5 tips for wedding dress shopping
You’re engaged and ready to start dress shopping, now what? For starters, congratulations! We are so excited for you and hope this time of your life is filled with so much love and happy memories. We know how overwhelming wedding planning and shopping for your dream wedding dress can be so we thought we would share some tips and tricks to make it easier!
#1. Browse Online
Get on Instagram and Pinterest and have fun! Find what you are naturally attracted to, what you love, what you feel fits you and the overall theme of the big day, etc. It is so helpful to come to your bridal appointment with a general idea of what you are gravitated towards, even if it changes throughout the process. It gives a starting place and your stylist is happy to pull other styles or some wildcards to ensure that you are seeing everything you want prior to choosing the one.
#2. Do your research
Research which bridal boutiques carry the lines and styles that you are looking for. If you know you have a specific style or designer that you are loving, find what stores carry those lines. Every bridal boutique is going to carry different designers and some boutiques specialize in certain styles. We always recommend to take some time to research where you would like to shop to ensure they have gowns that you like. There is nothing worse than getting all your people together, getting pumped up for the day and then arrive to a boutique that doesn’t have what you are looking for. Here at TWS, we do our absolute best to have a wide variety of styles, silhouettes and sizes to try from so we feel confident that we have a dress for everyone. However, if you are looking for something super specific or a particular designer, take a look online and see where they are located, prior to scheduling your appointment(s). Keep in mind, our locations do carry some of the same designers and styles but each location does have designers and styles that are exclusive to their boutique so make sure you are booking your appointment at the best location for you!
#3. Be selective with who you bring
Try your best to only invite people with you that will love and support you in anything that you wear. Wedding dress shopping can be the best time ever, but it can also have tough moments if you aren’t surrounded by your most loved people. We know it can be hard to not invite everyone, but from our experience it is better to limit the group size and have a more intimate experience while you are figuring out what you love. We also find it works well to bring the huge group to your wedding gown pick-up appointment and do a huge reveal of the dress that you purchased. This ensures that everyone you want to be a part of the experience gets to have a moment with you, but that you are able to narrow down and choose the perfect one for YOU without too many opinions in the room.
#4. Book your appointment
Now, it’s time to book your appointment(s). Find the date(s) that work for you and your group and start booking! Saturdays book further in advance so try and book a couple weeks ahead if you want a weekend appointment. Also, make sure to plan to purchase your gown 1 year in advance, if you can! Our designers do offer some in-stock or rush options but they are limited. Most designers have standard creation times between 4 to 9 months. Most of our designers do fall between the 4 to 6 month period, but we do have a few that can take between 6 to 9 months to get your gown made. Shopping 1+ year in advance ensures that you have time to find the perfect dress, have the gown made for you, and get your alterations done prior to the big day.
We do also have an off-the-rack bridal boutique, The Wedding Loft, that sells bridal gown samples same day if your date requires a quick turnaround or if you are balling on a budget. It’s a great way to get a designer wedding gown at a fraction of the price.
#5. Be open minded & Have fun
Now, the fun part begins! Get excited and keep an open mind. You never know what might catch your eye or what is going to truly make you feel like a bride. Our stylists are trained to assist you in narrowing down your options, talking through what you are looking for and how that might change as you begin the process. Lean on them and allow them to help you find the perfect one! It goes by so quickly so soak it in and have the BEST TIME.
