Dress shopping advice

abo1031

For those of you that have already gone shopping, how many people did you bring with you? And what, if any advice do have? This is my first time going dress shopping ever, not sure what to expect. I'm bringing my Mom, MOH, future sister in law and possibly one bridesmaid... Too many?

ncwenze

   I brought my mom, my sister, and my two best friends, and I would say it was the right amount of people.

   I wore spanx, a strapless bra, and heels.  I didnt have any foundation/cover up on because I was afraid it would get on the dresses, but I did have eye make up on (i just feel better when i have some makeup on). 

   I would bring a camera, and have someone write down how you  feel or what you said about each dress, because they will blur together after a while.

   Definitely eat something before you go, I didnt and I was getting
"hangry" by the time the appointment was over.

  And lastly, dont get upset if the dresses dont fit your body.  Personally I am a size 12/14 and trying on dresses in a size 8 or 10 doesnt really help your confidence.  But you have to feel good about yourself or you will have a bad experience.  I keep thinking how good the dress will look when it actually fits me.

p.s. try them on with veils. it really does complete the look

Everyone says this but you will know when it's the right one.  I was one of those people who said I am way too rational to make such an important decision on the spot.  I kept saying I would have to think it over and decide which dress I wanted. But then I put on "the dress" and I knew. I said I think this is my dress and started crying. You'll just know. there will be a couple that you think hmm is this my dress? but if you have to ask yourself, then it's not your dress. You will be saying this is my dress!

that's my two cents, sorry it's so long

  

semi891

The PP covered pretty much everything, definitely  make sure to have the proper bra/undergarments in case you need to get fitted! I had my mom, sister, BM, and two aunts with me, it was nice to have opinions, especially since everyone was on the same page.  I packed lots of snacks and water for the day, and we stopped for lunch.  It can be a tiring day!

I only went to three stores on the first day, it seemed like a good number, don't try and cram too much in, I hear the dresses can start to all look the same after awhile! And don't pay attention to sizing, wedding dress sizes are way off from normal street clothes sizes.  They will measure you, and order the size based on your largest measurement, and alter from there.  Take lots of pictures, it helps for you to remember later!

abo1031

Some great advice! I hadn't even thought about proper undergarments. Did you ladies do bridal gown and BM dresses on the same day? I think we might just because I know how long it can take for ordering/alterations... Thanks so much

DMoore421

I brought my mom , my dad and my sister. There were people there that had like 10 people with them which made it very crowded and actually hard on everyone else there because they simply took up so much room.

DMoore421

In Response to Re:Dress shopping advice:[QUOTE]The PP covered pretty much everything, definitelynbsp; make sure to have the proper bra/undergarments in case you need to get fitted! I had my mom, sister, BM, and two aunts with me, it was nice to have opinions, especially since everyone was on the same page.nbsp; I packed lots of snacks and water for the day, and we stopped for lunch.nbsp; It can be a tiring day!I only went to three stores on the first day, it seemed like a good number, don't try and cram too much in, I hear the dresses can start to all look the same after awhile! And don't pay attention to sizing, wedding dress sizes are way off from normal street clothes sizes.nbsp; They will measure you, and order the size based on your largest measurement, and alter from there.nbsp; Take lots of pictures, it helps for you to remember later! Posted by semi891[/QUOTE]


Definitely don't worry about the sizes. I am normally a size 12/14 for everything but I have 38/40 DD boobies. My dress was ordered in a size 18. Because even If I lose some weight I know I won't lose lots of boobs and I would have had to lose tons of boobs for the 16 to even fit my chest.

The sizes in the store did not fit but they had tricks to give you and idea of what it will look like. And my dress is everything I dreamed of... Totally the princess dress I always thought I would wear with the swags and all :.

I knew it was the dress as soon as I out it on. I tried on 3 total and it was the middle dress. I loved it but tried on one more just to be sure and went back to t again

abo1031

Thanks for the advice! Now I just can't wait to go shopping!

ftrmrsw

I wouldnt do BM & Bride dresses on the same day. Keep the day for yourself. Its overwhelming! It really is so you don't want to make it any more confusing than it is. There are sooo many bridal gowns to narrow it down, You really don't want to throw in BM dresses on top of it. Besides all the attention (yours and whoever you bring) should be on you, not on anything else.

I went dress shopping a number of times, each time was a different combination of people.

When I found "The Dress" I was only with my MOH and I made another appointment to come back with a larger group. I bought my Dress with My MOH, Mom, FMIL, My Grandma, FI's Gma and my aunt. I brought this many people only becuase I knew I already found the dress, I just wanted everyone to see it before I bought it.

mpickl

PPs have pretty much covered everything. I would say the less people the better. I stuck to just one person per shopping trip and it was perfect for me. 

Be wary of salons that work on commission or otherwise pressure you to buy right away. I tried on the dress I ultimately bought three times before I bought it -- sometimes you don't know right away!

Be prepared for the stylists to be all up in your business - -modesty is not an option! And for their sake, shower before you go. ;-)  I know this is probably a given, but I stopped by a salon one day after a warm day in the office, and I wish I hadn't.

Above all else, HAVE FUN! Dress shopping, for me, was one of the most fun parts of wedding planning so far!

BostonGIrl4732

I went with my sister (MOH) just for fun and found "the one".  I didn't have that "OMG THIS IS MY DRESS" moment when I put it on.  However, twelve dresses later I realized I was comparing every dress to the first one and put it back on.  We added a beaded belt and that's when I could see myself walking down the aisle and knew I was done.  The dress I ended up with?  Completely different from what I thought I wanted.  So make sure to try on every shape and material just in case.

There was another dress that looked stunning on me (all lace) but it wasn't the right "feel" for my reception.  I thought it was a killer dress but not what I'd imagined getting married in.  Verses while the dress I picked was the opposite of what I thought I wanted, it still had the right "feel" to it and made me feel like a princess.  A sophisticated princess, but still.

You'll know.  PPs have the rest covered.

TayBeach2013

I went once with my mom for fun, and had appointments scheduled for a Saturday when my BMs and mom would be there...and the day before, I strolled into a salon solo, tried on some dresses and my dress wound up being the first one I tried .  When I went back, I took my mom, BM and younger sister.

I wasn't prepared to dress shop at all the first day, but when I took everyone back I wore a strapless bra and boy shorts(which is when I made the decision to skip a bra and have cups sewn in).  As another PP mentioned, modesty goes out the window - I got so annoyed with the strapless that I ripped it off in front of everyone and readjusted the dress lol.  I'm not wearing anything but the boyshorts underneath for the wedding, so I didn't bother with anything else.

I also can't stress enough about bridal sizing. I knew going in that the sizing is off, but hearing size 10 when I'm street size 4/6 still made me go "d*mn".

I had such a blast with dress shopping, and I hope you come out feeling the same way!!

leatba

I went by myself the first time. I was we'll over a year out. I wanted to see what I looked like in Different style dresses so I could come home and pour over the Internet to find something I wanted to try. The next time I went it was kind of overwhelming. I had moh, FI's mom and granny, FI's aunt and her children and grandchildren, my mom and sister were skyped. Advice I have is to so a sit test.

abo1031

Lots of great advice! Thanks so much... I will make sure to shower and shave my legs that morning! lol