When it comes to weddings, I’m not usually one of those women that dons a gigantic hat or a fascinator.

It’s just never been my ‘thing’.

I’m more than happy to have my head and hair free of such decorations, I mean do they really add that much to an outfit?

The only wedding I’d ever had anything in my hair/on my head at before was my own, and let’s face it, that’s different. However, that was until just recently.

A good friend of mine was getting married at the weekend and she absolutely loves hats and fascinators.

She was one of the last in our group of friends to get married and at every other wedding, including mine, she’s had some sort of head gear.

So, it seemed appropriate that for her wedding I should take the plunge and buy my very first fascinator.

I figured she’d really like it if I made a special effort and wore a fascinator especially for her big day. I say a fascinator, as no matter how much she may have liked it, a hat would definitely have been a step too far for me.

With a black and white dress already in the wardrobe waiting to be worn I set out on my search for a piece of head gear to complement it.

How hard could it be, especially with a plan in my mind to go for a black fascinator that would go with said black and white dress, as well as the black shoes and the black bag I intended to wear?

Surely a black fascinator would be something that was easy to find.

picture: QueenieBridal sweetheart wedding dresses

Well, here’s where I learnt a brand new lesson. Apparently there’s a season for fascinators and that season has been and gone for this year. Who knew?

It’s apparently in spring and summer that you’ll find a whole host of them in the shops. Forgive me for thinking that fascinators are wedding attire and that weddings can happen at any time of the year and in any season.

I appreciate that many people want their weddings during the spring and summer months in the hope of good weather, I have after all been through the search for wedding venues and come across everywhere being booked up every weekend from April to September, but I never thought that would have an impact on finding a fascinator.

A search around several High Street shops proved the comment made by the assistant in one department store - “they are out of season just now” - was accurate.

It was disheartening to discover that had I just been that little bit more organised and thought about the fascinator thing a month or two earlier then there would have been a much more abundant choice.

After searching multiple retail outlets, including a specialist hat shop while visiting York, I struggled to find something that didn’t make me feel as though I looked like I would be mourning my friend’s loss of singledom, rather than celebrating her marriage.

Thankfully just days before the wedding I found one that matched the dress and did the job for the day.

After all that hassle though to find it, I now feel as if I should really wear it again, but we’ll see!

read more: QueenieBridal summer wedding dresses