Tips for Choosing The Right Dress
You’re recently engaged and you’re completely overwhelmed by all of the planning that comes along with the wedding. We totally get it, and we want to help!
We truly believe searching for the dress of your dreams should be a fun, relaxing milestone in your planning experience—not a stressful race to find “the one”. That being said, we wanted to give you our best advice on how to say “yes” to the dress.
1. Bring a 2-4 friends or family members along, not your entire bridal party. We say this because toting along 6+ people (not to mention girls) can be too many opinions and too much noise for one bride. Invite your mother, sister and maybe a bridesmaid along. You don’t want to be overwhelmed!
2. Bring your camera to the appointment. You’ll want to look back on the dresses you tried throughout the day. A nice camera (something other than your phone) is preferable so you can zoom in and see details.
3. Set a budget or have a dollar range in mind. You will be asked this question at your appointment so you leave happy—and not in that dreamy, way-out-of-budget gown. Trust us, you don’t want to try on that dress and you will find a dress you absolutely love within your budget.
4. Be sure to give yourself at least 6 months to order the dress and an additional 6-8 weeks for alterations. Just play it safe and schedule your appointment now. It’s never too early to start looking and trying on! If you don’t have enough time, designers can rush but you will see additional dollar signs on your bill.
5. Arrive with an idea of what types of dresses you like. This one is important. Start pinning (that is what Pinterest is for, right?) and marking up those wedding magazines to figure out your preference in silhouette, color, style and material. If you don’t start thinking about details now (they can be very broad ideas), you’ll end up trying on too many dresses and thus, confusing yourself.
6. Don’t try on too many dresses. If you don’t have a clue what “look” you’re going for, you may find yourself trying on too many dresses and becoming slightly jaded. Too many dresses complicates things, so keep it simple!
7. Choose the dress you love, not the dress your mom loves. We all love and respect our mothers, but at the end of the day, it is your wedding and you will be wearing the dress, not your mom. Be courteous and accept opinions that are offered, but make the decision that is right for you.
8. Arrive with hair and makeup done. You won’t be able to visualize your wedding-day-self unless you come with your hair and makeup done. This doesn’t mean you have to get your hair and makeup done professionally, but at least take some time to look nice so that you feel more confident trying on dresses (and so you can start thinking about how you want your hair and makeup on the big day!) Oh, and wear a nice nude or white strapless bra and a pair of panties you will feel comfortable in (expect to receive help getting in and out of dresses).
9. Ask questions. If you’re concerned about something, ask questions. You need to feel very comfortable with your wedding dress purchase. Also, consider the amount of dancing you’ll be participating in on your wedding night—does the dress allow you to move?
10. Don’t wait for tears (of joy) to know it’s the dress. We’ve all seen “Say Yes to The Dress” and we don’t all cry tears of happiness once we’ve found the dress. Just because you haven’t shed tears doesn’t mean it’s not the dress for you. Sometimes you’ll find yourself most emotional during other planning stages—it doesn’t always happen in the bridal boutique.
