Lots of brides find these little tips helpful before embarking upon wedding dress shopping! At our gorgeous Essex bridal shop nestled in the heart of Colchester, we genuinely want to be as helpful as possible to our brides as they begin the journey of a lifetime and start wedding dress shopping, so here are ten helpful things that you (as a new bride to be) might like to know before you start booking your wedding dress shopping appointments. By the way, although we’re based in Essex, we find that lots of brides travel to us from surrounding counties such as London, Hertfordshire, Sudbury, Suffolk and Norfolk! We’ve even had brides jet to us from Dubai, Amsterdam and New York!
So here’s those tips for you to consider, we hope that they help you on this mega exciting journey….
You may love style ‘A’ but end up with style ‘Z’
Sometimes, a bride thinks she wants style A and ends up with style Z, which could be completely different to anything she envisaged herself in. This can happen, and it’s often a little unsettling because the bride has to come to terms with the fact that it is nothing like anything she thought she’d go for, and that is OKAY! It does not mean it isn’t the gown for you. You have just got to get your head around the fact that you have fallen in love with (and feel amazing) in a gown that’s completely different to anything you’d predicted.
Ladies, you do not have to lose weight before your bridal appointment!
It is not compulsory to lose weight before you start trying on wedding dresses, and we’re really passionate about this. Please ladies, do not burden yourself with additional pressure before you start trying wedding dresses on. We work with and have the privilege of styling all women, all shapes and sizes, and we know how to get the best of your frame, whatever your body size! For years, we have worked with women who are a size zero right through to curvy plus size ladies, so whatever your shape, we are here to celebrate you just as you are. We promise, you do not need to lose weight to look and feel incredible in our wedding dresses.
Wedding dress sizing can be misleading and a tad harsh
Wedding dress sizing can be a bit mean. Do not be alarmed if you go up one, or even in some cases, two or three dress sizes. This is because wedding dresses are made from fabrics that are different from your everyday clothes, and have less give and elasticity than you’re used to. Additionally, many designers work from different size charts, all of which many brides find frustrating. We suggest you concentrate on how ‘wow’ you look and feel, and forget about the numbers.
It can be exhausting
Wedding dress shopping can be exhausting and overwhelming, so we definitely recommend that you only book one (or a maximum of two) shopping appointments in one day. Most brides will find ‘the one’ within a few bridal boutique visits, so do not be surprised if that’s you! This is normal.
Will the gowns fit?
If you’re feeling nervous about whether the wedding dress boutiques you are planning to visit have bridal gowns that will fit you, just message or direct message them and ask! Most boutiques have a wide range of sample wedding dress sizes for you to fit into during your appointment. We’ll use clips and pins to ensure that the dresses fit perfectly when you are trying them on, but if you’re uneasy before your appointments, just reach out to your boutique for some extra reassurance.
Just ONE favourite
We highly recommend that as you visit your wedding dress boutiques, try to select just one favourite piece at any one time, whether that’s at one dress shop or across shops that you’ve visited. You will find it much easier for you to make your decision on ‘the one’ if you just have one wedding dress favourite at any one time. Brides who arrive at our store with too many favourite options are often confused and feel they need to start again, so if your Bridal Stylists aren’t suggesting you do this, we suggest you do this for yourself as you try on.
Too many dress-itous
Wedding dress blindness is a very real thing! This can happen when a bride is scared to commit to a gown, worried about letting go of that bridal dress shopping experience, or even just worrying about FOMO, so try to avoid confusing yourself by trying on too many gowns and losing the magic of wedding dress shopping.
It’s all about how YOU feel
Dress shopping is all about how you feel in a gown, emotionally. You will know when you’ve found the one, so tune in to which dresses make you feel special and connected. You might feel really excited and confident that you look all around, utterly fabulous! It’s often a feeling of ‘I just don’t want to take it off,’ and you’ll compare it to all of the others.
Found the one? Stop searching
When you’ve found the one, and certainly when you’ve ordered your gown, it’s time to stop your search and stop booking fitting appointments. Continuing to try on other wedding dresses can just lead to second-guessing yourself, and we recommend that you avoid any additional stress of that nature. Besides, bridal gowns are like fiancés, you don’t keep searching after you say yes, do you?
Fear of the Fiancé reaction
Your fiancé is going to love you in whatever you feel fabulous in! Go ahead, and pick the gown that makes you feel a million dollars, and you will absolutely shine on your wedding day. Finding your dream wedding dress becomes a lifetime memory that you’ll hold really close to your heart. Many brides wish that they could get the opinion of their fiancé before their wedding day, but trust us when we say that the best way to look incredible on your wedding day and completely wow your fiancé is to follow your gut, choose the dress that makes your heart sing and everything else will fall into place. Good luck, we can’t wait to welcome you in-store!