SHOPPING FOR A WEDDING DRESS

Spring is slowly creeping in which means wedding season is just around the corner. Today I will be sharing my wedding dress shopping experience. I was asked on Instagram by a long time follower, Audrey to share some ideas.

My wedding was last summer, and I would say that I was a relatively unconventional bride as in I didn't spend over a year planning my wedding and definitely did not spend most of my time doing it. I was engaged the summer of 2014, and didn't start planning my wedding until end of March in 2015 for a September 2015 wedding. I was lucky and was able to book my venue the last weekend in March. However given there was so little time, I did a LOT of research beforehand. My friends joke around now and tell me I should start a wedding planning business - I was able to get everything I ever wanted in a wedding, within my budget. If you're interested I can definitely write some more posts about planning/budget, etc. just let me know below =).

Anyways, I will be focusing my efforts on wedding dress shopping today. I tried on at least 40-50 dresses that ranged in price from $500-$15,000.

My mother came dress shopping with my every time and luckily snapped lots of pictures on her cell phone. Most of the dresses I tried on were around a size 4-8; I'm typically a 00, but luckily the stylists were able to pin/clip the dresses for a closer fit.

I think it's definitely VERY important to try on dresses of all shapes/sizes. I had always envisioned a large "princess gown" which was one of the first ones I tried on. I quickly realized it was too large for my frame and did nothing for my figure.

Trying on different fabrics and textures is also important: This tulle gown with lace overlay was gorgeous on the rack, but clearly did not fit my style. I did however LOVE the light weight fabric. If you've tried on wedding dresses, then you know that many of them are extremely heavy especially those with lots of beading. I'm 5'4 and weight ~105 and knew I couldn't walk around in a heavy gown all day. It very important to find a gown that is comfortable - you will be running around greeting guests, getting photos during the wedding, first look, etc..

After having so many failed attempts with the ball gown/A-line style, the stylist brought me a dress that was on the opposite end of the spectrum - almost Greek goddess like/Marilyn Monroe-esque. I tried it on, but did not think it was appropriate for my wedding - if you like this style, it could be a dress that you change into for dancing!

This is the same dress with and without a belt; adding a belt completely changes the look...ACCESSORIZE!

Wedding dress stores are filled with all kinds of accessories - belts, jewelry, hair pieces. I would highly recommend trying on dresses with different belts. As you can see from the picture above, adding a belt really changes the look and feel of a dress.

Lastly, I tried on trumpet/fit and flare dresses and decided that was the shape I wanted. I have a very slender frame with minimal curves, but wanted a dress that showed off the little curves I have. Even with the same fit, there were so many styles:





Other things to consider when dress shopping:

• THE VENUE - if your wedding is on a beach, go for a light weight flowy dress, sand-friendly. If your dress is in a hotel or somewhere a little more formal, perhaps something more formal or a large train is appropriate.
• YOUR SHOES - if the dress is long, there's a big chance you may trip on it, so be careful with heel height and dress length. I highly recommend bustling your dress during dinner and dancing!
• COLOR OF DRESS - Beige/off-white vs. white dresses. I ended up going with an off-white colored dress. I'm a skin is a little darker and thought the white was too white against my complexion. Some dresses come in both white and off-white so be sure to ask.
• You may want to consider matching your fiance's shirt color to the dress color if you're really want to match, but honestly you can't see a different in pictures (my dress was off-white and my husbands shirt was white)
• Side note: MEN'S SHIRT - My husband only buys non-iron dress shirts from Brooks Brothers, so for our wedding, he of course bought a new white Non-Iron Golden Fleece Tuxedo Shirt from Brooks Brothers. He HIGHLY recommends a non iron shirt to wear. Once the music starts and the tux jacket comes off, you definitely don't want a crinkled shirt. What's great about BB shirts is that they come in 4 different fits - extra slim, slim, regular, relaxed (they recently changed their naming convention to Milano, Regent, Madison, and Traditional)
• LENGTH OF DRESS - Depending on how tall you are, this may or may not apply to you. As I mentioned, I'm 5'4 and many of these dresses were much too long for me. I wore 5 inch heels, stood on a 6 inch platform while trying on dresses, and the dresses were still dragging on the ground. If you're getting significant length taken off the bottom of the dress, just make sure the details at the bottom are not cut off and the shape will remain the same after alterations.
• THINGS TO BRING WHILE DRESS SHOPPING:
• Remember to bring SHOES - they don't have to be the exact shoe you plan on wearing during your wedding, but bring a pair of shoes with the same heel height you plan on wearing during your wedding. This will give you a better idea of what the dress will look like and can practice walking with the dress. There are always shoes at the dress store, but bringing a pair that fits you and are already broken in allows you to experiment with walking around with the dress.
• NUDE STRAPLESS BRA - this is a must; it will give you a better idea of what the dress will look like and it will decrease all the fuss of tucking in straps!
• UNDERGARMENTS - bring any slips, padding, etc. whatever you plan on using during your wedding to all of your shopping trips/appointments. This will again give you a more accurate idea of the look and feel of the dress during your big day. This is especially important during alterations.

I hope you found this helpful. Please let me know if you'd like me to write any other wedding related posts!