Finding your perfect wedding dress at the bridal boutique can be anything from a nightmare to the most fun and indulgent shopping experience possible. Take a leaf out of our book to ensure choosing yours proves enjoyable rather than exasperating. If you avoid the following common pitfalls, you’ll stand a much better chance of avoiding a bridal dress shopping emergency situation and will find picking out your dress an exciting experience, just as it should be.
1. Taking every member of your girl squad to pick out your dress
This may sound like someone raining on your parade, but you really should only have two or three of your nearest and dearest with you. You may think you want your whole crew offering their opinion on your dress, but too many opinions will confuse you and make you second guess everything and anything.
2. Shopping too early
Nobody wants the stress of a last minute mad dash to find the dream wedding dress and all the accessories to go with it, but there are also definite perils to getting started too early. If you haven’t set a date or venue yet, for instance, then you’re far less likely to choose a dress fitting for the occasion. If you think last minute alterations are a nightmare, try forking out for a dress only to realise later that it is only perfect for you in a different season and venue! Five to eight months before your big day is around the time your should be hitting the boutiques. For all you fashionistas out there, buying too early also means missing out on newer collections.
3. Forgetting about your budget
“You only get married once”, is what you’ll be telling yourself as you do this. But trying on dresses you can’t afford will only lead to heartbreak and disappointment. You also need to be aware of the fact that once you’ve bought the dress, you’ll also be spending more to complete your look. Don’t max out on the dress, and force yourself into making unnecessarily hard decisions with the accessories to complete your look – veils, jewellery and shoes all come at a price, lets not forget that even alterations can cost.
4. Not being open minded enough about your style
A lot of us have a tendency to find what works for us and to stick with it. When it comes to choosing a wedding dress though, you’ve got to be prepared to broaden your horizons. Don’t prejudge a dress by how it looks on the hanger. If you take the time to try something a little bit different you may well fall for something you hadn’t envisaged going for. So don’t limit yourself to just a ball gown when it might turn out that a mermaid cut actually suits your figure all the more.
5. Obsessing over the dress size
It’s pretty common for wedding dress sizes to be smaller than your typical high street dress. Don’t sweat over the number, just concentrate on making sure you’ve got a good fit. If, like so many do, you’re planning on losing a little weight ahead of the big day, be realistic about how much you’ll have shed. Remember, it’s a lot easier to have last minute adjustments made to make a dress smaller, making it bigger is much more of a task.
By steering clear of these mistakes you’ll end up with a dress that you’ll love truly, madly, deeply, and all without breaking into a sweat.
For further dress inspiration have a look at some elegant silhouettes and seriously exclusive dresses.
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