shopping for wedding gown without mom or any maids! :(

xstarx05x

This might be a dumb question, but I'm in Australia living with my fiance and his family, and the wedding will be in the USA, but I have to shop for my dress here and none of my bridesmaids or my mom are here to go with me And I don't want to go shopping with him cuz I don't want him to see me in the dress til the wedding. Should I go with his sister-in-laws? neither of them are in the bridal party and one of them won't even be able to come.

mbcdefg

That's up to you. I would only go with people who you feel will be supportive and will give you kind (but honest) feedback. I wouldn't go with someone just to have someone with you. They needn't be bridesmaids. So if you're friendly with the sisters-in-law, sure, go ahead and ask them. Maybe take them for lunch afterward and make a nice day out of it. But if you think they might not be helpful, then I'd rethink it. Personally, I'd rather go alone in that case. Visit a few salons and see if any of the saleswomen are honest and helpful (as opposed to telling you that you look great in anything just to make the sale). If you explain to the salon people that you want your mom to see the dress, maybe they will let you take photos to send to her. And it's not a disaster if your FI sees the dress. In the end, do what you need to do ... but for what it's worth, I showed FI pics of the dresses I was considering and he actually had some strong opinions about what would look best on me (and my girlfriends had the same opinions). He's seen a pic of the dress I bought but I doubt he could pick it out of a lineup if he had to. I offered to let him come shopping with me but he said no.

paigef11

I wasn't able to go dress shopping with my mom either. I brought along a couple of BM's a few times, but ended up going totally alone several times and it wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be. It actually made it a little easier because I didn't have several other opinions to take into consideration - just my own. I was able to take pics at every shop I went to (I've heard many don't allow it, but maybe the no mom factor tugged on their heart strings?), and made sure to send all the pics to my mom and other important people who couldn't be there. The pics really helped me to feel like they were involved in the dress process to some degree. But I won't lie - there were days where I could hardly stand to try the dresses on because my mom wasn't there. Good luck!

paigef11

PS... as for inviting the FI's sisters - I'd only do it if you are close/comfortable with them. Dress shopping is a major deal (at least it is for most girls) and to be honest, trying on all those sacred white dresses was not a process I would have wanted to share with people who were not in my loop.... or people who I wasn't comfortable letting see me in nothing more than undies, for that matter!  I'm a lover of all things party dress, but this is the most major dress ever. I couldn't imagine sharing those moments and emotions with people I wasn't totally comfortable with. But at the same time, if you're not close to FI's sisters, you could use dress shopping as a way to bond and get closer. Or if you trust their opinions, that could be useful.I'd say go by yourself once and see how it feels. If you hate it or find a few things you like and want second opinions, take the sisters.

hoffert

Yes, go with someone. I was also away from my family and wedding party and went shopping several times with a friend. She had different taste than me but it was nice to have someone with. In the end I found a dress while I was alone one afternoon. But without her earlier help and ideas I would still be looking!!