Subscribe Tips For Buying Your Wedding Dress: Part Two
Yesterday I covered “When” & “Where” to buy your wedding dress in Part One. Today I’m covering “Tips & Things to Consider” when buying your dress.
Tips & Things to Consider
- Try on a variety of dress styles. You may find that you love a style you never thought you would. I wanted a very simple dress and the sales woman assisting me insisted I try a few fancier ones. And I am glad I did! I tried on a poofy, lacy, dress with pearls and sequins – and fell in love with it!! It was everything I never knew I always wanted.
- Bring along someone you trust to give you an honest opinion. Your mother or a best friend that isn’t afraid to say “that’s not the one for you.” Make sure they look out for all your “problem areas” and help you to find the perfect one. It can be an emotional thing to try on dresses and they can be there to help you.
- Try on dresses with a veil. Wearing a veil with the dresses will help you to visualize the big day. It really helped me to find the right one.
- Walk around in the dresses. While walking around see how it feels. You will be wearing the dress for a very long time and need to be comfortable.
- Raise, lower and extend your arms. You will be dancing and hugging a lot and need to make sure your dress allows you a full range of movement. Certain cuts on the top of dresses can limit your movement.
- Sit in dresses you are considering. You won’t be sitting a lot, but when you do you want to be comfortable and look good. Ask yourself if the cut is uncomfortably low on your chest when sitting? Is it too poofy, leaving you feeling like a marshmallow? Does it accentuate problem areas? Etc.
- Ask to see how it looks bustled. You will want to see how it looks when bustled. Some will look very different and you may not like how they look. Also it’s important to see how easily it’s done. If it takes your sales woman a long time, it’s probably not worth it (or worth having a seamstress sew a new one).
- The more material the hotter you will be. If you are having an outdoors wedding and reception in a warm season you will be hot! And the more material the hotter you will be. Ask bridal store associates to help you find a breathable material and/or style that won’t be so hot. I hear a lot of brides complain about how terribly hot they are under their dress (regardless of the season). I remember thinking my legs were melting during our formal portraits! A quick tip for the day of the wedding: powder & lots of it! Don’t put on lotion and cover your self in powder. It works very well.
- When ordering a dress get everything in writing. Make sure you have a legible copy of all the measurements, specifications and pricing for your dress. Make sure the arrival date is in writing. Anything they promise you needs to be in writing.
- Pay with a credit card. With credit cards you have an extra layer of protection if you have a dispute about a charge/service. For this reason, pay for as many things with a credit card as possible.
- Don’t buy a dress that will need a lot of alterations. Alterations in length and waist are quite standard, but much beyond that is probably too much. You can easily end up paying more than the dress in alterations if you aren’t careful. If you find yourself thinking, I want to make this sleeveless, remove these bows, add this trim, etc. you need to keep searching for “the one” because you haven’t found it yet!
- Once you buy your dress don’t look at any more. You will compare your dress unrealistically and possibly fall out of love with yours! So skip the dress sections in bridal magazines and don’t look at them when you visit bridal stores when picking out bridesmaids dresses.
Have you already bought your dress and have tips/insight you would like to share? Leave us a comment! And keep your questions coming!
Technorati Categories: weddings, wedding planning.
