The Top 10 Things You Should NEVER Do When Wedding Dress Shopping
Hi guys!
Happy Wednesday. I can’t believe that we are halfway through another week and more than halfway through January! Even though I don’t believe in wishing the year away and I love cold weather fashion, I am excited for it to warm up a bit and stay lighter outside for longer. Just a few things before I start! 1. I am working on a few lives in collaboration with other wedding pros, so stay tuned! And 2. if you didn’t know, I started doing “get ready with me” IG lives on the weekends. Make sure to check out the series on the LuxeBrideGuide Instagram. And tomorrow night 1/22 I’ll be live at 7 pm EST for a live with more wedding dress shopping tips!
Alright guys, as the title says, we are talking about bridal shopping don’ts today. Here are the top 10 things you should never do when dress shopping!
Don’t bring a ton of people.
Given the world we live in right now, this isn’t possible, but I’m writing this in the hopes that things will return to a new normal in the near future. If you want to be super confused and overwhelmed, then bring a bunch of people, but if not, edit down your crew. I totally get wanting to have everyone involved in this once in a lifetime moment, but more people means more opinions. I recommend keeping your posse at a max of four people, and even less than that is better. I could honestly write an entire post on why you shouldn’t bring a large group, but I’ll keep it short here. You have to be really good at ignoring people’s opinions to bring a large group, and also know the personalities of the people in your shopping squad. Some are supportive while others feel the need to really assert their opinions. Guests also sometimes forget that it isn’t about what they would want to wear down the aisle, but what the bride wants to wear. So do you yourself a favor and keep your squad small. You can also involve those who don’t come to your appointment in other aspects of your wedding. And after all, don’t you want to keep the dress a surprise?!
Don’t wait too long to make an appointment.
A lot of brides think they have all the time in the world, but in the bridal world, a year goes by really fast. And it’s often the brides who don’t have a ton of time who wait and wait until they create a headache for themselves. Do yourself a favor and make your appointment as soon as you have the venue booked. You never know whether you’ll find a gown at your first appointment or if it’ll take more than that, so get started early. If your engagement is super long, you can wait a little, but otherwise shopping a year or more ahead of your date is ideal.
Don’t pack all of your appointments into one day.
If you’re traveling for your appointments, you may not be able to avoid this one, but I don’t recommend having many appointments in one day. Trying on gowns is hard work, and you want to have enough time to reflect on what you just tried on and not have to rush from appointment to appointment. If you have two in a day, make sure to leave adequate time between them to reflect, grab a bit to eat, hydrate, and leave time to get there.
Don’t go to your appointment(s) without doing your wedding dress research.
DO NOT go into dress shopping completely cold. Make sure to look up the boutiques near you to see who they carry, methods of payment, what the required deposit is, etc. You would honestly be shocked how many brides I’ve helped who have asked, “Do you carry Vera Wang?” It was clear they did not Google, or visit the website at all because no, we did not carry Vera Wang. Like wouldn’t you want to know that before shopping? (Sorry getting sassy…)
Also if there’s a particular gown you really want to try on, double-check with the salon that they have it before your appointment. In terms of silhouettes, fabrics, and, details, look at various designers online and in magazines and see what speaks to you. Bring photos, your Pinterest board, or your Instagram saves (from LuxeBrideGuide) to your appointment. BUT, the important part is to keep an open mind. You would be surprised how many times THE DRESS is the opposite of what you said you wanted. Which brings me too…
Don’t be closed-minded.
So maybe you’ve been reading The Knot, stalking designers on Instagram, visiting LuxeBrideGuide every waking moment, and pinning to your Pinterest board, and decided you don’t like how lace looks, but you’ve never been gown shopping. You go to your appointment and tell your consultant not to pull lace gowns. You start trying on everything else but nothing is doing it for you. You end up seeing a lace gown on the rack that kind of piques your interest, but you’re like, “Um I hate lace.” Try it on. Do it. If you’ve never actually worn a white lace wedding gown, how do you know that you hate it? You don’t. If you do actually hate it, then feel free to not try on any more lace styles, but sometimes a gown can surprise you and you can surprise yourself.
Don’t wear colored underwear.
Kind of seems logical, but people forget! Make sure to wear a pair of seamless underwear that matches your skin tone so it doesn’t show through the gown. Also bring any undergarments you think you may wear and a pair of heels that are a similar height to what you think you would wear on the big day.
Don’t stand on the pedestal the whole time.
Get off the pedestal!! It adds inches to your height that are otherwise not there. Make sure to step off to see what the gown looks like. It can really change how it looks, especially if you’re petite. Also, make sure to walk around in the gown so you know that you’re comfortable wearing it. It’ll be long and the sample will most likely be too big or too small, but it’ll help you get an idea.
Don’t try on gowns over your budget.
You will fall in love with whatever it is, and then nothing will compare. Don’t do it.
Don’t buy a gown based on the veil or other accessories.
This seems like a weird one, but hear me out. Do not rely on the veil, your hair, jewelry, etc. to make the gown for you. Yes, these things should tie the look together, but if you need another element to really get you into the gown, it’s probably not the one. When the veil comes off, you should still be obsessed with your dress.
Don’t keep looking once you found the one.
Once you find your wedding dress, stop looking! I know it may be somewhat sad because trying on gowns is fun and being repeatedly told you’re so beautiful is lovely, but don’t do it. If you have issues with FOMO and second-guessing your choices, unfollow all of the bridal designers you followed.
I hope this post was helpful for those of you who are embarking on your wedding dress search! Remember to keep it fun and cherish the moment.
XO
