Before you Begin

Before you begin shopping, consider your total dress budget; this helps ensure your stylist recommends the right price point for you. In addition to the gown itself, fittings, a veil, undergarments, shoes, and accessories are often more expensive than you expect! 

It is also important to consider the formality, temperature, and setting of your wedding venue when selecting a dress. If you’re getting married in the mountains, a lace dress is likely to attract leaves and sticks. Similarly, a long veil may prove challenging in a windy setting. A fuller style with many layers can be too toasty for a hot summer ceremony. Keeping these details in mind can help you choose a dress with the confidence that it is both perfect for you and works well with the setting of your special day.

Preparing for a Shopping Day

Before you begin a day of shopping, we recommend extra hydration and light meals so that you feel like your best self heading into appointments. It is also a great idea to go to dress appointments with “date night” hair and makeup; this will help create the full wedding day vision as you’re trying on gowns. Be selective about who you bring shopping;  we find it’s best to have highly positive and supportive people with you.

Pace Yourself

When you first start shopping, it’s recommended to start out at smaller boutiques to help identify which dress types you love. Larger shops have endless possibilities, which is often overwhelming if you’re unsure which style of dress you want. Remember that finding the perfect dress is most often a multi-day process. Two appointments per day is a great goal; this will offer you a great selection of dresses to try on without an overwhelming number of options.

Choosing Your Dress

Between reality TV and social media, you may expect to feel an overwhelming sense of emotion around choosing your wedding dress. Sometimes this is the case, but many times it’s not! Certain areas of wedding planning may evoke more emotion than dress shopping and that’s perfectly okay. 

The right dress for you may also not be what you first envisioned. 90% of brides said they chose a dress that was completely different than they expected. Based on this, don’t be afraid to try something outside your comfort zone. Bridal stylists have experience working with many brides, so it’s worthwhile to see what they recommend for you. 

Once you find a dress you love, be sure to ask how it will look bustled. There is more than one way to bustle a gown, and each with a different look – so it’s advantageous to ask what all the options are. It’s also completely okay to get the opinion of multiple tailors.