Your Guide to Wedding Dress Shopping

Wedding Dress Shopping - Everything you need to know!

Wedding dress shopping is an experience that so many of us dream about for many, many years! And it should be an absolute dream for everyone.

As a recently engaged Bride-to-be here, i'm going to share everything you need to know ahead of your appointments.

Getting started

1. Start by Instagraming or Pintresting some boards of dresses you love. Save them for later, keep reflecting back and see if there are any common themes or styles coming through. This doesn't have to be your final choice but it will help guide you to the kind of shops you should visit.

2. Online research. It's much calmer to do some research online first. Most bridal shops will have their collections posted on their website or their social medias. I highly recommend grabbing a glass of your favourite drink and spending an evening flipping through the collections and finding some you'd love to see in person.

3. Booking wedding dress appointments. A lot of bridal shops are by appointment only so keep this in mind when planning to go dress shopping. We recommend booking a maximum of 2 appointments in a day as other wise it can feel very over whelming.

What to bring to your dress appointment

• A strapless bra (although do be prepared to go braless for the majority)
• Seamless underwear, ideally a pale colour
• Any jackets or shoes you plan to wear on the day
• A budget in mind & a rough idea of what sort of things you'd like to try on
  
• Your favourite people who will cheer you on

FAQ's

Will you be asked to remove your bra - Likely, Yes. Most fittings are smoother with either a good strapless or bra or no bra so you can see what the dress will actually look like on you and with out straps to distract. Don't worry, you'll have privacy when needed.

What if they don't have my dress size to try on? During your appointment your bridal stylist will be able to pin and clip the dress to fit you as best as possible before alterations. If you're not sure if a size in stock will fit you well, we suggest popping the shop a message before your appointment to make sure you'll be able to try on your fav's

How long will the appointment take? The appointment times vary from shop to shop but the average time is 1- 2 hours.

How many dresses can i try on per appointment? This will vary slightly shop to shop, but in an average appointment you can expect to try on circa 4 dresses. It does take longer than you think to get in and get clipped in so be prepared to not be able to try on 10's of dresses in one go

How many people can i bring with me? I recommend checking on the website or by contacting the store before your appointment. Too many opinions can be overwhelming so remember to chose your closest people and going alone is absolutely fine too!

Will i be expected to pay on the day? This is very dependent on the bridal store you visit. Some will require a deposit to order in your dress and others will require full payment. You do not have to buy the dress on the day of your appointment you can go home and think about it and come back at a later date if you wish.

What are the timelines for ordering a dress? I can not stress this enough - SOME DRESSES CAN TAKE UP TO 12 MONTHS TO ARRIVE IN STORE! That's before the alterations and final fittings so please check with your bridal store their timelines and make sure you give yourself ple