Alright ladies, it’s time to talk about probably the most anticipated part of planning a wedding… dress shopping! To be more exact, I want to talk about what to do before going shopping. Namely, research. Yep, I said it. Research. To go shopping.
Photo by ELV photographer Pure7Studios
If you haven’t already read my own dress story, definitely start there to get the backstory. In a nutshell: I DIDN’T do my research, was super excited to get a dress, acted too fast, settled for one, and then months later ended up getting my perfect dress. All of that could have been prevented by doing one thing. RESEARCH.
Yeah, I looked online and saw pretty dresses. And I even pretty much had a style and designer screaming to me from my plethora of saved dress photos, but I just didn’t realize it. In looking at dresses online, what I didn’t look for was WHERE those dresses were carried. I just expected the style and designer of the dresses I liked to be at whatever store I went to. Which happened to be whatever stores were the closest to me. Which were crap. And didn’t carry the designer that I loved. Again, this waste of time and money could have been avoided if I had just done a little more RESEARCH!
So on to this “research”. What steps did I miss, and what should you be sure to do? How about a little list of steps?
5 Steps of Research Before Wedding Dress Shopping
1. PHOTOS. The only way you’re going to know what dresses you like is by looking! Start off looking at photos online, magazines (lots of dress ads in magazines, in case you haven’t figured it out yet!), designers’ websites, etc. Try to stick to actual sites that have the dress photos on them and not something like a Google Images search- it will be easier to know the designer if you do that! And then of course save whatever you like.
2. REFINE. Just like with any other type of search for inspiration, you’ll want to weed out what doesn’t quite stand out to you after a few hours or days. Go back and look through everything again, remove photos, and refine your “collection” of dresses that you like. Repeat if necessary.
3. DEFINE. Here’s one of the places where I messed up and you’ll need to pay attention. You should see some sort of pattern once you’ve refined what you saved. It could be a fabric, a dress style, a type of embellishment, a color, or even a designer. Gather the similarities and define them. Know what it is that you’re liking so you can tell the dress store. (In my case, I knew I liked laced, but what I didn’t realize was that I was obsessed with a certain designer who had like 3 different lines of dresses, and I loved them all.)
4. PLAN. Plan your day(s) of dress shopping. Look up all of the bridal shops within an hour of where you live/where you’re shopping. Look up their reviews online too- I recommend WeddingWire. Some shops are just awful and will ruin your whole shopping experience, and some are awesome. If you can, try to avoid the awful shops- trust me on this. And if your heart is set on a designer, of course look up what stores carry that designer. (Here’s something interesting to know: Bridal shops have to be a certain distance apart from each other to be able to carry certain designers, so if you’re looking for a particular designer, you may have to take a little trip [I had to drive 2.5 hours].) It’s a good idea to make appointments at bridal shops- some are even by appointment only. All the more reason to plan out your day!
5. SHOP! And now you’ve done your research, and it’s time to shop! Remember, it’s okay if you don’t find “the one” at your first store or on the first day of shopping. Take your time, don’t rush. If you have trouble deciding, try to envision yourself in that dress walking down the aisle to your fiance. That’s what helped me. :) And most of all, have FUN!
Hopefully these tips will help some of you with the quest for your wedding dress! Just remember the key point here… RESEARCH! Those of you who already have your dress- how did you find yours? Did you research like crazy, or just let it happen? Share any tips that you feel will help other brides too!
emily hansel:
September 29, 2011 11:21 am
Great tips lauren! I would add one more: once you get to the shop(s), keep an open mind. After all my research and visualization, I knew i wanted a lace gown. And then i tried some on. I felt like i was playing dress up as a bride instead of feeling like myself. So i tried a dress that had caught my eye in the shop window and fell in love. Instead of lace, it was strips of raw organza. In the end I think what I really wanted was fabric with texture. So go with your gut, and remember to have fun! when else to you get to try on so many amazing gowns? :)Brynn:
September 29, 2011 11:46 am
Awesome tips Lauren. I did a lot of research for my dress, and I went to a LOT of shops. I felt like they were all trying to rush me to pick something THAT day. But I didn't try anything on and have a "this is the one" until I went to a shop that was slightly more expensive and sold designer gowns. They didn't try and rush me either, but they had a fun rule. They let me pick out as many as I wanted to try on, they picked 2 for me and they made my mom choose 1. The rule was I had to try on each one. I had said from the beginning that I didn't think I wanted a strapless dress, because I am always worried about them slipping down or making my chest look pinched together. i ended up LOVING one of the dresses the associate picked out. It didn't look like much on the hanger, but it was perfect. And strapless, but it had a belt on the inside to hold it up all day! I still put it on and where it around the house when the hubby isn't home to laugh at me :)Tali:
September 29, 2011 12:20 pm
I love the tips! Many brides have the very opposite issue than yours as well. for some brides they have shopped at too many places that they are beyond confused. there has to be a balance. if not, it stops being fun. i thought the whole point was to have fun. Thank again!Jess@DestinationInspirations:
September 29, 2011 2:36 pm
Every bride to be should read this. I actually went in with an open mind and my sales associate was amazing. She knew exactly what looked great on me and what I didn't like. So make sure ladies to read reviews on the stores to.erica:
September 30, 2011 11:23 am
aw, thanks for using our shot! joni's dress was amazing, and it was a designer gown she bought secondhand on a website called "usedweddingdress.com" or something like that. it was worn once and cleaned by a bride in ca, and then sent all the way to fl for joni. another way for a bride on a budget to snag a fabulous designer dress at the fraction of the price!Weekly Wrap Up + Link Love | Heart Love Weddings:
October 1, 2011 10:02 am
[...] Ever wonder what you should do before going wedding dress shopping? Lauren of Every Last Detail has the answer for you in this week’s Thursday Tips! [...]In case you missed it + your weekly roundup « In Love, Engaged:
October 1, 2011 1:11 pm
[...] shares some tips on wedding dress shopping over on Every Last Detail. It’s a must read for new [...]Frances:
October 2, 2011 7:58 pm
Great tips! I initially fell in love with a casablanca a-line gown that had all this beautiful lace and a sash around the waist. when i tried on gowns with laces, I felt old, and didn't like the a-line. Most of the dresses I initially bookmarked with laced gowns with an a-line. Sometimes I think that brides-to-be end up trying on gowns and, as you said, refine their search to what they begin to like/love until the one is found. I went to five different bridal stores, trying on dresses that basically had satin-like material and rouching. I found my perfect dress that was completely different from what I imagined myself in. It was in that process of trying on dress after dress I finally had an idea of what I wanted. And then I found it after three months of shopping.wedding dress Orange County:
January 12, 2012 5:35 am
Conducting a research before finally deciding can really help you. This would be an assurance that you can have the chance to choose the right designer for your wedding dress that you have been dreaming of. Doing this can save you money and you will not have to regret the design that you have chosen.