don’t suit white – it washes me out. And the plunge necklines I’d never usually wear did nothing for my shape. 

"Megan wasn’t quizzing me – she was just chatting, and somehow teasing out quite naturally what I liked and didn’t like, which was exactly what I needed."

"Then, mid-appointment, she disappeared for a moment then came back with a dress that had been put aside following another bride’s appointment. It was the D3901 by Essense of Australia. She’d listened to everything I’d said: the neckline I suit, the buttons, the low back, the sleek shape (I didn’t want big and puffy).

"I put it on and instantly thought, “I love this… but is it too good to be true to find it half an hour into my first ever appointment?”

"There was a bow detail on the back that I didn’t like, but Megan calmly explained it could be removed when ordering. That blew my mind – I didn’t realise you could tweak a dress like that. There was zero pressure to say yes, but I left knowing that this dress would stay in my head."

Saying yes to the dress (with my bridesmaids)

"A few weeks later, at an appointment to get dresses for my bridesmaids (my sister Megan, and nieces, Leah and Eden), everything came together. I just wanted them to feel comfortable, but they wanted to feel like bridesmaids and all be wearing the same colour.

"Sage was always my vision, so we landed on Sorella Vita’s style 9800 in Evergreen, and they all looked amazing.

"At the end, the girls asked if I could put on a wedding dress so we could see the full look together. I tried on ‘my’ dress again, stood beside them in their sage outfits, and that was that. Their reaction sealed it.

"I’m terrible at making decisions, so having that moment – and the photos of us all together – was everything. Kudos made the practical side so easy too. They recommended Threads for alterations, stored the dresses, and pressed them so they were perfect.

"Kudos even took the time to teach my sister and the girls how to bustle my dress and use the wee crochet hook for doing up all those buttons – I didn’t have to worry about a thing."

Inside the wedding dress shopping experience at Kudos Bridal Dunfermline 

Rewearing my wedding dress 

"Paul saw the dress for the first time when I walked down the aisle. He told me afterwards it wasn’t what he expected – he thought I’d go more boho, maybe lace, maybe a two-piece – but that it was “so me” and completely right.

"Honestly? I’d have stayed in that dress for the rest of my life. I’m already trying to figure out when I can put it on again… maybe a ‘wear the outfit you never get to wear’ party for my 40th this year!"

Behind the scenes at Kudos Bridal

“Katie initially had no idea what she wanted, but she was very open to trying a little of everything during her first appointment with me,” says Megan Carberry, assistant manager at Kudos Bridal Dunfermline.

“Because of this, we managed to narrow down her sense of style fairly quickly until we landed on the perfect dress. Funnily enough, the gown had just been put aside for cleaning after an earlier appointment and so wasn’t on the shop floor at the time – thankfully I remembered it was still in store!

“Katie was up for making adjustments such as removing the attached bows to make her dress more suited to her individual style, trusting us enough to make it happen.”

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