Your best tips?

bethr5

I'm about to make appointments to start the dress search.  I'm a little apprehensive about this whole process.  What are your best tips for dress shopping? 

Thanks!

kbarrett1212

Don't bring too many people, have fun, bring champagne, bring some clips so you can see with hair up/down, if you think it's the one... move around a lot, test it out for a while, don't let them pressure you into getting out of it to soon. Don't feel pressure to pick something out on the first appointment. And remember, it's your day so don't let someone's opinion sway you into a decision you might regret.

I found the dress, but didn't place my order. Came back 2 days later for a scheduled follow up, tried it on one last time to verify it was right and THEN ordered.

jagore08

Wear underwear you'll be comfortable changing in front of a consultant in. Also bring a strapless bra.  When I was given on to use it looked dingy and really grossed me out.

Try on everything.  You might be surprised what styles look good and bad on you.  Try different shades of white and ivory (every designer has a different shade of ivory).  Also, if you try on as many gowns as possible then you will not have as many "what if I tried on a few more gowns" questions running through your mind.

When you found the gown you love and want to buy, try on veils and headpieces while you're still in the gown.  A lot of people forget to do this and then when they look for a veil they are not sure how it will look with the gown. Even if you decide that you don't want to purchase a veil from the bridal salon (they tend to be pretty expensive and you can usually find the same style online for much cheaper), try it anyway to get an idea.

SocialWorker2B

Ditto everything the pp said. My best advice is do not buy it that day!! Do not. If you love it, then you will still love it a few days or a week later. But, sometimes you may go home and have a weird feeling or have a dream about it or something similar and you may regret buying it.

Don't take a million people. Might be best just to take your mom, if you have that type of relationship. Or just one or two friends. Any more than that, things tend to get out of control.

Don't let the consultant rush you. You can always make another appointment!

GL! Have fun! :-)

lacebride

I think you'be had great advice!

Here are my pointers!

1. Be open-minded - try on lots of things you might like.

2. Don't rush or be swayed by deals and specials - salons can try to pressurise you to buy with these and doing so can lead to buyer's remorse.

3. Don't shop until you know where your wedding will be and how many guests you will have.. this will factor into the style you might want.

4. It depends on the kind of person you are, but I would recommend going on your own at first and then narrowing down dresses for others to see. Otherwise there can be too many opinions. I did this and it really worked for me - I showed my mom my top 2 and we went from there.

5. Once you buy, stop looking and trying dresses on. This drives people mad because they find something else they want/love. If you're someone who loves the dress shopping do LOTS of it before you buy, so that you don't regret missed opportunities once you've purchased a dress.

Have fun! And do let us know how it goes

texaslolamy

After the consultant puts it on you, take a look at it in the mirror and decide if YOU like it before showing anyone else. This way you still discover your opinion before  it gets swayed.

Make sure you really connect with the consultant. I wasted an hour and a half trying on a zillion dresses at one store where the lady didn't really figure out what I wanted all that much. At the next store, the first dress the consultant pulled ended up being 'the one.'

If you get frustrated, take a break and go back to it. You will never find what you want in a bad mood. Go to lunch then go to your next store.

Easier said than done, but don't bring people who you don't know how they will react/act. My dress shopping experience wasn't very great at all. My Mom and sister (MOH) tried to make it about THEIR tastes and not mine. Mom kept going through the racks and saying "Sister would like this one" or "how come you won't try on any I like?" The only good person to bring was my 10 year old sister, surprisingly enough. If anyone tends to be overly opinionated, sensitive, or critical, don't bring them. 

Don't get your expectations too high up. Otherwise you will get frustrated if you don't find the one you like at first like I did. Actually, the place where I ended up buying my dress was kind of a whim. My Mom was like..oh yeah, I've heard this store is really good. Then we kind of slammed on the brakes and pulled in. I had no real expectations so I was in a better mood.

People might tell you to keep an open mind for styles, but if you know something looks hideous on you, you can write it off. For me, I wrote off sweetheart necklines. I tried on one and it was dreadful.

aerinpegadrak

All I can add: Don't schedule more than one, MAYBE two appointments in one day.  Those dresses can get very heavy, and getting in and out of them is more tiring than you'd think.  If you're too tired by the end of the day, there's no point in trying on dresses anymore because you won't really like any of them, you'll just want to go home.

K Byte

I researched what designers the store carried first, and then went to each designer's web site to see what dresses I liked. Then I called the store and asked about those certain dresses when I made my appointment so they had them all ready for me when I got to the store. But I also tried on a bunch that the salesperson selected for me and actually ended up picking one of her suggestions -- which I didn't even notice on the designer's site as the photo wasn't that great and didn't show the dress! Go figure haha.

Other than that, I wore my own strapless bra and full-coverage undies (both neutral light brown), and comfortable clothes (jeans and sweater) that were easy to get in and out of. You may also want to put your hair roughly in the style you plan to wear it on your wedding day -- I just wore my hair down like normal and when she went to put a veil on me it looked AWFUL. (Well, the veil itself wasn't great either but yeah.) That way you can see what kind of veil style looks best with your dress/your hair style even if you don't buy a veil that day.

MeaghanandMichael

If you have little feet bring your own heels. You are going to want to see the dresses in heels and the size 9 shoes they provide are going to do you no favors.

erinrc1

Actually, I went dress shopping by myself first and it worked out great!  I got to figure out what I liked and didn't like early, without anyone's opinion or pressure.  THEN I brought a sister, friend, and my mom to help my narrow my choices down.  Highly recommend this approach!

Also, yes, you should try lots of different things on because you never know what you'll like (I thought an A-line skirt was my only option because of my body type, but it turns out they were all swallowing me whole and didn't look so great!)  But it is really helpful to go in with some pictures from magazines to help get the ball rolling.

Put a decent amount of effort into your hair and makeup that day.  You want to feel gorgeous when you try on a beautiful dress!

And one last thing: don't panic if you never have that "This is THE dress" feeling -- if you're a shopper, you're always going to wonder what else is out there.  Have realistic expectations and know that a lot of dresses are going to look great on you -- there may not be a single, obvious choice.

mec986

if you try on a dress and its only okay...remove it from the selection.  Find something that WOW's you and the people helping you.  This will help when you go back to see what dress you like best.

AMN0324

don't over analyze it - if you find a dress you love and is in your budget, GET IT! don't worry about finding another dress that may be a little 'more perfect' because chances are you won't and then you'll just confuse yourself

lharri12

Thanks for the pointers.  I am getting ready to make my first appointment as well.  I was thinking about whether I should go by myself for the first one so I could see how I feel about different styles, but I thought it might be a little lonely.  Since my mom lives 4 1/2 hours away, it might be best for her to wait until the second round of dress shopping so I can show her what I liked, and she can help with the final selection.  Wish me luck!

UAallison83

My best tip, start off going by yourself or at the most one other person.  I went "looking" by myself and had a blast.  I cave easily when friends and family members give their opinions.  I tried on dresses and figured out what I like, wrote down my favorites, and now I have a final dress shopping day planned with my bridal party so they can help me choose from my favorites.  It was completely stress free and I really enjoyed the time to myself.

Just relax and have FUN!  You are getting to try on these gorgeous gowns that should make you feel fabulous and girly, and it is just a great time.  I have really enjoyed wedding dress shopping.

Ckirwin

i'm not a huge shopper so i don't have that "what else is out there mentality" but i also don't like to rush into decisions. i went shopping with my BFF who is a BM and who totally understands my style but is still open about her opinions as well (in a nice way!). i tried this dress on and the second i saw myself in the mirror i knew it was the one!! but i waited two weeks before purchasing it to see how i felt about it. it was all i could think about during those two weeks and i told everyone i knew that i found my dress! when i went back two weeks later to try it on again, i got the same feeling and that's when i knew for sure it was my dress.

and like someone else said, it is huge to try on veils while you're in the dress. you might not buy one right away, but  the veil style you thought you liked might not look as good with the dress you chose, not to mention hair styles, so it's best to get an idea about those as well before purchasing.

GL! keep us posted!!

brit_bell90

Just try on everything you can. I was very picky going in, but my family members convinced me to try on a few dresses with features I didn't like. Now I'm ordering a dress that I never in a million years thought I would look good in, but it flatters me very well.

Micky15

Great advice so far!

I definitely agree with a strapless bra and comfortable undies. I was visiting back home (Ontario) and went shopping there and I had forgotten my strapless. A nice white gown does NOT look nice when you're wearing a bright yellow bra.

Lots of people have said try on lots of dresses, but I would worry about having TOO MANY options if you do that. I went to two salons, tried on several styles and then picked a style I liked. My Mom suggested we look in another store as well, for variety, but for the most part the styles were the same just the breading or something small like that was a bit different. That part wasn't a huge deal to me so I was able to find mine without sifting through a million dresses.

Try and find a consultant you are comfortable with. I don't know anything about weddings, and especially about wedding dresses. (Yes, this whole process has been a huge learning experience. haha!) And my consultant was so nice and understanding. She made the experience 10x better!

Good luck!! Wedding dress shopping is fun! And remember, it really can be the first one you try on.

ajakubec

Your first trip out, definitely try on a lot of different styles. Also, be open-minded and listen ton suggestions from the sales consultant. Its always good to come in with a general idea of how you want to look on your wedding day so you can describe them to the saleswoman.

Keep in mind that while the sales girls want to get a sale, they are usually honest with you. They have seen many girls in the dresses that you are trying on, so ask them for their opinions. They want to sell you the RIGHT dress for you!

Also. if you eliminate a feature that you do not like (a neckline, lace, beading, shape, etc.) don't waste your time trying more dresses on that consist of those features. Its not necessary to try on ever dress in the entire store.

Finally, there might be several different styles that you like. Obviously budget might help you decide, but also it all boils down to how you want to look on your wedding day. Your mom and your friends are there to tell you if you look good/bad in certain styles, just remember the final decision is YOURS! Don't let peoples opinions influence you too much that you start getting confused.

~bride to be/bridal consultant

kann182

My first trip to try on dresses was definitely more about finding what I didn't like. Worked really well. Then I could focus on dresses I really liked and styles I knew would look good on me. 

When you find "the" dress, you'll know it. Don't settle for a dress because it'll work or you like it ok. Wait till you find the dress that takes your breath away. 

kmm2150

When you go, do whatever you need to do to feel pretty - fix your hair how you like it, even if you don't know yet how you'll do it for the wedding, wear some make-up if you're a make-up girl, pluck your eyebrows, whatever, so that a beautiful dress isn't spoiled by feeling self-conscious that you look sloppy.  Right after getting engaged, I was taken on a spurof-the moment dress shopping spree, and was totally distracted the whole time by my back zits and red underwear! 

cukimerrydoll

Don't bring more than 2 people.  Between your opinion, the consultants, person 1 and person 2, it can get overwhelming pretty fast.

Try to bring people with similar tastes to yours.  They will be able to see it for how you look in it from a bit more objective point of view.

Bring one person who you know is going to be laid back about it.  I brought my mom - super high-strung - and my FMIL - super laid back - and it was the right decision.  Mom picked apart each one, and FMIL loved them all, but the one we went with was the one my FMIL picked.

It's not that weird... I love her!  We shop together regularly anyway, so she knows what I like and what makes me comfortable.