How to Prepare and Plan for Wedding Dress Shopping
@amandapoolphoto
Define your vision + what is important to you.
First, start looking at gowns to see what you are drawn towards. A great place to start is by looking online (Pinterest and Instagram are great for this). Maybe you like a dress with lots of detail, or you are more excited about something sleek and clean. Are you more drawn towards a fitted gown, or one with a full skirt?
Most importantly, think about your overall vibe and focus on how you want to *feel*. Is it important for you to be comfortable? Maybe you are looking for something unique that will wow your guests? Keep those qualities that are most important to you top of mind while shopping and communicate them to your stylist. Having those qualities defined will also help you feel more confident in the decision you make.
With that said, keep an open mind! We recommend trying on a few styles that are completely different than what you imagined. It will either confirm what you thought you wanted, or you may fall in love with something completely different than you expected!
Do your research.
We recommend doing good research on the bridal shops in your area and narrowing it down to the shop or shops that match your vibe. Look at their social media, website and designers. Make sure they carry styles and designers you are interested in. Ideally they will have at least 2-3 designers you are really excited about. If you do your research and go to the right shop or shops, you shouldn’t need to go to a ton of different shops to find the one.
Define your budget.
Decide what price point is your maximum. If someone else is contributing towards or paying for your gown, make sure to have this conversation beforehand! If you do have an amount you are not comfortable going over, make sure to communicate this to your stylist. We also don’t recommend trying on gowns above this price point. This is so you can avoid the tough situation of falling in love with a gown that is priced well beyond what you want to spend.
Lastly, bridal alterations can cost more than you would expect. Make sure to factor this into the equation when defining your budget.
Shop (ideally) 12 months beforehand.
If you start shopping too far in advance before you are ready to buy, you may be trying on dresses that won’t be available when you are ready. Second, you may not be seeing the latest styles! This is why we recommend waiting until you are ready to say yes to visit your favorite shops. Our designers required at least 4-6 months for production, then you want to leave at least 3 months for alterations.
Book your appointments within the same 1-2 weeks.
If you know you are the kind of bride who is going to want to shop around, try to book your appointments within the same 1-2 weeks. You won’t want to be held up in making a decision because you are waiting for an appointment that is a few weeks later. When you book your appointments within a closer timeframe, each of your favorite dresses will be fresh in your mind so it’s easier to make your decision.
Bring the right people.
This is the single most important piece of advice, and particularly important right now when you are not able to bring as many guests. Think about who will uplift you and bring positive energy to the day. Also, who do you need to have there to be able to make a decision? (Sometimes this requires a Facetime in!)
**Be sure to share your vision and budget (if you are comfortable) with them ahead of time so they are on board with helping you find your perfect dress that fits that vision! Rather than what their vision may have been for you.
A few words on making your final choice.
First, many brides fall in love with a dress their first time shopping and say yes. This is such a fun celebratory and special moment. Once you find “the one”, trust your gut and go with it!
How will I know when I found my dress?
You won’t want to take it off.
When you try on other dresses, you’ll compare them all back to “the other one” (and they won’t stand a chance)
Not all brides cry (myth busted), but if you do cry - it’s “the one”.
Some brides fall in love with multiple dresses and this is super normal too. If this happens and you are feeling torn, sometimes it’s best to let yourself sit on it for a few days and book a follow-up appointment to come back to retry your favorites. Or, if you feel like you got a good sense of the dresses and just can’t decide, set yourself a deadline within the week to make your decision. If you wait too long, you may forget how you felt in the dresses (which is the #1 most important thing). Worse, you never know when a designer may discontinue a style, update pricing or extend their lead time due to demand. These are all possibilities that you’ll want to avoid!
Stop while you are ahead.
Be okay with the process ending whenever you find your dress! If you find your dress but go on to 10 other shops afterwards, you are going to become desensitized by trying on too many dresses and confuse yourself. This is when the process unfortunately becomes less fun. Finding your dress and having it checked off your list is the best feeling, and you are going to remember this experience most fondly if you don’t overdo it. Also - once you find your dress, this is when the real fun begins! You are the centerpiece of the wedding, so you then get to plan everything else around it - the flowers, overall style, bridal party, decor, etc.. If you love shopping, now you get to focus on accessories and all of your other looks for the rest of your events :)
Lastly, a few highly recommended don’ts:
We don’t recommend getting everyone and their mother’s input, because it may cloud your own feelings about the dresses. Maybe you loved one dress but everyone else loves a different one. Well frankly, they can wear that dress for their wedding! Your wedding dress is the one thing that is only about you, no one else, on your wedding day. You will glow in whatever dress you feel the best in and everyone will see that on your day.
Also, once you decide on a dress (and if you choose to show people photos), they will love it and won’t know what any of the other options were.
We don’t recommend relying on your photos to make your decision. This is KEY. One bad angle or bad lighting and all of a sudden you don’t like how you look in the dress you felt the best in. If you looked at yourself while wearing it and loved yourself in it, do you think you were mistaken? Iphone photos in a shop can be so misleading in one direction or the other. We highly recommending focusing on which one you loved when you were in it. We promise your wedding photographer will capture it magically, maybe even better than your parent with their iphone 6 ;)
Try not to care what other people think. This is a tough one. But seriously, it will be so empowering to “do you” and wear what makes you feel like your favorite, most beautiful bridal version of you. Everyone will love it because it feels authentic to you!