If you are a bride who has started wedding planning, then you already know it is a lot of work! When it comes to wedding planning, it can be very time-consuming to do research and make decisions on everything from where to tie the knot to what caterer or photographer to hire to what you will wear on your wedding day. We are a bit partial to that last wedding planning task and think wedding dress shopping is one of the more fun tasks brides have leading up to wedding day. Plus, it should be the most fun!
We know that our Joyful Brides here in the Pacific Northwest are busy and their time is valuable. That’s why we want to share our top five tips for making the most out of wedding dress shopping.
Once you have decided what bridal dress stores you want to visit, you will most likely need to make an appointment. We want all our brides to be prepared for their wedding dress shopping trip, especially if it’s the first time they are visiting a bridal boutique, including us here at Weddings With Joy in Olympia, WA.
You want to make sure you make the most of your, and your bridal stylist’s, time as well as get to try on many different styles of wedding dresses to ultimately find your dream wedding dress. It’s a big deal! We want to help you through it and ensure that it’s a joyful experience!
Tip #1: Be selective on who you invite to your bridal appointment.
When it comes to wedding dress shopping, sometimes less is more. Think about it this way: do you really want a million different opinions to influence your decision on your wedding dress? Think about whose opinion you truly value and who you know will support you no matter what, and only bring those people!
When you are trying on wedding dresses, pay attention to how you feel in each dress. Be sure to take a moment to assess what you think about the dress before getting the opinion of others because at the end of the day, what matters most is your own opinion.
For more tips on bringing guests with you when wedding dress shopping, be sure to read our past blog post all about how many people you should bring wedding dress shopping with you.
Tip #2: It’s okay to have a conversation with the people you’re bringing about what you expect from them.
When brides book an appointment, we always encourage them to talk to their guests, be it their mom, future mother-in-law, bridesmaids, best friends, and more, before their appointment to ensure everyone is on the same page. It’s perfectly okay to bring it up and let your fellow shoppers know what you expect.
This is a very important piece of advice that we think all brides should follow. Even if you don’t think having a conversation with your wedding dress shopping guests is important, it will be helpful to lay out some guidelines before your bridal appointment.
Emotions can run high during wedding dress shopping, so sit down with the people you’re bringing to your appointment and tell them the type of support you want (and don’t want!) during your appointment.
Above all, ask them to keep the negativity out of your appointment. This doesn’t mean they can’t give their honest opinion, but they are ultimately there to support you.
Tip #3: trust your gut, It’s okay to make the decision yourself.
Whenever we’re working with a bride to find her dream dress, we always like to remind her that it’s her choice. And even though she might have friends, family and bridesmaids with her shopping and giving their opinion(s), at the end of the day, the only opinion that matters is yours.
Remember that this is your wedding dress, not anyone else’s! If you love the dress… say “yes”! You don’t need anyone else’s approval. You are the one who will be walking down the aisle, and you need to be happy.
Don’t choose a bridal dress based on what someone else thinks. Pick the wedding dress that makes you feel beautiful and happy and like a Joyful Bride!
Tip #4: It’s okay to say “yes” at your first appointment.
We’re here to tell you that it’s perfect okay and very normal to find and buy your dream wedding dress at the first shop you visit. (Not always, but oftentimes, it can be the first one you try on!) So many brides are hesitant to say “yes” to the dress at their first appointment… but it is so common! Finding your wedding dress is just like finding your person. It can happen anywhere and anytime!
When you know, you know.
This is such a common thing we hear from brides when they come to shop at our bridal boutique outside of Portland, OR, and near Seattle, WA. It will feel great to know you have found “the one” and get to check wedding dress shopping off your to-do list.
PRO TIP: Whenever we’re working with brides, helping them in and out of dresses, and supporting their decision about a dream dress we always give the advice that works every time for every bride: It’s easiest to make your decision about a wedding dress when you are wearing it versus going home to think about it later.
And if you are shopping at many bridal stores in the same general area in the Pacific Northwest, you are going to start seeing the same bridal designers and wedding dresses over and over again, which is not a productive use of your time.
Don’t second guess yourself! Make your choice and love it!
TIP #5: It’s okay to stop before you get overwhelmed.
Your bridal dress shopping appointment is meant for you to find your wedding gown. Trying on dress after dress is fun, but it will most likely leave you feeling confused and overwhelmed.
It’s very common for guests, aka your friends and family that you brought with you, to get excited at a wedding dress shopping appointment and want to pick out gowns for the bride to try on. There are so many beautiful options to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start and how to limit your options!
Before you get to your bridal appointment, it’s helpful if you have an idea of the styles you like or a certain type of dress you want to try on, like a wedding dress with a ball gown silhouette, or a mermaid style bridal dress, but it will come down to quality over quantity at the end of the day. Your bridal stylist or consultant in the shop knows the store’s inventory in and out, backward and forward. They are there to support you and will help you to pick out the right dresses to try on so that you don’t get stressed.
Each wedding dress you try on will lead to the next one, and the next one based on what you like or don’t like about the ones before it. As you try on each different bridal dress, you’ll find yourself narrowing down on the exact silhouette, or shape, and details, such a strapless, long sleeves or lace, you must have in your wedding dress.
But remember that trying on wedding dresses is not the same as when you try on clothes at a department store.
REAL TALK: Bridal gowns can oftentimes be big, heavy, and can be a bit difficult to manage. You’ll likely get sweaty and tired and trying on too many dresses can lead to decision paralysis.
After trying on a few bridal dresses, you may not remember what you tried on earlier or what you loved about a certain dress. The more you try on, the more confused you might get. It’s okay to stop before you get overwhelmed – remember that we want your wedding dress shopping experience to be a Joyful one!
We hope that you’ve enjoyed our tips (and real talk!) about what it’s really like to shop for a wedding dress. Although finding your dream wedding dress – and ultimately walking down the aisle in it – is truly one of the best parts of wedding planning, it can be overwhelming and confusing, especially considering you’ve likely never done this before.
With our expert bridal stylist tips for what to expect when you go wedding dress shopping, you’ll be the calm, cool, collection and Joyful Bride that we know you are!
About Weddings With Joy
If you’re a bride in the Pacific Northwest or planning a wedding in the South Sound, Seattle, and Portland, OR areas, come visit our amazing bridal boutique in Olympia, WA full of beautiful wedding dresses. At Weddings With Joy, we offer a truly one-of-a-kind experience for our joyful brides through our personalized attention and bridal styling support as they find their perfect wedding day look. Weddings With Joy features stunning wedding dresses in all shapes, sizes, and styles as well as the best tuxedo rentals and suits in Washington state. Request your bridal shopping appointment in the South Sound to find your dream wedding dress! We can’t wait to help you become a joyful bride!