Wedding Dresses
Our Top Tips on Wedding Dresses and how to Choose “The One”!
When Should Wedding Dresses be Ordered?
Ideally, you should begin your search at least one year before your wedding date. If your wedding dress needs to be ordered, you should place your order for your wedding dress at least nine months before the wedding day. This will allow time for delays and alterations and accessorizing.
Where do I buy my wedding dress?
There are so many great places to buy your wedding dress. Niche boutiques have online and physical stores which carry more unique pieces and there are the national brands that have a large selection.
What is a normal price for wedding dresses?
From what we are hearing from our clients and our own research, the average cost of a wedding dress is between $1,700 – $2,500. However there are dresses at every price point. You will find off-the-rack dresses lower than $1,800, and more luxurious gowns will fall in the $3,000 to $7,000 range. Then there are custom wedding dresses that can reach $10,000 or higher.
Who typically goes wedding dress shopping with the bride?
Usually the bride’s mom is the first person that the bride chooses to include in their wedding dress shopping. However, grandmothers, sisters, maids of honor and even bridesmaids can attend. Yes, you love them all but also keep in mind how hard it is to get a crowd of people to agree on anything, think dinner. Try narrowing down the group to those special people whose opinion matters the very most to you. Inviting the one or two people who will be honest with you, who knows your taste and whose judgment you really trust can really help your decision making.
More than one dress?
While most brides only wear one dress on their wedding day, some brides will wear one for the ceremony and a second for the reception. So, there’s the more formal ceremony dress and the fun party dress to dance the night away in.
Don’t be afraid to call ahead
If you have your heart set on a specific style, designer or price range, call the boutique ahead of time to get an idea of what inventory they have on hand, so you don’t waste time on visiting the wrong stores.
Picking the silhouette of your dress
The shape of your perfect gown is of course based on your preferred style and what flatters you the most. However you can also take into account the mood and theme of your wedding, the style of the wedding venue and the type of wedding you are having. A large ball gown adds drama but has the potential to overwhelm a petite frame, a fit-and-flare can be both traditional and contemporary and works on lots of body types, a sheath is best on tall brides and mermaid dresses show off your curves.
Wear heels similar in height to what you will be wearing on your big day
Dresses will look a lot different in heels vs. flip-flops. Brides wear shoes on wedding day with all different heel heights from sneakers to sky-high stilettos. So be prepared by bringing shoes similar to what you think you’ll be wearing at your ceremony and during your photos. This way you’ll have a good idea of how the dress will look.
Plan additional costs into your fashion budget
Don’t forget to factor in tailoring and alterations and additional accessories like your veil, jewelry and shoes. And while you are trying on wedding dresses, remember a dress is easy to take in but difficult and costly to let out.
Stay true to yourself and what you love
It’s very easy, particularly for people-pleasers, to give in to what your mom, sister or best friend loves on you. But it’s super important that you stick with what makes you truly happy and what you love. Make sure you feel like it is your dream dress, regardless of what others want or what they expect.
Plan to try on a lot of wedding dresses
Unless you are really fortunate, the first wedding dress you try on is most likely not going to be “the one”. Don’t get frustrated if you’ve tried on a ton of wedding dresses without any luck. Remember to keep an open mind and be patient until you’ve found the perfect dress. It will most likely take multiple shopping trips until you find “the dress”. It’s definitely possible to try on too many dresses and feel completely overwhelmed with all of the options. Try to stick to only a couple boutiques per shopping day and only a few dresses per appointment to help from feeling exhausted.
Try posing for photos from all the angles
A great way to get an idea of how you’ll look in your dress on wedding day, is to have your friend or family member take pictures and videos of you from all the different angles. Get photos from the back and sides in addition to just the front and don’t forget to take a few when you’re sitting down too.
Make sure you can move in your dress
You won’t be standing still for very long on wedding day. Make sure you can sit, dance, walk and even spin in it. So many brides haven’t even thought of sitting in their dress until the day of the wedding. Make sure you like the way it feels and looks while sitting, standing and dancing.
Once you’ve said “yes to the dress”, stop shopping.
Once you’ve found your dream wedding dress, stop looking and stop shopping. You will go crazy if you keep looking at the unlimited selection of gowns. Once you fall in love, just look forward to showing it off on the big day.
Go shopping with a game plan
Plan out what stores you will be visiting by calling them in advance to get an idea of what designers they carry and the price range of their wedding dresses. It’s also good to ask if they sell accessories and if they do alterations. Most boutiques will require that you schedule an appointment. If you can work it into your schedule, shopping on a weekday is better but don’t try to rush through an appointment on your lunch break. Limit yourself to two stores a day, so you don’t get overwhelmed or lose track of what you’ve liked. And when you’ve found “the one” it’s time to get excited and stop shopping.
