Wedding Dress FAQ's
What style of dress should I wear?
Various style gowns can accentuate or hide areas according to your body type. Visit the link on the left that discuss styles. It includes the most suitable body types for a particular style.
It is equally important to think about the location and setting of your wedding as to what style you will wear. The time of day for your event can also contribute to the style. If it an evening wedding which may be more formal, or an afternoon outdoor ceremony in the summer. This could change even the sleeve and fabric you will be choosing. You will want to know many of these things prior to purchasing your gown. This is why it is very important to make decisions on ceremony, location, reception, and budgets prior to seeking out that dream gown.
Where do I find less expensive gowns?
One area that you can research is bridal outlets both online and in person if they are in your geographic location. You should also check out salon and boutique sales that are making room for the new year styles. Visit the link at the left that discusses "save money on your dress" for some tips on how to save money on that expensive wedding gown.
How do I know what size to order if I'm ordering online or going to eBay?
Most warehouse and online stores offer size charts matching bust, waist, and hip sizes. The sizes are then accordingly matched to your measurements. You should be careful; however if ordering a big name designer as they usually run small. You should consider order one size larger. It is very easy to take in, but depending on seam allowance difficult or sometimes impossible to let out.
How soon should I purchase or order a wedding gown?
If ordering from a bridal salon or boutique, the typical time line is about nine months. If you are buying off the rack or a warehouse you will not need as much time and even six months is plenty of time. You will only need adequate time to find someone to alter or of course alter yourself. You need to consider at least a 4-6 weeks for alterations and fittings.
Who should I bring along when I am looking at dresses?
Typically the bride’s mom will go along and it is not uncommon to bring along a sister, best friend, or maid of honor. Just don't take too many with you as it will be difficult as everyone's tastes are different. When you get a group giving you feedback sometimes the conflicting opinions become frustrating and it doesn't make for a very pleasant day. Limit your company to only one or two to have a successful good time. Picking out that dress shouldn't be stressful; it should be exciting and fun!
Should I make an appointment with a bridal shop?
Yes, you should call ahead to ensure that they will have staff to assist you. Some shops accommodate walk-ins, but if it is busy they are less apt to wait on you to meet all of your needs and answer your questions. Along these same lines don't try to make appointments for several shops on the same day. You will find it tiring jumping in and out of dresses. Instead make separate appointments on different days. If you wish you could make one appointment in the morning and another in the afternoon, but again it will be tiring. It is best to visit just one shop per day.
Another suggestion is to avoid the prom season. Typically in the spring proms are underway and most of the boutiques and shops are filled with high school students going through the prom dresses. It will be much to busy for a consultant to spend any length of time with you, so try to avoid these busy times of the year.
Other suggestions when visiting bridal shops is to be upfront about your gown budget. If you do not inform the consultant they will bring out the most expensive dresses first and you will be disappointed when you find the dress of your dreams, but the price tag is beyond your price range. Typically shops will not ask your price range only what style you like. This is a sales tactic so that you purchase a more expensive dress. Again, be upfront and tell the consultant what your limit is.
What should I wear when I visit the bridal shop?
Well it goes without saying that you should wear your best lingerie. You will be standing around in between dressings and you will be more comfortable knowing that your under clothing is presentable. You should also bring along shoes with the heel height that you will be wearing that day. While you don't have to have your hair styled as you would on your wedding day, you should style it similarly to how you will wear it on the day of you wedding. If you have long hair and plan on wearing it up, then consider pulling it up at least in a pony tale away from your face. This will assist when trying on veils and give you somewhat of a vision of how you will look on the day of your wedding. You should also have on makeup. Not heavy foundation; however, as it could rub off on the dresses and the consultants will frown on this. You should wear general comfortable clothing that is easy to remove. If you already have a piece of jewelry that you know you will be wearing, bring that along as well.
Should I bring anything with me to the bridal shop?
Yes, you should bring any manufacturer information that you may have found on the Internet or in magazines. (pictures)They may have the dress in stock for you to try on. You should bring pictures of veils, tiara's, and any other items that the shop might carry. This will give the consultant a chance to sum up your wishes and find similar items even if they don't have it exactly. You might be surprised to find an almost identical item for half the price that may not have a designer tag.
I plan on loosing weight, when should I order my dress?
Whether you plan on loosing weight or not for your wedding, you should order the size that you fit into at the time you purchase. Don't order a smaller size. It is easy to take in a gown, but very difficult to let it out. Along these same lines if you are losing weight since the time of ordering, when the dress comes in you should be fitted at that time. If you continue to loose weight right up to the wedding then you should consider more fittings. If you have been loosing weight regularly and steadily you may want to wait before having alterations done, as it could be costly.
Lastly, once you have had your final fitting the week or two before the wedding, be very careful of what you eat.
Once I find a dress I like, when should I purchase?
When you are visiting shops and bridal salons do not purchase right away. You need to sleep on it to make sure you are not rushing into a decision. This is important since most bridal salons charge you a steep fee on returns and some don't allow refunds at all from the deposit. If you have not had a chance to research every avenue, don't purchase yet. Once you have visited every possible online, warehouse, outlet, department store, and looked over mom's gown then you will know where the perfect gown for you is. Then you can go and make the final purchase. Do make sure that you check all aspects such a refund and when the dress will arrive, as well as are the alternations included?