Say Yes to the Dress! 7 Simple Steps for Buying a Wedding Dress You'll Love
You have the ring and you're utterly thrilled! So now that you're planning your big day, you should also start looking at wedding dresses.
For some brides-to-be, buying a wedding dress can be absolutely exciting while for others, it can be a total nightmare. No matter how you find the experience, wedding dress shopping is something you'll have to do.
Many women dream about their wedding gown for ages, even before they find their significant other and get engaged. However, just because you've pictured your perfect bridal gown since you were little and can't wait to start shopping doesn't mean you can get to it unprepared.
To stop your wedding dress search feeling like an out-of-control reality show, just take a deep breath and read our advice.
We've come up with 7 simple tips and suggestions to make the entire process go as excitingly and swimmingly as possible.
1. Do Your Homework before Buying a Wedding Dress
Before you head to the shops, consider the type of dress you want. You can pull pages from bridal magazines and browse online for ideas.
Use your tablet or smartphone to browse through Pinterest boards and keep a folder in which you can stash fabric samples, tear-outs, and anything else you love.
At most salons, most gowns aren't on display. To fish out the perfect wedding dress from the backroom, let your consultant know what you want. The more you guide them, the better it is for you!
Before you head to the shops, consider the type of dress you want. You can pull pages from bridal magazines and browse online for ideas.
Use your tablet or smartphone to browse through Pinterest boards and keep a folder in which you can stash fabric samples, tear-outs, and anything else you love.
At most salons, most gowns aren't on display. To fish out the perfect wedding dress from the backroom, let your consultant know what you want. The more you guide them, the better it is for you!
2. Create a Budget
Shopping without a figure in mind is like driving minus a gas gauge-believe it or not. Plan to spend around 10% of your overall wedding budget on your gown. But consider this figure a starting point.
If you're more into fashion than, say, music or flowers, increase your dress budget and cut back on other areas. Or, scale back the dress and splash out on a great band and photographer if they're more important to you.
Shopping without a figure in mind is like driving minus a gas gauge-believe it or not. Plan to spend around 10% of your overall wedding budget on your gown. But consider this figure a starting point.
If you're more into fashion than, say, music or flowers, increase your dress budget and cut back on other areas. Or, scale back the dress and splash out on a great band and photographer if they're more important to you.
3. Start Your Wedding Dress Shopping Early
It takes around 6-12 months from the minute you order the dress to when you can receive it. So once you're engaged, it's game on. You can shop now!
Your designer needs four to five months to make the dress, and then you'll have to arrange three fittings, around a month apart.
Giving yourself adequate time also ensures that you'll be able to schedule various shopping experiences, including appointments at bridal salons and designer trunk shows.
Don't worry if you're pressed for time. For a surcharge of at least $50, anything is possible.
4. Think About Your Accessories
Your undergarments will probably depend on your choice of dress style, but make sure to consider them when trying on dresses.
If you're a little busty, don't choose a gown with a dipping back that won't let you wear a supportive bra to keep your larger chest lifted up throughout the wedding day. At the very least, carry your nude-colored bra with removable straps and any shapewear you want to wear beneath to appointments to try on dresses.
It's also vital to carry shoes of the same height you plan to wear on your wedding day. You can purchase your wedding shoes from FSJshoes. This will help you determine how long your gown should be on your big day.
Your undergarments will probably depend on your choice of dress style, but make sure to consider them when trying on dresses.
If you're a little busty, don't choose a gown with a dipping back that won't let you wear a supportive bra to keep your larger chest lifted up throughout the wedding day. At the very least, carry your nude-colored bra with removable straps and any shapewear you want to wear beneath to appointments to try on dresses.
It's also vital to carry shoes of the same height you plan to wear on your wedding day. You can purchase your wedding shoes from FSJshoes. This will help you determine how long your gown should be on your big day.
5. Choose Your Designers and Styles
When it comes to wedding designers and styles, it seems like there are countless options these days. Thanks to wedding listicles, Pinterest, and even wedding planning forums online, chances are you're already overwhelmed with all the options available.
So before you go to your wedding gown appointment, we strongly recommend knowing the designs, styles, and shapes that go with both your wedding theme and personality. Be sure to browse through designer sites to see what you like best.
Consider things like your body type, comfort and, level of glitter you're into. You can even bring along a few photos of the kinds of dresses you fancy to your appointment.
Be as precise as possible so that your consultant can easily pick out gowns that are on your shortlist. Most importantly, make sure to stick to your budget-avoid trying on gowns that are outside of your budget.
Doing so will surely cause heartbreak because a pricey wedding dress will almost always look better than a low-cost one. Stick to your lane price-wise and stay away from the backroom.
When it comes to wedding designers and styles, it seems like there are countless options these days. Thanks to wedding listicles, Pinterest, and even wedding planning forums online, chances are you're already overwhelmed with all the options available.
So before you go to your wedding gown appointment, we strongly recommend knowing the designs, styles, and shapes that go with both your wedding theme and personality. Be sure to browse through designer sites to see what you like best.
Consider things like your body type, comfort and, level of glitter you're into. You can even bring along a few photos of the kinds of dresses you fancy to your appointment.
Be as precise as possible so that your consultant can easily pick out gowns that are on your shortlist. Most importantly, make sure to stick to your budget-avoid trying on gowns that are outside of your budget.
Doing so will surely cause heartbreak because a pricey wedding dress will almost always look better than a low-cost one. Stick to your lane price-wise and stay away from the backroom.
6. Limit Your Entourage
Many brides-to-be consider wedding dress shopping the best time to catch up with their mothers, aunts, sisters, grandmothers, stepmoms, mothers-in-law, BFFs, neighbors, colleagues, and college roommates.
But as they say, ''Too many cooks spoil the broth".
Between differing tastes, opinions, generations, and knowledge levels about your own personal style, you'll just end up confused and needing a few stiff Martinis or Advil. Moreover, the decision is no one else's to make but your own.
Instead, we recommend bringing only two people who are honest, calm, and modern, and who know you as well as your style well.
Many brides-to-be consider wedding dress shopping the best time to catch up with their mothers, aunts, sisters, grandmothers, stepmoms, mothers-in-law, BFFs, neighbors, colleagues, and college roommates.
But as they say, ''Too many cooks spoil the broth".
Between differing tastes, opinions, generations, and knowledge levels about your own personal style, you'll just end up confused and needing a few stiff Martinis or Advil. Moreover, the decision is no one else's to make but your own.
Instead, we recommend bringing only two people who are honest, calm, and modern, and who know you as well as your style well.
7. Have an Open Mind
It's important to have an open mind, of course, even if your nearest salons don't have your ideal designers. You might have envisioned a classic Cinderella-like ball gown all your life, but the truth might be that the style doesn't accentuate your best features and only swallows you up.
Let the salesperson at the dress store suggest styles that'll flatter your figure. In most cases, the sales staff at these stores will know the kinds of dresses that'll suit your body type since they've been styling brides for a long time.
Never knock back a chance to at least try on a dress to see if it'll flatter your figure or
It's important to have an open mind, of course, even if your nearest salons don't have your ideal designers. You might have envisioned a classic Cinderella-like ball gown all your life, but the truth might be that the style doesn't accentuate your best features and only swallows you up.
Let the salesperson at the dress store suggest styles that'll flatter your figure. In most cases, the sales staff at these stores will know the kinds of dresses that'll suit your body type since they've been styling brides for a long time.
Never knock back a chance to at least try on a dress to see if it'll flatter your figure or
how you feel in it.
Get Your Perfect Wedding Dress Today
We hope that these wedding dress shopping tips will help you find your dream wedding dress soon enough!
And once you find one, don't pop the champagne just yet. There's nothing like unveiling your outfit at your first dress alterations appointment. You'll surely fall for your choice all over again.
We hope that these wedding dress shopping tips will help you find your dream wedding dress soon enough!
And once you find one, don't pop the champagne just yet. There's nothing like unveiling your outfit at your first dress alterations appointment. You'll surely fall for your choice all over again.
Be sure to browse our blog for more wedding-related information, including wedding planning tips, tips for buying a wedding dress, wedding gifts to buy, etc!
