CategoriesWedding Planning

Wedding Planning: When to Buy a Wedding Dress

 There is something exciting and fantasy about the concept of wedding dress shopping — yet it’s as difficult as it seems. Most fashionistas fantasize of this moment, but it’s a whole other universe, more labor-intensive and complex than online shopping, and unlike anything you’ll experience in a brick-and-mortar store. Therefore, getting started can be challenging, and the process is (admittedly) not always glamorous.

Taking on this endeavor requires expert advice. To help you seamlessly navigate the shopping process, we’re breaking down where to start, when to buy a wedding dress, are reviewing important aspects of wedding dress planning and highlighting all the mistakes brides make when searching for their bridal gown.

Make Sure You Do Your Research

Those brides at the back: Do not go into this process blindly! Doing your research is incredibly important during your wedding planning. Spend your weekends reading designer websites, online magazines, Instagram, and other social media platforms.

Identify the elements of the garment that you love, such as the neckline, the silhouette, the fabric, the beadwork, and so on. Knowing which brands, gowns, and styles you like the most is extremely helpful when trying to narrow down your options before your first appointment. Moreover, it provides your consultant with a road map to decide what to try first.

Obviously, you do not have to know exactly what you wish to wear beforehand, but make sure you take into consideration the venue, dress code, season, number of guests, and your preferred style so that you have a place to start and build from.

If you are a fashionista with a vision in your head of the perfect wedding dress, be sure to manage your expectations. Though you might have an idea of what a gown might look like in your head, it may not exist in real life exactly as you imagine. Keep an open mind when shopping. If you’ve got your eye on a specific brand or dress, contact the store ahead of time to ensure it will be available at the time of your appointment.

Give Yourself A Runway To Make Decisions

Lead time is key. The bridal gown is a custom piece that is not always made to measure. In other words, the process of making your wedding dress cannot begin until your measurements are taken and the deposit has been received. Once the deposit is received and any and all design specifications are outlined and signed off on by both you, the client, and the store or design house, all fabrics and embroidery/beading needed are secured. Logistics are then put in place in the designer’s atelier to produce your gown over the course of a few months, to reach you in time for three fittings prior to the wedding date.

As each brand and dress have different timelines, it’s best to avoid shopping too late (which might result in rush fees or unavailable options) or too early (to avoid missing out on styles that are going to be released between now and the deadline to place your order).

Remember About Production Delays

On average, we recommend allowing six to eight months for bridal gown production. You should also allow yourself a couple of months to complete the alteration process before your wedding. However, with the supply chain delays that every industry, not just bridal, is suffering, things have altered, and manufacturing timelines have evolved. Fabric suppliers and bridal gown makers are all running late. We strongly advise buying your wedding gown at least one year before your wedding date to guarantee it arrives in time for you to get alterations done and avoid stress when the big day comes.

Wedding gowns are taking an average of nine to ten months to manufacture in this environment due to lack of inventory, shipping problems, and manufacturing and supply chain delays, so putting your wedding dress order at least a year in advance of your wedding will ensure your wedding dress comes with plenty of time to spare.

While it’s essential for every bride who is planning a wedding to start looking for her wedding gown as soon as possible, it’s equally important not to start shopping too early, as you may end up disappointed. A two-year search, for instance, is too long unless you can settle on the dress you fell in love with once and for all.

On the positive side, you have plenty of time to conduct research on wedding dress planning.

Budget Realistically

Go into appointments with a game plan: Stay. On. Budget! While there’s no reason you can’t be flexible with your spendings, having a top-line number in mind will allow you to stay within budget and allow for other looks you’ll need around the ceremony. In case you’re still uncertain about where to cap your spending, ask yourself at what price point your “dream dress” becomes an uncomfortable gown.

Remember that alterations, accessories, your veil, shipping, sales tax, and any dry cleaning or preservation after the wedding aren’t included in the gown price. Don’t forget to take all expenses into account when deciding how much you are comfortable spending on a wedding dress.

Limit Your Entourage

You should keep your crew small and intimate, one to two people maximum when you’re shopping, no matter where you go. The more people there are, the more opinions there are, and the worse things will be. Furthermore, it only takes one negative voice or a little spat to derail the pleasant tone of an appointment. Be honest with yourself about who in your close circle lifts you up and who might make you feel uneasy.

 

Attend A Trunk Show

If you already know which designer you want to wear and want to focus on a specific wedding fashion aesthetic, attend a designer trunk show by visiting the brand’s website and searching for future events. There, you will most likely find a considerably greater variety of a designer’s most recent works, and you may even have the opportunity to meet a company representative or the designers themselves. Trunk shows frequently provide pricing incentives for going. So, while the price is the price—bridal salons are not places to bargain or barter—you might be able to cut 10% off your purchase. It will considerably lower costs associated with wedding planning.

 

Is Custom The Right Fit For You?

Customizations and their fees are at the discretion of each individual company and designer. It never hurts to inquire if you want a modification made to a gown but be prepared for the adjustments you want to make to render the gown a custom-made piece, which instantly raises the price by a notch, or ten.

The process of designing a personalized wedding gown is time-consuming and involves vision, patience, and a deep knowledge of what you want—as well as plenty of creativity. Since you will most likely not see your final wedding gown until your first fitting, you must have faith in your selected designer. A bride who has a clear vision and has engaged the assistance of a stylist is often most prepared for this approach. The bride who is indecisive or impetuous when it comes to fashion is not a good fit for the custom design process—and that’s alright.

Embrace Your Body

Purchasing a gown based on how you believe your body will look on your wedding day is a mistake. While your adjustments may become more intensive if you meet your fitness objectives in the run-up to your wedding, buying dresses that don’t fit you now in the hopes that they will later is a risky fashion strategy.

We often discourage the idea of shedding for the wedding. The man you’re marrying proposes to you exactly as you are. There may be a desire to improve one’s health and wellness, but don’t get too focused on weight and size. Instead, concentrate on your present body type and how you feel in your chosen gown right now.

Wedding planning is, in many cases, once a lifetime experience. We recommend you enjoy every step of the process and prepare ahead to avoid stressing out about delays and other issues that may arise. And if you are still unsure when to buy a wedding dress for your special day, you can always ask for our professional advice

CategoriesWedding Planning

Things to Consider When Choosing a Wedding Gown

Wedding favors and centerpieces don’t usually come to mind when young girls picture their dream wedding. What they envision is the dress. The perfect gown is one of the first things brides think about when they slip the ring on the finger, even if they haven’t given wedding planning much thought. But before you get swept away by that sea of wedding gowns, we’d like to share a few words of advice. This guide will walk you through all of the factors you need to consider when choosing a wedding gown.

Set a Budget

When it comes to planning a wedding, you should set a budget before making any purchases. Also, make sure you are honest with your bridal consultant about what you can afford. There are times when we get caught up in the moment, as if we have found THE perfect dress, and we are shocked when they tell us how much it costs.

So many brides search for those stunning dresses on Instagram, but they do not see the price tags they come with and thereby have unrealistic expectations. Do not try on dresses that are out of your price range. Make sure you are up front and honest about your budget and ask the store not to show you anything that exceeds. Designer gowns usually cost about $2000 and more, so you should not try anything else unless you are willing and able to spend more.

 

Make an Appointment

As opposed to other retail stores, most bridal stores don’t display the dresses so that you can leaf through them and browse on your own. You will need to schedule an appointment so that a consultant can assist you in selecting dresses and trying them on. Scheduling during the week is always easier than on the weekend. Weekends are usually very busy, so you may get less personal attention, or you may have to wait for someone to try on the gown you want first. It’s worth using some personal time from work to have your appointment on a weekday.

Try On Fewer Dresses

When there are too many wedding dresses available, it is possible to end up overwhelmed with options. It is advisable to limit yourself to a few gowns per appointment or shopping trip and if you have that “wow” moment, don’t be afraid to follow your heart.

Often, brides come after visiting a number of shops and are still looking. This is not because they didn’t find the dress they liked; it is because they’ve missed that feeling already after trying on so many. At this point, every other dress is just a dress and eventually you will just get tired and buy whatever you see last. Once you have reached this point, you should take the time to rest and think about the choices you have made.

Choose Your Entourage Wisely

The bridal party, including mom, sister, sister-in-law, maid of honor, and six bridesmaids, are all very dear to you—but if you’ve ever had trouble deciding where to eat for dinner, imagine how difficult it will be to agree on a dress. Select only two or three people whose opinion matters most to you.

Make sure you only try dresses you like. Do not entertain your crowd by trying on something you don’t. It will only make you more confused.

Get a Similar Beauty Look

It’s obvious that you won’t feel your most beautiful while trying on wedding dresses if you have messy locks and no makeup. Ideally, you should attempt to mimic your dream wedding beauty look as closely as possible. Make sure you dab on some makeup and style your hair, depending on how you intend to wear it on your wedding day. Seeing a complete look is essential when making a final decision.

Make Customizations

 Make customizations if needed. Brides are always on the lookout for the perfect dress but finding everything you have in mind all at once can be quite a challenge. Remember that you can find the strapless gown and make the build up to it or add the lace and beading. It will open up more options when choosing a wedding gown.

But remember, even though seamstresses can make small changes such as adding straps or tailoring the hemline, customizing a gown that requires altering its inner structure or support, however, is costly. The more complicated or custom the gown, the more expensive it’s going to be.

Order True to Size

“Order bigger rather than smaller” is a concept we all have heard and read about, but in reality, it’s best to order the size you are currently in. It is common for stores to order items too large resulting in additional charges for alterations. Be mindful that the size chart is standard, and consultants always go with the bigger part of your body. Some parts of your body might be bigger than 1-2 sizes up, which could be a major factor in changing how the gown will look. 

Take Photos from Various Angles

If you want to get a true idea of how you’ll look in your wedding dress on the big day, ask a friend or family member to snap some pictures of you while trying the dresses on. It is important to get photos from every angle of each dress you are considering, from the backs and sides to images of you sitting down in the dress from the top down.

Do not, however, rely solely on the images you took during your fitting choosing a wedding gown. There are times when the lighting is not right, or the phone just does not capture good photos. Instead, try to remember how you actually looked and felt.

If You’re Plus Size, Call Ahead

Nothing is more disappointing than going to a bridal salon and discovering they only have samples up to size 10. Unfortunately, that’s the case for many. Even though they sell sizes up to 26, most of the stores carry 8-14 sizes and probably a few 16th here and there. If you know you are plus size (16 and up) inquire before coming to the store.

Call ahead of time to find out whether they have plus-size samples of the style and designer you are interested in trying on, or if they do not, whether they may be able to obtain some prior to your appointment.

Keep in mind that dresses are running smaller than the street sizes. In other words, when you are searching for a 14-street size, you will likely end up in a size 16-18 bridal.

Confidence is Everything

Every bride is beautiful in her own way. You don’t have to pretend to be someone else or be upset if you don’t look the way someone else does. The reason your partner is marrying you is because he loves you for you. Consider what makes you feel beautiful, what makes you feel like yourself, what makes you feel comfortable, and what makes you feel confident when choosing a wedding gown. Confidence and beauty will be clearly visible in your photographs, in your smile, and will contribute to the magic and unforgettable experience of your wedding day.