As a bride-to-be you might be crushed by the prospect of having to shop for a wedding dress online in order to receive it by your fall or winter wedding date. Designers and bridal shops are devastated too—everyone in the wedding industry looks forward to this special in-person experience in an already digitally dominated world. But rest assured, your dream designers are still here, doing all they can to help you confidently find the right gown… Even if you can’t give it a twirl right away. Read on to see how to shop for your wedding dress during Coronavirus—and a few perks of virtual dress shopping!
If you gotta shop for your wedding dress online, you gotta do it right. Just like every part of your planning experience, you want to make the most of it. Just remember, there are plenty of brides who choose to shop online. There are actually even more resources now that Coronavirus has taken over. Here are a few!
(See this wedding by Corey Lynn Tucker)
how to shop for your wedding dress during Coronavirus
1. Make a virtual appointment. A personalized dress experience is not out the window, Cakies. In fact, brands everywhere are upping their customer service game big time. Be sure to check in with all your favorite designers and bridal shops to see who offers virtual consultations. A few we know of: Rue De Seine, Grace Loves Lace (contact to request), Everthine Bridal, and Watters (based on select stores), and Lovely Bride. Popular bridal shops like BHLDN and LOHO Bride are offering virtual styling services during Coronavirus. Other designers, like Floravere and Daughters of Simone, instead offer home try-on with select gowns. Everyone’s doing what they can with their current tech, so find what works for you!
(See this wedding by Todd James)
2. Get a closer look. If you’re not 100% certain about a dress, get in contact with the designer/shop before making the purchase. Some designers will ship you a fabric sample so you can see and touch the texture in person. Do a YouTube search to see if the designer or stockist (or anyone else) has uploaded video content of your dress so you can see it in motion. Some even have their own channels, like David’s Bridal who frequently posts about new designs.
(See this wedding from Photography by Ben and Kadin)
3. Get inspired. You’d start online, anyway, right? Chances are you have a little more time to perfect that Pinterest board. Start with our wedding dress gallery or head to our wedding fashion category to get inspired for you and your wedding party. And did you know you can find bridal fashion and wedding dresses on Rent The Runway? They also have a wedding styling concierge. How perfect is that for a time like this?!
shop wedding on rent the runway
(A look for every wedding event)
4. Perks of semi-custom: Many designers now allow you to customize your wedding dress before the initial try-on. Triple check those measurements and don’t forget to ask customer service for help when needed. A few ideas:
Etsy. On Etsy you’ll connect with the designer personally and can work closely with them in a lot of cases. Tip: When searching Etsy, make use of as many filters as you can to weed out items you wouldn’t consider. This makes a HUGE difference on a site with millions of products. (Obviously, it is a great place to look for vintage wedding dresses, too!)
Fame and Partners. Good for everything from bridal, bridesmaids, and wedding gusts, Fame and Partners is an LA based made-to-order dress brand that allows you to choose your fabric and color, make adjustments to style such as necklines and sleeves so you can purchase a dress you won’t likely need to alter. Start here to get a peek at the process. It’s also super affordable and even allow returns on custom items.
shop wedding dresses on etsy
(Desert wedding with pink floral wedding dress by Let’s Frolic Together)
5. Perks of ready-to-wear. Perhaps you were inspired by this post or this post and want to think outside the box a little more when it comes to your wedding dress. More and more brides are choosing to rock RTW evening gowns for the big day. Maybe you want to take this opportunity to try a favorite high fashion designer. On the other hand, you may find that an alternative wedding dress adds more flexibility to your budget. These dresses are also more likely to have flexible return policies (be sure to check) so you can feel more secure about the fit.
shop evening gowns as wedding dresses
(See this chic Joshua Tree wedding with a sparkly dress)
6. Include your bridesmaids. Thanks to Zoom, you can pretty much include your friends in every activity (or lack thereof) you do while in quarantine. Share those screens and let’s talk dresses!
Let us know what other questions you have about how to shop for your wedding dress during Coronavirus. We’re here to help. Check out our 10 ways to plan your wedding while in quarantine too. Stay in and start shopping! xx
