Hey guys!
Recently I've been shopping for my wedding dress in preparation for my wedding in November this year. And let me tell you it has been an experience. After multiple appointments and being not too far away from locking in that dream gown I thought I would share my tips and tricks when going dress shopping.
Multiple Appointments
I can almost guarantee that you will not find your dream dress at your very first bridal appointment. Why, you might ask? Most bridal appointments will only give you an hour block to try on dresses. So that's an hour to comb the racks and throw on dress after dress. If it's your first appointment then the consultant will recommended trying one dress in each style just to nail down what silhouette you are after. And just that can take an hour! Don't worry you will get that bridal moment eventually.
Entourage
Making sure your entire entourage is available to go dress shopping can be very difficult. My advice? Have an open invitation when bridal shopping, sure your bridesmaids will need to find their dresses eventually but once you choose style/colour your bridesmaids can make arrangements to get a fitting when it suits their schedule. For your initial appointment you probably wont be trying on dresses that are even close to the dream one your searching for (unless you're really set on something you saw online). So it keep it simple. Take a couple of people with you (mum/sister/best friend) to help with initial opinions. When you're closer to finding "the one" make arrangements for everybody you need to be at your appointment!
Budget
Figure out your budget and stick to it. This is important because you will be tempted by beautiful dresses outside your price range and you don't want to splurge only to later feel the stress of going over your price point.
Designer Stores
Use designer stores to your advantage, even if they are out of your price range! Bridal consultants who work at designer/couture/made to order stores will generally have more experience than a consultant at chain bridal stores (not always!). In my experience one appointment at a high end store was worth five appointments in a chain store when it came down to figuring out what I liked. The consultant listened to everything and pulled all the right dresses. Even though you might not purchase from them you can really figure out what you are looking for and then go and find that dress at a more affordable price.