5 Ways to Prepare to Search for Your Dream Wedding Dress

Searching for the dress you have always dreamed of will come with a full range of emotions, from being excited to find the dress that you will wear on your special day to the nerves of not being able to find the dress straight away and how will you know if you have found the one. Most brides have never been wedding dress shopping before, it can be difficult to know if there is anything, in particular, you should be prepared for. I have put together below 5 ways to be prepared for shopping for your wedding dress to give you an idea.

1. Book an appointment with more than one Boutique

There is no guarantee you will say yes to the dress in the first shop you go in, you also don’t want to put the pressure on yourself to choose a dress you aren’t completely happy with in the first shop you go to. If you have the time it is best to book a few different appointments on the same day whilst you are solely focussed on looking for the dress, this will allow you to compare different dresses from each shop whilst the image of the dresses you have tried on are fresh in your mind. Of course, if you still don’t find the perfect dress you can always arrange different appointments for another day if needed. 

Bonus Tip: When calling to book appointments, check if they have any special undergarments for you to try on with the dresses or if you need to bring your own. It is important to try dresses on with the right undergarments to fully appreciate how it will fit and look on you.

2. Do some research but keep an open mind

You will find it useful to do some research beforehand into different styles and names of dresses to give you a rough idea of what to expect. You would benefit from having an idea of styles that you like or styles that you know already suit you, if you like a style that you have never tried on before just be aware that sometimes the dress can look different on than you imagined. Because of this be open to trying different styles, it often happens that brides end up going with a style of dress that they would not have originally thought to go for based on their research. Pinterest is always a good place to research wedding dresses, as well as online dress sites.

3. Don’t overdo your makeup

This is something you will also need to check with the boutique ahead of the appointment, some shops request you wear minimal makeup if not no makeup at all. Because it can easily leave marks on the dresses, you don’t want to be responsible for paying for a dress you don’t want for staining it.

4. Keep your entourage minimal

Trying on dresses is an amazing experience to enjoy with your nearest and dearest, it is common to be joined by the maid of honour and/or mother of the bride. It is best to only take a couple of people with you, as if there are too many people there you will find there can also be too many opinions which may lead to you struggling not to be influenced ending up with you struggling to make a decision. You want to go with people you trust to give you an honest opinion but to also be supportive and jump on board with your excitement for this major part in your special day.

5. Establish your budget

Make sure that you sit down with your Fiancé ahead of making your appointments to decipher your budget, some of the boutiques you would like to book in with maybe for a certain budget that may not interest you. If you have a tight budget you don’t want to go to a shop that you know before you get there all the dresses will be above your budget. Most shops will have a range of dresses for a range of different budgets, when you arrive for your appointment let the assistant know your budget and request they only show you dresses in this range. This way you will not fall in love with a dress only to find that it is way out of your budget and then you struggle to compare any dress in your budget to this.

Enjoy searching for your dream dress, it is a great time to focus just on the one part of your wedding planning all on you, whilst getting to spend time with your close family and friends. If you have a few appointments in one day why not book in somewhere between the shops for lunch in between appointments, use the time to catch up with each other and bring them up to date with your wedding plans. Please let us know if you have any other tips on how to prepare for wedding dress shopping.