Your wedding day is supposed to be one of the happiest moments you will ever experience but the time leading up to it with all the preparation needed can be the complete opposite.
You may feel that you are going crazy trying to work out how to plan the wedding and deciding who to invite, and then, of course, there is the dress. THE dress. That dress you have dreamt about ever since you started planning the big event, but now it is becoming a problem rather than something of joy.
There are some ideas to make picking your dress easier and do’s and don’ts to consider. Reading the thoughts below will hopefully make your decision making easier or at least give you some ideas.
Try on as many dresses as possible without going overboard
That may sound like conflicting advice but there is a good reason for this statement. Firstly, you must try on several dresses to compare how they look and fit. Everyone is different and what looks amazing on the hanger can look dreadful once it is on; conversely, a dress that doesn’t look appealing in the shop might look dramatically different once you are wearing it. It is too simple to make a snap judgment so be patient and try a few different dresses.
Don’t try on an excessive amount of dresses though as you will only confuse yourself and add extra stress that isn’t needed. Think how often you have shopped for shoes or another item of clothing in several stores only to return to the very first one you visited. You could traipse around dozens of wedding shops only to return to the first or second one you saw.
Take your closest friends with you
This means taking one or two friends whose opinions and style you trust. You don’t need to take a whole gang of friends or all the bridesmaids each time you go looking for a wedding dress. Just one or two should suffice. Hearing too many opinions or ideas can just end up confusing the situation. In fact, don’t be afraid to take a visit on your own. There is nothing wrong with visiting a wedding boutique by yourself despite what you may imagine and you might find it more productive to do so.
Ask questions
You might find you are hearing a lot of words that you aren’t entirely understanding when the stylist chats with you, and that’s normal. Not everyone knows what damask is or the distinction between silk and sateen. Remember, this is your big dress purchase and there is nothing wrong with asking your stylist questions so that you can make an informed choice.
Think about how you are going to use the dress
Obviously, you will be wearing it to your ceremony and probably the reception straight after, but you need to think about comfort. How do you feel when you wear the dress, comfortable, able to move freely? You will want to be capable of sitting for the reception and then getting up to dance. If the dress doesn’t make you feel good about yourself then it is not right no matter how lovely it looks in the shop.
Check the hang tag on the dress
You may not know but there are legal requirements for hang tags on wedding gowns. The information printed here can also help you to choose a dress. The manufacturer will be printed on the tag along with the country of origin and materials used. Instructions for caring for the dress will also be listed and you will want to know this too.
Ethical wedding dresses
These days there are other areas to consider when shopping on the high street. Many of you will want to shop sustainably and you want to do this with your wedding dress too. Luckily, buying an eco-friendly dress doesn’t have to mean buying a hideous gown. Many designers are now producing wonderful dresses for brides that are not only beautiful but good for the environment too.
If you are keen on this area then look for designers online who produce carbon-neutral products. You may want to look for organic materials and other eco-friendly practices. Designers such as Stella McCartney are known for being eco-friendly and she designed Meghan Markle’s wedding reception dress. Check the hang tags on dresses in shops for any mention of sustainability and eco-friendly practices.
Take a camera to the boutique with you
You may actually not be allowed to do this in every boutique so ring ahead to check. If you can take some photos of you wearing the dresses. Bring a friend and ask them to get some snaps of you from various angles. You can study them in the shop and more importantly back at home later. You will have more time there and you can consider your wedding stylist’s plans too and how the dress fits in.
Try to make appointments in the morning
Don’t turn up at the boutique the second it opens but don’t leave it until the end of the day either. Just as you want to be full of energy for trying on several dresses you also want your assistant or stylist to be pumped up too. Visiting a shop at the end of the day is likely to lead to you encountering a slightly worn out assistant who has been on her feet all day.
Other things to remember
Don’t make snap judgments and buy too quickly. Dresses and other wedding accessories such as bridal veils are often non-refundable. That could be a very costly error to make. Weddings are costly and it is important to know your rights when it comes to refunds. Also, remember that wedding gown sizes differ from normal dresses. Normally, your dress will be a bigger size than you are used to so don’t freak out too much when the stylist hands you a dress larger than you expected.
In conclusion
Taking friends along can help as long you don’t take too many. Take some photos to study at home alone. Be prepared to try on more than one dress and allow time to make a decision that isn’t rushed. Look at different materials and shapes and very importantly, don’t get something that will look terribly old-fashioned when you look at your wedding photos in years to come. Look for something classical rather than oh-so-trendy.