Shopping for your wedding dress is probably the one thing you have been itching to do since you go engaged, but before you rush off down to the nearest bridal store, there are a few things you to need think about first. When it comes to wedding dress shopping it is best to go prepared so here are ten things to do before you step out the door.
1. Find your shape: wedding dress come in all shapes and sizes and whilst some will suit you perfectly, others will look hideous! Do some research into the best dress shapes for your body shape and those that will flatter and hide anything you do not want to draw attention to. Although the bridal store assistant should be able to direct you to dresses that will suit you, it is a good idea to know yourself first and know what you like.
2. Decide on your style: you may want to coordinate your dress style to the style of your wedding, so a traditional dress with a long train for a formal church wedding or a shorter length strapless dress for an informal garden wedding. There are no restrictions on what you wear whatever your wedding style, although some churches may require you to wear dresses that cover your shoulders and a hot destination wedding may call for a lightweight dress to cope with the heat.
3. Think color: white, ivory and cream are the most popular bridal shades but recent trends have seen other colors becoming popular with brides who want something different. Metallic shades like silver and gold, pale pinks, cappuccinos, champagne, red and blue are all finding their way into bridal collections and just as fashion has adopted blush in recent seasons, bridal wear looks particular lovely in this shade. Do consider your skin tone though when choosing a color or shade for your wedding dress, white can be particularly unkind to pale skin for instance.
4. Take some support: I don’t mean take your mother or maid of honor along, although you should! I mean wear suitable underwear. It doesn’t have to be the underwear you will wear on the day, that should be chosen after you have ordered your dress, but do consider that your choice of underwear can affect the way a dress will look or fit, especially in the case of strapless dresses.
5. Think shoes: when you go dress shopping wear a pair of shoes with a similar heel height to that which you intend to wear on the day. Again these do not need to be your actual wedding dress shoes, but the length of your dress will be affected by the heel height of your shoes and as such will affect the way you walk.
6. Don’t be body conscious: bridal wear typically runs small, this is to avoid wasting expensive fabrics in the cutting room. To ensure your choice of dress has adequate fabric to allow alterations to be made you may have to order a dress size larger than your normal size. Don’t get all body conscious about this, it is the way the industry works and no one but you will know the actual size!
7. Don’t order a small dress in the hope it will fit: so many brides order wedding dresses in smaller sizes saying they are going on a diet and will ‘slim into it’! A good bridal store owner will not allow you to do this because all too often brides never reach their target weight and are left with a dress that doesn’t fit! Likewise, do not order your dress and have it altered then go on a crash diet! A wedding dress can only be altered so many times before it becomes too compromised to be taken in any further. Once those alterations are made you need to maintain your size.
8. Take your time: providing you have allowed plenty of time to order your dress and have any alterations made (around 6 months before the wedding) you should not rush into choosing your perfect dress. Don’t be afraid to try on every dress in the store, even if none of them are ‘the one’. Some stores will allow you to take photographs so you can look at dresses later on in the cold light of day, however many stores are not allowing this anymore because of ‘copycat’ designs appearing; always ask first if they are happy for you take photographs.
9. Be prepared to pay a deposit: if you find the perfect dress then you will need to pay a deposit at the point of ordering, so take your purse along with you.
10. Take someone with you: don’t go alone to bridal stores because you run the risk of doing something you could regret! Always take someone with you whose opinion you trust and who will tell you straight if a dress is right or not. Take a maximum of two people as bridal stores can be tight on space and you do not want too many people all voicing an opinion!
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