Shopping for a wedding dress can be overwhelming, to say the least. But not to worry – we’re here to help! At Love Bride Boutique, we understand how important your wedding day is, and how important it is to have a consultant who feels like a partner. You deserve the best, so we’re here to help make sure you get the best shopping experience you’ve ever had!

Timing

When should you start shopping for your dress?

12 months to go:

  • Set Your Own Budget: after setting the overall budget for your wedding, decide how much of that total budget you want to set aside for your dress. Don’t forget to account for dress cost, taxes, alterations, and possibly shipping. If you’re not using your own shoes, a family veil, or jewelry, remember to set aside 10-20% for those items.
  • Research: Before you go shopping, you have to have an idea of what you want. Your venue has a lot to do with the style of your dress, so remember to take that into consideration. But no matter what – keep an open mind!

7-9 months to go:

  • Buy your dress: Remember, most dresses are made-to-order, so allow for plenty of time to receive the dress, usually 16-20 weeks out from the date you purchase.

3 months to go:

  • First Fitting: you’ll more than likely need to get your gown fitted. Some bridal salons offer alterations in house, but others require you to make an appointment with a separate seamstress. Not to worry! Most boutiques will have a list of trusted seamstresses they always work with.

6-8 weeks:

  • Second Fitting: this is where you’ll make some small tweaks to your dress. Make sure to move around the salon so you know how the dress moves with you. 

2-3 weeks:

  • Final Fitting: bring tissues to this one! This is the closest you’ll get to feel like a bride besides your actual wedding day. You’ll be wearing the shoes you’ll wear on the day, make sure you know how to bustle the dress (if you have a bustle) and make sure it’s exactly what you want!
  • Pick up the dress: depending on the seamstress, you may pick up the dress as much as 2 weeks out, or the weekend of!

Bride Tribe: Who To Bring?

Deciding who to bring (or not bring) can be a weighty decision. Some people choose to bring immediate family, some choose to only bring friends! 

Salon size:

First things first – call the shop or boutique! What you want to avoid is bringing a whole army of people to a salon or boutique that can only accommodate 3 or 4 people per bride. Be sure to discuss with the shop as you don’t want to overwhelm them or your guests!

Comfort:

While it may be nice to invite your in-town cousin or friend if you don’t know them well enough to have them at the appointment, don’t worry about it! You need to feel comfortable with whoever is there. Especially when it comes to accepting or listening to thoughts and opinions. There’s nothing wrong with keeping your appointment guest list small. 

What to bring?

Now that you know who to bring, we need to talk about what to bring to your appointment! 

Undergarments:

When trying on dresses, especially if it’s your first time, you will need a strapless bra or an adhesive bra. Why? If you don’t know what style of dress you’ll select, it’s important that your undergarments don’t hinder you from finding “the one.”

Wear whatever underwear you’re most comfortable with. You’ll be slipping in and out of quite a few dresses and want to make sure you don’t expose yourself in front of your consultant since you’ll need assistance with most gowns. Once you pick your dress, your consultant will help you decide what type of undergarments are appropriate and that’s what you’ll want to bring for fittings later on!

Spanx or no Spanx?

Again, depending on what silhouette you go with, you may want to bring a pair of nude shapewear. Especially if you’re considering a sheath gown, you’ll want to bring a pair just in case. 

When To Say YES!

Believe it or not, bridal dress reactions are just as unique as the brides themselves! You may get teary-eyed, you may cry a lot, or you may not get emotional at all! The most important thing is that you stand in front of the mirror in the gown you think you want, pay attention to how you feel in it and say “YES!” if it’s everything you’d hoped and dreamed you feel on the day!

XOXO

Love Bride Boutique