Practical Tips for a Pleasant Experience
SHOP EARLYThink ahead and shop well in advance. Most designers require four to six months to produce a gown so you should be shopping at least nine months in advance. It's not uncommon for brides to purchase their gowns as much as 18 months before the big day. Shopping early will give you the best range of choices.
You'll often get the widest range of choices at an independent bridal salon that can do special orders from designers with distinctive styles, rather than the mass market chain stores.
APPOINTMENTSFind out if you should make an appointment with the store where you intend to look at wedding dresses. Many bridal salons prefer to have brides make appointments, and some require it. Find out ahead of time. If you make an appointment but need to cancel, let the store know in plenty of time. If you are not considerate enough to cancel an appointment properly, you are not enough of a grownup to be getting married.
TRY-ON FEESFind out if the store charges a service fee for trying on dresses. DressFinder.com is seeing a growing trend for bridal stores to charge a consulting fee which will be credited to the price when you order your dress. This is a sensible approach when you consider the store's costs for providing services. You just want to know what to expect.
NO COMMITTEES, PLEASEGo shopping by yourself, or with one or two trusted friends at most. This is YOUR decision, and you need to be able to listen to your own instincts about what dress makes you feel great. It's easier to hear what your heart says if you don't have a crowd with you.
GET A BABYSITTERIf you or the friends who shop with you have children, arrange for a sitter. This needs to be stressed: a bridal store is NO place for kids. While the adults are looking at dresses, a curious or bored child can cause hundreds of dollars in damages, or even get hurt. If you want to shop for a flower girl dress, arrange a dedicated outing to focus on that, and make your flower girl feel like a princess for the day.
DESIGNER NAMESDon't be too dazzled by a big designer name. You can expect top quality from a top designer, but judge the dress, not the label. Your mission is to find the dress that will take the groom's breath away and make him say a prayer of thanks as he sees you come down the aisle. The right dress will make your friends and family think, 'What a beautiful woman!' first, and 'What a beautiful dress!' sometime later.
Read DressFinder.com's complete article about shopping for your wedding dressArticle By Elisabeth Archambault, editor of DressFinder.com. Originally published on DressFinder.com; excerpt used with permission.