You can peruse dresses here on 100LC all day (we know we do), but when it comes time to actually start shopping, you never know what to expect. Our friend Cammy from Show Me Your Mumu is engaged (congrats girl!) and dress shopping for her wedding day. Luckily for all of us, she’s here offering up her best wedding dress shopping tips.
12 Wedding Dress Shopping Tips
1. Get inspired. Browse anything you can get your hands on: blogs, Pinterest, magazines, etc., and create a little wedding dress folder on your phone. There are SO many dresses out there. When you get to the bridal salons, it will be so helpful to give the salesgirl a head start on what you love.
2. Be YOU. You are you. If you’ve never liked a strapless dress, you won’t like one for your wedding. If you’ve never liked showing cleavage, you won’t like it for your wedding. Sometimes people’s dream dresses aren’t what matches their comfort zone. You don’t want to feel like it’s Halloween!
3. Be realistic. Fitness is so important, but set realistic expectations when you order your dress. If you are getting in wedding shape in a healthy way, you will likely be gaining some amazing muscles and you will be toning up, not shrinking down. Get your size! Things can always be taken in, but not taken out.
4. Pick your location before your dress. Rhinestone princess should not be at the beach and a bodycon dress isn’t appropriate for church. The dress should match the day, the venue, the vibe.
5. Treat yourself. Get a blowout, have your nails on point, and maybe even get a spray tan. When trying these dresses on, it’s better if you feel like a million bucks. Don’t show up in sweats with a hangover. You won’t feel great in anything!
6. Take video. Use your phone to see how they move and come to life. Actually, make sure you can move. Dancing, hugging, crying, laughing, walking, eating, drinking… If these are activities at your wedding, you want to make sure you can do them comfortably.
7. The budget. Give the salesgirls your max budget, but let them bring you things from all ranges of designers under that. Don’t look at the price tag as long as it is within your budget. There are amazing, beautifully made dresses for $1,000 that look like $20,000. With so many options these days, it’s easy to find a dress in your dream style at so many price points.
8. Don’t wait. Wedding dresses are special, beautiful, and time consuming to make. Make sure you allow yourself enough time to find, order, receive, and alter your dream dress. It should be one of the first things you check off your list (after, of course, location! See #4).
9. Remember what this day is about. On my way to Watters to pick out my dress, I was going back and forth with my girlfriends about all the photos and inspiration I had gathered, when the taxi driver told me, It is really sweet you girls care so much about the dress, but I will tell you what: I hardly remember what my wife wore. I was too busy staring at her beautiful face. Die.
10. Make appointments. A lot of great salons are appointment only so make sure to book ahead if you want all of your options open.
11. Yelp. Even if they are the only store in your town to carry a certain line you wanted to try on, if the reviews of a salon are full of nightmare stories… It will not be worth it. Go somewhere else. As a maid of honor, I can tell you this from firsthand experience! Being gown-less 24 hours before getting on a plane to a wedding because of an unresponsive bridal salon is NOT fun.
12. At the end of the day, this dress is all about what you love! Don’t be overly influenced by others’ opinions and really try to identify what will make you the happiest on your special day. Even if it means ignoring my tips above… It’s about you!
Thanks to Cammy for filling us in! xo
