Dress Shopping Question

nerdwife

lyndausvi said:

nerdwife said:

ryanandjoe4 said:

lnixon8 said:

nerdwife said:

Not having to wear a bra on my wedding day = heaven. Very much looking forward to that. But can I try on dresses without a bra or is that not cool (and maybe gross)?

Def not gross! Just be aware that the attendant will see your boobs.

agreed, they are boobs. I am sure the consultant has seen them before..

My concern was not about the attendant seeing my boobs - that's fine. I just meant whether it's frowned upon as non-hygienic. Very happy to forego the bra!

unless you are lactating or have some other form of secretion from your nibble,  it's just skin like other parts of your body.

Fair point.

SP29

You aren't required to bring anyone with you dress shopping- this is a very personal choice. I agree with keeping it small. Nobody should have hurt feelings, and if they do, it's on them. 

I brought a group of friends with me, because I'm super indecisive and I lived away from my family at the time. Fortunately they are all very chill and never pushed their opinion on me. 

As for bras- I bought a corset bra from David's Bridal with my dress. I think I did show up with a strapless on, just for trying purposes, but when I settled on the dress I wanted I asked about a slip and bra that would go well with it and they brought me the corset then. 

levioosa

PPs have it pretty well covered.  Just wanted to add you might want to be careful inviting very strong personalities dress shopping with you.  It can be overwhelming.  

CMGragain

levioosa said:

PPs have it pretty well covered.  Just wanted to add you might want to be careful inviting very strong personalities dress shopping with you.  It can be overwhelming.  

Oh, really!  I wasn't!  Honest!  LOL!

mollybarker11

Again my mind is entirely boggled by the thought of people being offended they weren't invited to watch someone else try on dresses. I get that there's a whole tv series dedicated to it but is dress shopping really that much of an event for regular people?!

OP - Don't feel pressured to bring anyone you don't want to, but also don't talk about dress shopping in front of people you won't be bringing as it may get their hopes up or send mixed messages.

arrrghmatey

I brought my bridesmaids with me to try on dresses once (the first dress shopping trip). I promised myself I would not buy a dress on my first shopping trip, or even my second trip, so that I wouldn't feel pressured by the others or store employees.

I ended up going by myself after that, and found my dress during my third shopping trip.

So, if you *want* to include your bridal party/mothers, maybe bring them to one trip. But it's not mandatory. And consider doing one or two trips by yourself so you can recognize what you* really like without the pressure and opinions from others. At the last two dress fittings I went to at my bridal salon, I saw a bride shopping by herself, so it's more common than people may think.

MesmrEwe

nerdwife said:

Not having to wear a bra on my wedding day = heaven. Very much looking forward to that. But can I try on dresses without a bra or is that not cool (and maybe gross)?

Quite honestly - if you're an A/B you're probably safe, if you're above a small B - you need the bra so you really get an accurate idea of what the dress looks like...  If you don't already own one, David's is super reasonable for their strapless bras and will help make sure you've got the proper fitting one before you try them on, a long-line is "easier" in the sense that you won't have much slippage as the day goes on (dresses are heavy and pull down.  Not "gross" unless you're lactating to try on dresses without anything.

Treat your first dress trips as "fact finding missions" rather than ones where you get emotionally attached to a dress, when you find the right dress, you'll know it.  You WILL have a dress if you don't order that specific day, now, if you're a month out, it's a little tougher, but rest assured, wedding dress shopping is an "emotional sale", if you don't love the dress immediately, chances are it's not the one..  The fewer people you have with you the better off you are because the dress is about you, it doesn't matter what other people think of the dress on you, it's about YOU and how YOU feel in the dress!  Have people there because you want them there with you while doing so.

Sherbie25

nerdwife said:

lyndausvi said:

 My mom (who paid) and my sister went with me.  Both mom and me were from OOT and staying at sister's house.    We left my DH at my sister's house to babysit my 5 year old niece. Ha. 

My MIL lived 5 hours away.  It never occurred to me to invite her as I had only meet her once just a few months before.  We did go to her a few days after I found the dress and I showed her a picture.

I fucking HATE shopping in general.  I shop for a purpose and know what I want.   My mom and sister know this so it was probably better it was just the 3 of us.   I went in saying I "want, x,y and not a or b".  When the sales person brought me only a's and b's I would just leave.   Thought process was "stop wasting my fucking time. I DO NOT WANT A 15 FOOT TRAIN FOR MY BEACH WEDDING.". Plus I only had 3 days to find something. 

  Walked into the 3rd place, saw my dream dress on the wall. Tried it on.  The sample fit.  Boom, ordered.  Then went to lunch.

Every place I went has private changing area, but I really didn't care who saw my body. I worked on a boat at the time and wore a bikini everyday.    I went shopping in a thong because, well (1) I didn't think and (2) I didn't even have a pair of non-thongs with me.   I'm sure the sales people who helped me rolled their eyes.  Oops, sorry.      

 Word from the wise, think about your undergarments when shopping.

Yes, I have realized that I should wear different underwear on dress shopping day(s) - let's hope I actually remember that on the day of. I don't actually own a strapless bra (I have never been able to find a comfortable one) - is this something that is definitely necessary? If so, can someone please recommend a good, comfortable one? 

At David's Bridal they provided me with a corset so I didn't need a strapless bra (although I wore one anyway).