7 Things I Learned About Wedding Dress Shopping

As one of three sisters, it’s safe to say our family knows a LOT about weddings! Our oldest sister, Blair, tied the knot in Seaside six years ago, and it was a night to remember! (Click here for photos) I married my husband, Kevin, in February in Rosemary Beach, and it was absolutely the best day of my life! Two months later, Charley popped the question, and our middle sister, Ellen, is planning her destination wedding for next March in Canada. Weddings are ALWAYS a topic in our household.

There are so many aspects that go into planning a wedding, but my favorite part of planning is definitely wedding dress shopping. They say it’s bad luck to try on a wedding gown before you’re engaged, so slipping into a gorgeous white ballgown for the very first time is such a magical experience! However, once you discover every dress is stunning – how do you choose the right one?

Wedding dress shopping can be a tad overwhelming and different for everyone! My sister, Blair, tried on an Oscar de la Renta dress, fell in love, and that was that. For me, it took a bit longer – and that’s ok too! Today I’m sharing 7 tips on what I learned about wedding dress shopping and how I found my dream dress!

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Photos by Rae Leytham Photography

1 – Know your style and what you like in photographs

Before you go shopping, have an idea in mind of what you are looking for. I had a few dress styles in mind that I wanted to try knowing my body type and what I feel comfortable in. To make sure I knew what I wanted, I tried other styles for fun, but kept coming back to the initial style I always had in mind. You will be in this dress for hours and have countless photos taken from all angles, so make sure you feel like your best self in whatever you choose! Try on a dress, take some photos on your phone, and make sure you love the dress in person AND in photos!

2 – Choose Your Location Before Choosing A Dress

While it’s super exciting to try on dresses as soon as you get engaged, choosing a location BEFORE choosing a dress helps you make the right choice. A long sleeve ballgown may be perfect for the mountains, but chances are the weather won’t permit if you’re tying the knot in Florida. Your wedding day vision may change depending on your venue, so wait to decide if you’re having a formal black-tie wedding, boho backyard ceremony, or a casual barefoot destination wedding to find the perfect dress!

3 – It takes a LOT of time

Thank goodness my sisters and mom were patient with me, because I went to almost every store in Dallas before I chose my final dress.  This goes back to my first point. I wanted to feel comfortable and confident in the dress and not settle on something that was just ok.  Wedding dresses are very expensive, and since I’m not one that generally buys something I’ll only wear once (I prefer wardrobe staples and designer handbags), dropping thousands for a dress that I’m going to wear one time was a bit overwhelming for me – so I wanted to make sure I found the right dress for a price I felt comfortable with. Also, in all the dresses I tried on, I made sure they passed the “boogie down” test. I wanted to make sure whatever I bought, I would be able to dance the night away and not feel stiff on the dance floor.   

4 – Dresses move around a lot

I initially thought by going to the bridal stores, I would see most of my dress options, however, I quickly learned the boutiques rely heavily on trunk shows. You may go to the same boutique twice, and they could have different dresses each time.  I recommend to new brides, if you have a designer you are interested in, check their trunk show schedule to make sure you can find them while they are in town, because you may miss them otherwise.

5 – Stay confident in yourself

One thing that surprised me most about wedding dress shopping is how pushy some of the salespeople can be.  At a couple stores in Dallas (I will not name), my dress consultant was so focused on making the sale that she became rude and pushy.  This is supposed to be a special time for you, so do NOT let someone get you down, because they are upset you’re not buying a dress in their store.  There are dresses in all shapes, sizes, delivery times, and price points, so do not listen to them if they tell you otherwise.

6 – There will be lots of alterations

Wedding dresses are like bridesmaid dresses on steroids.  You get your measurements taken and it puts you in a size category, so you buy the dress in that size.  However, you will still need lots of alternations. This is also why stores say it’s best to have an 8 month lead time for your dress, because it often takes about 4-6 months for it to arrive and another 2-3 months to alter it to your size.  I was lucky enough to have the store right down the road from my house that altered my dress, which was so nice! I highly recommend finding someone you trust that is nearby, otherwise, you will find yourself on the road a lot, especially right before your wedding when you are finalizing the size, and let’s be real, you have no time for this.

7 – You will know once you find your dress

I didn’t have the emotions like you see on TV, but I knew I found the dress once it was the one I didn’t want to take off, because I felt most confident and comfortable in it.  When you look in the mirror and think “eh” you need to keep shopping, but once you find the dress that you want to keep looking at yourself in the mirror or swaying to watch the skirt twirl, that’s when you know you’ve found the right one – and you will not regret it on your wedding day!