When I titled this article Finding “The One”, I’m sure you thought that this would be some fluffy romantic article about how to find the love of your life. But what I actually want to talk about is an important step after all of that…you’ve met the man (or woman), have fallen in love and are now planning to spend the rest of your life together. The next step is finding the WEDDING DRESS!
As a newly married woman having just spent over a year wedding planning, here are my top tips and tricks on finding your perfect dress! Planning the wedding (and saying I DO of course) was definitely one of the most smile worthy events of the year, so I think that it’s quite fitting to start my blogging journey with this topic.
- Picking a style: When it comes to picking out your perfect wedding dress, don’t worry if you have no idea what you want or where to start. This is YOUR time to go crazy while shopping and try on all of the styles. Even if an online survey you take tells you that curvy girls need to stick to dresses with an empire waist for example, don’t think that that’s your only option. You may even be surprised to find yourself falling in love with a Ballgown style when really, your entire Pinterest board is filled with Trumpet style dresses (been there, done that!). Have an open mind and don’t worry about upsetting the sales lady by asking to try on so many items. This will be one of the most important days of your life, so feeling stressed to find the perfect style is just one less thing you need to worry about. Enjoy the process of sifting through dresses, noting the various styles, fabrics and even colours! Who knew there could be so many shades of white…
- Entourage: When I first started dress shopping, I was convinced that I wanted my entire bridal party there with me. But when it came time to book a shopping trip, everyone’s schedule was insanely hard to coordinate (especially between the moms and the five members of my bridal party!). In the end, each shopping trip I took only ended up having my mom and one bridesmaid/maid of honour – which actually couldn’t have worked out better. By having different people from my bridal party with me on different shopping events, I was able to have a more intimate shopping experience and spend quality time with my girls while getting their opinions. Although not every bridesmaid ended up seeing the dress I picked out, it was almost better seeing their priceless faces when I stepped out in it on the big day!
- Book appointments first: This point is short and sweet. Some stores allow walks-ins and some stores are by appointment only. Make sure to call ahead! You don’t want to plan a whole day of shopping only to realize all of the stores you wanted to go to require appointments.
- Sample Sizes: Unfortunately, not all stores have the space capacity to hold each dress in a wide assortment of sizes. This was a bit surprising for me as a curvier girl (and a little disappointing to be honest) but can also be surprising if you’re on the more petite side of things. When I went to try on my wedding dress, although I was able to get into it, it definitely couldn’t zip…which meant I needed to “imagine” what it would look like on me in my size. On the flip side, a much smaller bride would need clips used to bring in all of the extra material. Not the end of the world if you have a creative imagination, but definitely not ideal.
- Shoes: While it’s great to bring a pair of heels with you to try on dresses, I definitely wouldn’t buy your wedding shoes first and THEN the wedding dress. I’m pretty shoe obsessed myself and one of my first thoughts when I started planning was shopping to find the perfect wedding shoes. If you buy the shoes first though, you’re going to have to limit yourself to dress styles that only look good with that pair. Not a great idea! That being said, as the wedding draws closer, you must have your shoes picked out before your fitting to ensure that your dress is hemmed to the correct length.
- Veil: This one only goes out to the brides who plan on wearing a veil on their wedding day. This tip was given to me by the sales lady who sold me my wedding dress: Only put a veil on if you’ve said yes to the dress! Putting on a veil will give you that all-over body tingle of adding the “finishing touch” to your perfect gown. Don’t waste that feeling on just any dress. Make sure it’s the one!
- Prep for appointments: It may seem tempting to just arrive at a wedding dress shopping appointment on a whim, but I actually found it best to prep a bit beforehand. My top 3 things: hair, makeup and undergarments. Now you may be rolling your eyes and be thinking, why would I do my hair and makeup to go try on wedding dresses?! Have you ever gone shopping in a messy bun, holey shirt/leggins and your salt-stained Uggs? Chances of you shopping for an outfit and actually feeling good with what you see in the dressing room mirror if you’re all dowdy are pretty slim. I’m not saying you need to go to a salon or pay to have your makeup done professionally but I do remember feeling much more put together when I would actually wash my hair and add a touch of mascara before my appointments (no full face of makeup, you don’t want that coming off on the dress!). This small touch can make a huge difference about how you see yourself when trying on dresses. Which then leads to undergarments. Remember that you will probably be in a dressing room with the sales lady, a complete stranger! Make an effort to wear full coverage clean underwear and a good supportive bra. You’ll both appreciate it!
- Losing Weight: Now this one definitely hits home for me. IF you feel like you want to lose a few pounds before the big day (this seriously isn’t needed!!), try for the love of all that’s good, to do it before you buy your dress. I bought my dress November 2016 and then lost over 30lbs by June 2017. When I went for my fitting, the seamstress was in absolute shock and told me she would need to take in more than 2 inches. This added a HUGE alteration charge to my already pricey (but totally worth it) dress. So, if you can, either try to keep your weight consistent or try to lose the inches before you commit to the dress!
Have any other tips, tricks or suggestions for finding the perfect wedding dress? Comment below!
Jewels says
You look like a princess in your dress. Beautiful!!!!