Our 7 Best Tips For Wedding Dress Shopping
Our team has all chimed in to put together our best suggestions for finding your dream dress and making it the experience you've always dreamed of!
1. Have Fun!
Finding your wedding dress should be a fun, special day that you cherish forever! Don't stress or overthink it. Wedding planning can be a lot of work, and it's easy to get bogged down in the details. Don't let finding your dress be the same. Trust your instincts, and the feelings a dress gives you. Those feelings are far more important than the details! Keep an open mind- we guarantee you'll have more fun! You're in good hands with our expert stylists. They'll help guide you and answer any questions you have!
2. Bring only people who love you!
This probably sounds obvious, but we think it deserves to be said. Bridal appointments filled with people who love you dearly and only have your best interests at heart are far more successful. Choose only those who will support you in what YOU love and in YOUR vision for your wedding day.
We recommend only bringing a couple of your closest friends or family members. Large groups can be overwhelming and sometimes take a little magic out of your experience. We absolutely understand that sometimes you may need a couple more people than average, so just let us know if this is the case & we'll always do our best to accommodate you!
3. Keep an open mind!
Some ladies have a very specific vision for their wedding dress, and they end up wearing exactly what they imagined they would. But, more often than not, that's not the case... and that's OKAY! It can be pretty confusing if you're convinced you want a certain style, fabric, or cut and you end up in love with something else.
Walking into your bridal appointment with a few ideas of things you like is good! We even suggest it! But, just be open to the idea that you may fall in love with something else. Just like love- sometimes you're captivated by what you least expect!
4. Order early!
We recommend ordering your dress 12+ months before your wedding. Does it normally take that long to be made? Definitely not. However, standard shipping for wedding gowns is often up to 6+ months and custom orders often take a month or two longer than that. On top of those shipping time frames, we recommend at least 2 months for alterations.
Can we make some magic happen and get you an amazing gown faster than that? For sure. We have plenty of options available for tight timelines. However, in the interest of keeping your wedding planning process as stress free as possible, it never hurts to start early! That extra time comes in super handy if there's ever an unexpected delay, if you decide you'd like to add certain customizations or changes, or if your date has to get moved up.
5. Ignore the numbers!
Wedding dress sizes are much different than everyday street sizes. They often run at least 2 sizes small. Don't let that throw you off or discourage you a bit! They're just numbers and they don't reflect the most important thing about a wedding dress- how you feel in it!
Remember that no one is going to see the size on your tag- they're only going to see how amazing you look in your dress! If your measurements fall in between sizes- always order up! It's far easier to take a dress in than to try & come up with extra fabric!
6. Be honest!
Love something? Hate something? We want to know! Think of us as your bridal sounding board... the more you share about how you feel about something, the better job we can do finding the perfect match! Don't worry about sounding silly or confused- all those little tidbits lead our stylists in the right direction.
Don't love the gown your mom picked out? That's totally okay! Your dress is the most self-expressive garment you'll ever wear, and therefore it should be only what YOU love! Don't be afraid to ask about little changes that might make an almost-perfect dress the ONE! We can often show you how those little tweaks can transform a gown into the one you'll walk down the aisle in.
7. Be ready for the magic to happen!
Just like falling in love.. sometimes you find your dress when you least expect it. And that's OKAY! The majority of our brides do find their dress on their first visit, and sometimes it ends up being the first one they chose off the racks. We count that as something to celebrate!
Being ready for that magic to happen makes your experience that much more full and special. So, if you know you just can't say yes without mom there, make sure she can come! If you aren't comfortable ordering super early, schedule your appointment in a time frame you're happy with. If it's too hard to picture yourself as a bride without hair & makeup done, go get glammed up.
And when that magic happens... let's celebrate, girlfriend! You're getting married!!