Bridal Gown Shopping Tips
Shopping for your bridal dress in my opinion is one of the most exciting parts of planning a wedding! You get to finally try on and choose the gown you have been dreaming up for your special day! But, that can come with a lot of overwhelming feelings of finding the right one and keeping things inside a budget. So, here are some helpful tips to remember when you start searching for your perfect dress!
Budget
One of the most important parts of wedding dress shopping is determining a budget and sticking to it. When you are determining a budget, it’s important to think about the cost of things like alterations, veil/headpieces/additional accessories and whether those items will need to be included in that budget or not, as well. Also, it’s important to consider whether you plan to pay for the dress yourself or if someone else is helping pay for your dress such as your mom, sister, grandmother or best friend. You will want to make sure you have a budget conversation with them to determine what they are comfortable with spending so you can be respectful of that when dress shopping. It is best to be clear about these things before you step foot in a bridal shop. You want to make sure you share these important details with your bridal consultant as well so that they can help you find the right dress for your style, wedding vision, body type and budget. You don’t want to try on dresses that are outside of your budget because no one wants to fall in love with something that you simply can’t afford.
Style Search
Before you go to your first bridal appointment, search Pinterest and the internet to look at different styles, designs and designers of wedding dresses. You want to have an idea of the style you like when you go in for your appointment and bring those images along with you to your appointment. This will help you and your bridal consultant narrow down the options to help you find just the right look. Now, with that being said, I always tell my brides to go into their appointment with an open mind because you never know what you might end up falling in love with. But, having a plan is always helpful in picking options to try on, and can help you create a great starting point. This will also help with the overwhelm of trying on too many dresses in too many different styles. That can get very stressful, very quickly.
Entourage
Choose carefully when selecting loved ones to join you at your Bridal appointments. Too many people can mean too many voices and opinions and that can lead to overwhelm. Remember that less is more for this particular occasion so limit it to a handful of very important people, whose opinions you truly value. Make sure to consider how the people you choose tend to make you feel when they are around you. If they tend to stress you out or make you feel bad about yourself, they may not be the best people to accompany you at your appointments. Trying on wedding gowns can be very emotional and puts you as the bride, in a vulnerable position. Make sure the people who are with you are ones who encourage you and build you up.
Wear Proper Attire
You want to feel like the most beautiful version of yourself while trying on dresses so, make sure you come prepared. Remembering to wear a seamless pair of undies or shapewear and a strapless bra in nude colors usually work best to help you get the best look when trying on dresses. The undergarments do play a big role in how you look and feel in a dress so remembering to slip them on beforehand will help you put the full vision together. Also remember that you will be stepping in and out of lots of dresses, possibly at multiple appointments, so make sure to wear an outfit that is easy to get in and out of in the dressing room. I also recommend bringing along a high tie or hair clip as well to help you try the looks on with your hair up and down. This can also help you really feel out the whole look.
Trust Your Gut
While you are searching for your perfect wedding day look, you are likely going to schedule multiple wedding dress appointments at multiple different shops. You will try on lots of different dresses and looks but, it’s all about the way the dress makes you feel. When you put the dress on, you should look and feel like the most beautiful version of yourself, not like someone else. You should also be able to imagine yourself walking down the aisle to your fiancé in that dress. Can you see it? Can you see yourself the way they will see you on your wedding day? If you can picture that and it gives you all the feels, that just might be the right dress. Trust your gut here. It should give you butterflies and make you feel happy, excited and most of all, beautiful! Some brides think that they are supposed to cry when they find the right dress but, that is actually oftentimes not the case at all. It’s ok if you don’t cry. If it still makes you feel amazing, trust your feelings! It’s also ok to fall in love with the first dress you try on. You don’t have to try on every dress in the store or every dress at every appointment in order to find “the one”. When you know, you know. It’s all about the emotions that the dress invokes.
Ask Questions
Make sure to ask all your questions before buying the dress. Make sure to ask about ordering times, possible alteration needs and accessories/undergarments that your bridal consultant might recommend. Make sure to go over sizing (because it’s very different then typically clothing sizes), delivery times and how much time you will need for alterations. Remember that you are making a very big important purchase with your wedding dress and you don’t want any surprises.
Make sure to schedule in a whole day on your calendar for wedding dress shopping. You don’t want to feel rushed and making appointments to make sure the shop can give you quality time and attention is always recommended. I always recommend booking at least 2 if not 3 places. When you fall in love, be ready to buy and stop your search once you do. Don’t second guess your decision and remember to have lots of fun and celebrate when you find the perfect dress!
Happy Shopping! <3
Naticia
