As a wedding planner, I’m constantly surrounded by weddings; so naturally, I’ve spent a lot of time imagining what I would walk down the aisle in. Would I want something traditional?
Sexy?
Romantic?
Couture?
Finding my dress was the part of planning my own wedding I was most excited about. Over the past few weeks I have been trying to find my dress, so I thought I would give a few tips that have helped me.
1. Do some research and figure out what styles you like. I knew I would have a hard time walking into a store without having done my research, so I started looking at gowns over the internet early on. I first researched the bridal boutiques in my area to find out what designers they carried. Next, I would go to those specific designer’s websites and save any picture that caught my eye. Be sure to save the photos in a folder labeled with the designers name and save each picture with the style number. This way, when you visit the boutique you’ll be able to ask a consultant if they carry any of the dresses you have saved. I did this by downloading the Dropbox application to my iPhone and iPad. Dropbox allows you to save and share files, its free, and can be downloaded onto most smart phones/tablets (use this link to download Dropbox). Even if they don’t carry the specific dresses you have saved, it will still give your consultant an idea for what you’re looking for.
2. Don’t bring too many people to the appointment. Finding your dress can get stressful when you bring too many people along to the appointment with you. Having too many opinions will only confuse you and keep you from ultimately choosing the dress you like. I would recommend bringing no more than three people. Be sure to pick only the people whose opinions really matter to you. I took my Mom with me not only because I wanted to share the experience with her, but because her opinion really mattered to me most. I knew she would be honest, but ultimately support my decision.
3. Know your budget before you start trying on gowns (don’t forget to include sales tax and alterations). I know not to try on dresses outside of my budget, and still made this mistake! There is nothing more disappointing than trying on a dress, loving it, then realizing you can’t afford it. If you think you might stretch your budget to get that dream dress, try to pull the extra money from another part of your wedding budget. I have a feeling this is what I'll end up doing.
Best of luck in your search!
Great advice!!
Posted by: Kristina Juarbe | January 31, 2012 at 02:54 PM
Great advice! I am sure this will help all brides make the right choice for them!
Posted by: chris | January 26, 2012 at 01:58 PM
Great wedding dress planning ideas by the wedding planner...and yes "dropbox" is cool, great for sharing files.
One thing I would add about dress shopping... be aware brides that many dresses that look good in pictures may not look so good after you get them on.... so, find a style or two that look good on "you."
Posted by: Susan | January 25, 2012 at 08:59 PM