While wedding dress shopping is often a fun and exciting experience, it can also be a bit stressful. To ensure your wedding dress shopping trip isn’t a stress-fest, here’s what we recommend.
Research bridal stores before you book appointments
Bringing along your mother, future mother-in-law, bridesmaids, sisters and friends can be a bit of a waste of time if you take one step in the bridal store and realise their style just isn’t for you.
To combat this, we recommend researching the brands and styles a bridal boutique stocks before booking an appointment. Make a point of stalking their social media channels and website – this way you will have a good idea of what to expect when you walk through the door.
Researching bridal trends and boutique brands is also a great way to get a general idea of what you imagine yourself wearing down the aisle. While this might change as you try on several dresses, at least you’ll have a starting point your consultant can work with.
Eat a healthy meal before
If you are anything like me, certain foods blow your stomach up like a balloon within a matter of minutes. Normal clothes shopping is made intensely uncomfortable and unpleasant with a bloated belly – and that’s without having to try on wedding dress after wedding dress!
That said, make sure you do eat before your appointment. Wedding dress shopping is sometimes a tiresome and taxing experience, and you’ll need all the energy you can get to keep you slipping in and out of dresses.
Keep an open mind
For most brides, the first time they will ever try on a wedding dress is when looking to purchase their own. Because of this, many will have no idea what style of dress will suit them.
Don’t rule out any styles before you walk into the store. Your bridal consultant will know exactly what styles will suit your shape best, and she’ll have plenty of style suggestions that you may have never considered before.
Make sure you try on at least one of every style. You never know, your style might be princess gown after all!
Expect conflicting opinions
While your mother might absolutely adore a certain style of dress, your bridesmaids might disagree. Be prepared for this.
In the end, the only opinion that matters is your own. If you’ve fallen in love with a particular dress, don’t let anyone else’s opinions sway you.
If you’re better at shopping alone, do that
Despite popular wedding movies telling us to take our all the important women in our lives to our wedding dress appointments, sometimes it’s best to go alone.
Deflecting differing opinions can make trying on dresses stressful when it’s supposed to be a fun, magical experience. If you leave your bridesmaids at home, you’ll be able to make your choice with a clear head with nobody’s opinions swaying your decision.
Even if you just have your first initial consultation alone, you’ll be able to narrow down the selection of dress choices before bringing along your bridesmaids and making the important decision of which dress to wear down the aisle.
Don’t expect to find ‘The One’ right away
Although we regularly hear of brides finding their dream wedding dress at the first shop they walk into, not everyone’s dress shopping experience is the same. You may have to browse a number of bridal boutiques before you find the dress of your dreams.
But fear not, you will eventually find the perfect dress and you’ll have a blast trying on all the different styles before it!
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What wedding dress are you?