I Just wanted to say thank you to all those who gave me advice. it really helped.
I ended up ordering my dresses from a UK bridal shop, who gave me a great discount and it worked out only £40 more than if i'd ordered then from house of brides. But at least i have the peace of mind that, if anything goes wrong, the shop is only 20 minutes away.
House of Brides still seems like a fantastic way to get your dresses, especially if you have a lot of bridesmaids. However, just make sure that when your working out the total cost, you make sure you include all the extras like Import Duty and Import VAT.
It also doesn't hurt to ask bridal shops for discounts and im sure that many of them would be happy to give a reduced price and get the business.
For people in the South/South East, All That Glitters Bridal Shop in Guildford were very helpful and i would recommend them (so far) for their great customer service.
Happy dress hunting.
XXXX