You’ve secured your venue and now it’s time to find the dress! Finding your dream wedding dress can feel like a daunting and overwhelming task in the beginning. There are so many wedding dresses to choose from! Do you want a clean and classic wedding dress, or is a sexy wedding dress more your vibe? With so many choices ranging from designers and style, to where you shop, it is important to keep a few key details in mind. Here are some tried and true tips to help you make the most of your wedding dress shopping journey and give you peace of mind in your decision.
1. Determine your budget. Take an honest look at your overall wedding budget and decide what details are most important to you on your wedding day and rank them. Some say a rule of thumb is that 10% of your overall budget should go toward the dress, but feel free to challenge that notion. Only you know how important your dress is to you on your wedding day. Your wedding dress will be seen in all your photographs for generations to come and could truly become a treasured family heirloom. Maybe you would prefer to serve one less appetizer and splurge on the dress, or maybe it is more important for you to provide a memorable gift to all your guests at the reception and spend less on the dress. These are choices only you can make. Take the time to make these decisions and determine your budget BEFORE you shop.
2. Do your research. Now that you have a budget set, research stores in your area. A quick Google search of Bridal Stores Near Me should help send you down the right path. Peruse their websites to find their price ranges and designers and follow your top ones on Instagram and Pinterest. Once you find some wedding dresses that stand out to you, find out who the designer is and follow them. Each designer and store has an aesthetic. Find that ones that fit your wedding aesthetic and learn all you can.
3. Book your bridal appointments. Select a few stores that feel right to you and book your appointment. You should not need to visit more than a couple stores to find your dress at this point. Booking too many appointments is overwhelming, exhausting, and confusing. Bridal appointments typically last about an hour and a half and you will have a private stylist who will listen to your vision and help guide you through the process.
4. Bring a tight-knit and supportive crew. The fewer the opinions the better. You don’t want Aunt Karen grabbing dresses from the rack that don’t fit your style or are way over budget, nor do you want a Negative Nancy constantly giving an opinion on every dress. This is YOUR wedding dress, and it is one of the most personal decisions you will ever make. Choose who to include in this special day with great care.
5. Keep an open mind. Wedding dresses look amazing on Instagram, but you never know how you will feel in the dress until you have it on. Be open to trying on many different silhouettes and necklines to narrow down what makes YOU feel most confident. Trust your stylist and try on some things that may not be what you initially envisioned. You may be surprised!
6. Use your imagination. Wedding dress shopping is unlike any other buying experience. The dresses you try on are samples that rarely fit correctly. Once the dress is in your size, and altered for a perfect fit, it will truly be a dream come true. It can be difficult, but you will need to be able to envision the finished product. Many adjustments and changes are easy to perform in alterations, such as adding a sleeve or changing a neckline. Talk through these possibilities with your stylist and let her help guide you with what can be done with the dress.
7. Choosing your wedding dress comes down to a feeling. Many brides think they should take pictures, go home to review all of them, and agonize over the decision. This makes the process so much more difficult and disappointing. Buying a wedding dress is an emotional experience not based on logic. Once you ‘sleep on it’ or review pictures ad nauseum you are moving into the land of logic, and it simply doesn’t work (Sidenote: the pictures your little sister took with her iPhone will never do you or the dress justice). You must FEEL that you love the dress. How you feel in the dress is how you will feel on your wedding day. Once you are out of the dress you lose that feeling. Make the decision IN the dress and experience all the feels of saying yes with your special group.
In the end, wedding dresses are made to be flattering and you will feel beautiful in lots of them. Don’t get bogged down with overthinking the dress. Trust your heart and pick the dress YOU feel fits your unique bridal style. Your wedding day is your day to shine and represents your amazing love story for generations to come. Only YOU can truly understand the feeling of finding THE ONE!