Wedding Dress Shopping: The Do’s and Don’ts

This will be a brief guide to wedding dress shopping and the do’s and don’ts. This can be a huge event for many brides-to-be, who have dreamt of their wedding gown since they were children, and there are several things you can keep in mind to minimize stress and confusion when it comes time to pick your dress.

For instance, start shopping for your dress early, know what you want, know your budget, and have an idea of the theme and color scheme of the big day. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind, don’t forget about alterations, and don’t bring too many people to your dress shopping. With these tips in mind, you will have a smooth and fruitful shopping day!

Do: Shop Early

Rule number one: give yourself plenty of time to find the wedding dress of your dreams. This is not a quick process and the last thing you want is to end up rushing, stressed, and overwhelmed before the big day.

If you leave the dress shipping too last minute, you might find that you end up choosing a gown you like but do not love. This is an avoidable turn of events. Moreover, you could find a gown you do love but have no time to alter it to your shape and height.

By shopping early, you are allowing yourself time to breathe and even enjoy the process of hunting for your dress. You can sip champagne, try dresses on and not stress if you have tried on thirty and not yet found the one. 

Do: Have A Clear Idea Of What You’re Looking For

Many brides-to-be have had an idea in their heads for years, or even decades, about what their dream wedding dress looks like. However, some brides don’t even consider it until it comes time to choose the gown. If you are one of the latter kinds of brides, it can help to browse online and in magazines and get a rough idea of what appeals to you before you begin shopping.

Be open to suggestions, but go into your wedding dress shopping journey with a good idea of the rough shape, neckline, length, color, and style that you are looking for. This will stop you from getting overwhelmed. If you know from day one that you are looking for elegant lace wedding dresses, you won’t waste your time browsing bridal suits, for instance. Having this clarity helps you to focus your search and prevents you from settling for something you don’t love.

Do: Know Your Budget

Knowing how much money you can set aside for your dress will help you to narrow down your options. Also remember that part of this budget should be kept aside for alterations and changes that need to be made, perhaps closer to the time. 

Remember, you might find the perfect dress, but that isn’t your size. That’s ok. As long as it is within your budget, and you love it, you can have it altered. Finally, second-hand dresses are always an option. Either a used dress from a store or your mother’s or grandmother’s dress that you want to have altered and modernized. This is a good way to save some money and also bring nostalgia and sentimentality to the big day.

Do: Know Your Theme

When you start to plan your wedding, the dress, the bridesmaids’ dresses, the flowers, the tablecloths, and so on, you need to know what your overall color scheme is going to be. Are you going for florals and summer colors? Gothic and edgy? Swimwear on the beach? The theme of your wedding has to be established before you start to think about your accessories, hairstyle choice, makeup, and wedding decor.

Perhaps you have always known the theme and color scheme of your wedding, or perhaps the dress you chose made it all fall into place. 

Don’t: Be Afraid to Make Demands

Make demands of your friends, family, partner, and loved ones, to a reasonable point, of course! This is your (and your partner’s) big day. If you need help with dress shopping, wedding planning, picking up items for the wedding, and so on, ask. 

Shopping for the right wedding gown can be an all-consuming endeavor, and having a great support team by your side will make all the difference. If you love a dress but need it to be altered or customized, don’t be afraid to ask. Make your day perfect by speaking your mind.

Don’t: Forget About Size and Alterations

As we have discussed already, it is normal to have your wedding dress altered to fit you perfectly. One of the key considerations to make when having your dress altered is your comfort level. It is imperative that you are comfortable in your gown. This is your big day and there is no sense in you being uncomfortable, restricted with your breathing, fearing that the dress will slip out of place, or itchy.

If you buy your wedding dress a year before the big day, it’s only natural that your body might change shape and size a little in that time. Don’t stress about this. Just be on top of your alterations plan. Perhaps setting a date of one month before the wedding to have the dress perfectly fitted for you is a good plan. Then, this allows time for delays but is not too long for you to be maintaining your weight.

Don’t: Bring Too Many People

If you are going to shop for your wedding dress in-store or pick up your dress in person, it is always a good idea to share this magical moment with someone, like your mum or best friend. However, don’t bring too many people. This can be overwhelming and overstimulating when you have ten or more people making suggestions and sharing opinions, or being generally excitable while you are trying to find the perfect dress.

This has been a brief guide to the do’s and don’ts of wedding dress shopping. Most importantly: start shopping early, know what you want, set a budget, have a color scheme, speak your mind, remember you can have the dress altered, and don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed by a thousand different opinions. With these tips in mind, your special day will be all you’ve ever dreamed of.