It’s the moment you’ve been looking forward to during your entire wedding planning process-bridal wear shopping! Regardless if you wear a white dress or a dazzling red lengha, the dress shopping experience can be fun and exciting while still being stressful and overwhelming. The key is to relax and enjoy you experience. Keep things such as your color scheme, location of your wedding (indoor vs. outdoor, beach vs. mountains, etc.) and cultural traditions, in mind while shopping. Location, time of day and the formality of the event will all have an impact on the type of dress you should wear. If you shop for a dress before these details are set, you may not have enough information to make a good choice.
For example if your plan is to have a beach wedding at sunset in the middle of July, there is a good chance that it will be hot, therefore wearing a heavy Taffeta lined dress may not be ideal. Instead it may make sense to purchase a dress that is silk or satin that will not only be comfortable and light but beautiful with the wind. Again for that reason a short veil that connects with bobby pins may not make sense but possible a bird cage veil or a cathedral length veil.
Take a few minutes to think about what you want. It will be helpful when you enter the maze of wedding dresses out there to know what your budget is, any details that are essential (for example, if you must have a full skirt, arms covered, strapless, etc), and an idea of how traditional or modern you want your dress to be.
Bridal boutiques normally require anywhere from 3-4 months for custom designs and alterations. We suggest you begin shopping for your bridal gown about 6 months out, allowing ample time for alterations and fittings.
On your wedding day, you’ll want to look great, but you will also want to be comfortable- it will be hard to dance and laugh if you’re tugging your dress up or have boning jutting into your ribs. Consider which wedding dress is most appropriate to your day – for example, consider a shorter tea-length or cocktail length dress for a beach wedding. If you are the type who likes to dance with her hands in the air, and anticipates doing the limbo, perhaps a strapless dress is not the one for you. IT is also feasible to purchase wedding dresses with removable sleeves or straps giving you the widest range of options.
When dress shopping bring your mother, your bridesmaids and just have fun. The perfect dress will be found, just make sure you have the information needed to make it fit into the wedding perfectly.
A few questions to ask:
1. How traditional or modern do I want my dress?
2. Where is my wedding taking place? Will the material of the dress make me comfortable?
3. What is my price range? Does that include the veil, shoes and accessories?
4. Do I want a dress with a lot of work? Free flowing? Strapless? Simple and elegant?
5. Will I be wearing the same dress all day? Would you like a chapel train that pins up?
Remember, at the end of the day stay true to yourself and your sense of style. If you feel comfortable and happy on your big day it will be impossible not to look your absolute best!
Stay tuned for Wedding Planning Wednesday as we discuss Bridal Wear: For Him!
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