We’re sharing wedding dress tips today! Bliss Events had a really fun Education Event last month with Courtney at The White Flower, they learned all about bridal gowns. Rachel Welland with Bliss Events & Courtney Cole-Arlidge with The White Flower Bridal Boutique shared with us their tips for gown shopping, here they are!
10 Wedding Dress Tips
1. Start gown shopping 8 to 10 months prior to your wedding date. This will allow enough time for you to shop around and find the perfect dress, for it to be ordered and made, then alterations (which should start approximately 1-1/2 to 2 months prior to your wedding).
2. Research gown shops (your Wedding Coordinator can help you with this!) and choose 2 to 4 of them that fit your style and budget. Start your gown shopping at these. Ideally you will find your perfect gown and won’t have to go to every shop in town in your quest!
3. Plan on visiting a maximum of 3 gown shops in a day… ideally only 2. It can be overwhelming to see so many gowns, and you may not be able to remember everything you tried on if you overdo it in one day.
4. Make appointments at bridal gown shops! Most shops highly recommend (if not require) appointments… your appointment will ensure that you get all the time and attention you deserve at each shop.
5. Do not bring too many people with you to your appointments! One or two people who know you well and whose opinions you value (Mom and Maid of Honor?) is enough. Otherwise there will be too many differing opinions and it can get confusing to the bride.
6. Figure out your ideal dress budget before shopping. If you do not, you could be dazzled by some gorgeous couture gowns that are thousands of dollars above what your wedding and personal budgets will allow. Plus this information will help the salespeople narrow down your options.
7. If there are upcoming sample sales and/or trunk shows, take advantage of them! There are benefits to buying at sample sales (discounts!) and trunk shows (meeting the designer and discounts!).
8. Try on many different types of gowns! It is FUN and this is the only time you will be able to try on so many different types of amazing gowns – ballgown, mermaid, a-line, column, empire, and more. Plus you may be surprised at how great a certain style looks on your body, which you would have never considered otherwise.
9. Once your gown has been ordered and arrives, make an appointment to go try it on as soon as possible to make sure there are no problems with it. Of course it will still need alterations, but you want to make sure there are no glaring problems with the gown itself such as fit issues or mistakes on the details of the gown.
10. HAVE FUN! This is a very special experience and you want to create awesome memories of the quest for your Most Special Dress!
Photos by Laura Christin Photography
I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was great. I don’t know who you
are but definitely you are going to a famous blogger if you are not already 😉 Cheers!
Thanks for the kind words, Leta! Our blog is by Exquisite Weddings Magazine and we work with some really talented ladies. Glad you found us!
My cousin is getting married at the end of this year, so thanks for the tips on getting a dress. I like that you suggest not bringing too many people to dress appointments. I agree that a crowd and so many different opinions might make it confusing, so I’ll recommend to her that she only bring a few of her friends.