Wedding Dress Shopping - Useful Tips

Posted on: October 31, 2008

Shopping for a wedding gown can be lots of fun since when else can you try on so many beautiful dresses and feel like the princess you pretended to be when you were a young kid? But then there’s the flip side – stress. Don’t get caught up in the pressure of having to pick the “One” perfect dress or please your mother and bridesmaids and whoever else.

We hope these tips help you out. Here are our top 8 practical tips when shopping for a dress:

Don’t Be Last Minute

To get a dress on time that is ordered from a bridal dress shop, you should order it at least 6 months before the date of the wedding. Usually it would take anywhere between 3 to 6 months to arrive and then you have to account for the time to get it altered.

Try Dresses On

You can’t know which dress will suit your body without trying it on first. There are many mail order on-line stores out there that have wonderful dresses at discount prices but you will have no idea what looks good on your body until you try it on.  Even if you’re looking for a dress in person, don’t discount a given style until you’ve put it on – you never know!

Use Your Intuition

We’re big on using intuition because it can be a pretty good helper sometimes. Everybody says that you’ll “know” when it’s the one. This is probably true for most brides. You will just feel – without forcing the feeling – that you’re happy in the dress and that it’s for you. If you feel great in the dress, chances are it is for you!

Small Shopping Crew

Aim to only bring 1 or 2 people at a time while dress shopping. The less opinions go around, the less confusion for you. Also, there’s usually not much room in stores crowded with big wedding dresses and brides-to-be with entourage in tow.

Narrow Your Choices

There are six basic silhouettes: Sheath, Mermaid, A-Line, Ball Gown, Basque and Empire. Choose the best for you (after trying it on) and only go for those styles. Also, do the same for fabrics and designers – research these on-line, in magazines and in your local dress shops. If you already know what you like in general terms, finding that one dress will be easier.

Pick a Price Range

As with so much of wedding planning, your budget calculations are something that should be close at hand. Knowing a price range for your wedding gown purchase will help narrow your choices.

Wear Proper Undergarments

Proper undergarments - the type you would be using on your wedding day - are very important at fittings especially but couldn’t hurt when trying dresses on to get a better idea of how you would look.

Make An Appointment

It wouldn’t be wise to just drop into the dress store without an appointment – especially if you plan to go on a weekend. You wouldn’t want to be disappointed if the sales associate didn’t have time to attend to you.

Image from Jimhjelm.com