You said “yes” to your sweetheart. What better way to start than by wedding dress shopping? Maybe we’re biased, but gown shopping should be the most exciting part of your wedding planning journey.
Now it’s time to for the wedding planning fun to begin! To make your experience easy breezy and stress free, we’ve compiled our top tips for wedding dress shopping at your local bridal boutique. Scroll on!
Picture courtesy of Yenny Lee Bridal Couture
1. Do your research before your bridal appointment.
The endless bridal gown options out there can be overwhelming. We get it!
If you’re not sure where to start, take our wedding dress quiz to find what style of gown might be right for you. Find your style wedding dress on our website. And if you want to see what silhouette best flatters your figure, take a scroll through our post on how to choose the perfect dress for your body type.
Then, take a look through the wedding dress. We promise this will save you loads of time in store and also help your bridal stylist find the right wedding dress for you!
2. Bring shoes that are the right height.
When trying on wedding dresses, don’t forget about the shoes! You don’t need to bring the exact pair of bridal shoes you’ll wear on your big day. However, wearing similar ones will help you determine what length of wedding dress you need to order. And it will also help you better envision your overall wedding day look! Whether you are planning on wearing heels or flats, make sure you wear shoes similar in height to the shoes you plan to wear on your wedding day.
3. Wear the proper undergarments.
Aside from a wedding dress’s construction, the secret to a perfect fitting wedding dress is proper-fitting undergarments. When shopping for your wedding dress, also make sure to bring a strapless bra and any shapewear you may want to wear on your wedding day.
The bra will let you rock those backless styles, and the shapewear will support you while smoothing and holding everything into place to experience the best fit possible, make sure to wear the right type of undergarments.
4. Keep your entourage small.
Too often, brides bring a large entourage to their bridal appointment. As one of our most important tips for wedding dress shopping, we recommend bringing a smaller group of close friends and family. While your bridesmaids, sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, and the other women in your life may offer lots of love and support, they will also offer just as many opinions.
This way, you’ll feel less pressure to please everyone, so you can choose the wedding dress that speaks to you.
Try limiting it to three or four people.
5. Come with your hair and makeup done.
And lastly, it’ll be easier to imagine yourself in the dress on your wedding day if you look and feel “wedding-day-ready”. To help you get a complete feel for which wedding dress is your style, do your hair and makeup in a way that resembles the hairstyle you are thinking about wearing for your wedding day. It will also help your bridal stylist find you the perfect accessories to complement your gown.
This way, you’ll get a more realistic image of how you will look on your special day in the wedding dresses you are trying.
6. Most importantly, keep an open mind!
Don’t be afraid to try styles that seem out of your comfort zone! Who knows? You may fall completely in love with a different style than you imagined! You may be set on a romantic ball gown wedding dress, until you try on that fabulous form-fitting mermaid bridal gown that perfectly highlights all your curves.
Picture courtesy of Yenny Lee Bridal Couture
Or, you may be reassured that your initial mindset was the right one for you. If you need tips on what silhouette will look best on your figure, check out our tips how should you decide on a wedding dress!
Just remember that the most important part of finding “the dress,” is to decide what you want and then follow your gut!
Happy shopping!