Finding your dream dress is one of the most exciting and stressful parts of wedding planning. Whether you’ve had a vision in your mind since you were younger or have no idea where to start, there’s a lot of pressure to look and feel your best on your wedding day. As much as I loved shopping for wedding dresses, there are many things I wish I knew going in. Ultimately it all worked out and I found a dress I love. But if I were to do it all over again, these are the things I would keep in mind when shopping.
Do’s and Don’ts for Finding Your Dream Wedding Dress
DO: Set a budget.
As with all things wedding-related, budget tends to be the main limitation around the choices you make. By now you should already have a wedding budget created, and hopefully, you carved out a budget for your dress. When shopping for a dress, make sure you are clear with bridal consultants on your budget (range you are hoping to shop within, and absolute max). They’ll respect your budget and help you find a dream dress that falls in that range. Be sure to have a buffer in your budget for alterations and accessories – many brides are surprised when they learn of additional costs they weren’t anticipating. More and more brides are also opting for multiple wedding looks. So make sure you account for that in your planning as well!
DO: Have a plan.
You don’t have to go in knowing exactly what designer and silhouette you want. But the more research you do in advance, the more smoothly the dress shopping process will go. Even high-end bridal salons tend to keep appointments to an hour – and trust me, the time flies by! As tempting as it may be to try on every single dress, you’ll most likely only be able to try on between 5-10 gowns during an appointment. If you have the time, going online or through Instagram to find current and past season styles you gravitate towards will help your bridal consultant tremendously when it comes to pulling dresses off the rack. Trust me, once you’re face to face with racks of gowns in various shades of white, you may not know where to even begin!
DO: Schedule appointments.
Most bridal shops won’t take walk-ins, especially on weekends. Be sure to schedule at least a few weeks in advance, and try not to do more than 3 appointments in a day. After a while, you will hit dress overload and all of the looks will start blurring together.
DO: Take photos.
Even if you can’t decide at the moment, you’ll want to go back home and revisit the photos as you make the decision. I know I personally didn’t have a moment where I found “the one” and started crying. But taking lots of photos (and videos!) helped me see the dress from every angle and begin to visualize how it would look on the day of. Also, some dresses look beautiful in photos but not so much in person, and vice versa. Ideally, you want to find yourself a dress that does both!
DO: Consider your venue.
There are no hard or fast rules when it comes to your dress. At the end of the day you want to find a dress that fits your personality and event that just screams YOU. When dress shopping, consider the environment and setting of your event. Bigger events tend to command bigger dresses, but if you want something with lots of drama for a smaller affair, by all means, go for it! Are you getting married on the beach in the summer or having a winter wedding? Keep these things in mind when choosing silhouettes and details.
DO: Choose your crew wisely.
Dress shopping can be incredibly stressful, especially when multiple opinions get thrown into the mix (let’s take a moment to admire how bridal consultants tend to refrain from throwing in their personal opinions). Some brides want to go shopping with all of their bridesmaids and important family members, others keep the group intimate and tight. Personally, I did most of my dress shopping alone. I knew I wanted to take my time trying on dresses and ended up revisiting a few stores multiple times. I also knew that I was set in what I wanted and didn’t want too many other opinions in the room influencing my decision. It also allowed me to be incredibly efficient and choose my wedding dress quickly.
DO: Be open-minded.
As much as you may go into dress shopping with a clear vision in your mind, there’s a good chance you may end up gravitating towards something completely different from your initial vision. Even though I thought I knew I didn’t want certain styles, I still made sure to try them on, so I could either eliminate them or be pleasantly surprised. I told every bridal store what I liked and thought I didn’t like, but that ultimately I wanted to be as open-minded and diverse in the dresses I tried on as possible.
DO: Look for discounts.
Let’s face it, wedding dresses are EXPENSIVE! Fortunately, there are a couple ways you can save some money. First, most designers will do trunk shows where they will give a 10% discount on their dresses. If you have the time, definitely try to purchase your dress during a trunk show! These are typically held twice a year and can be found on bridal sites and social media accounts. If you’re not sure when the next trunk show will be held, you can shoot the shop or designer an email directly. They will be more than happy to share.
Another great way to buy a discounted dress is through secondhand shops and websites! These outlets offer designer dresses at steep discounts – be sure to read the measurement details carefully before purchasing, but if you are looking for a couture wedding gown at 50% off, this is the best way to do so!
DON’T: Hold other people’s opinions too highly.
As vocal as others might be during the dress shopping process, at the end of the day your opinion matters most when making your decision. Sure, some well-intentioned feedback may help steer you in the right direction, but you ultimately want to choose a dress that you feel comfortable in and love.
DON’T: Rush the process.
Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to make appointments and ultimately decide. If you aren’t the most decisive person to begin with, try to follow the wedding timeline of purchasing your dress 8-10 months before your big day. Made to order dresses also need at least 6 to 8 months lead time. So you’ll want to buy your wedding dress far in advance to avoid any rush fees.
