Wedding dress shopping should be fun. We know that planning your big day is stressful enough. Finding your perfect bridal gown shouldn’t be another source of anxiety! We want you to feel comfortable and excited. You’re going to look awesome. So before you even make your appointment with a bridal salon, you want to have a game plan. Here are our top five tips to making your wedding dress shopping feel like a breeze.
Be honest with yourself about your price range.
Your gown is not the only component of your wedding day look. You need to factor in shoes, accessories, and what you’ll be wearing to the reception. There might need to be alterations or special undergarments. Your wedding dress should make up a decent part of your budget, but that couture gown shouldn’t force you to sacrifice more invitees or a pretty cake. Choose a bridal salon that can meet your needs.
What are you missing?
Many off the rack bridal boutiques like Luxe Bridal Rack offer options beyond what’s already in stock! We’ll make that budget work to your advantage. We are an authorized dealer of Pronovias, Pronovias Atelier, and Calla Blanche. We have great relationships with designers like Zuhair Murad and Vera Wang, too. We want to help you track down that perfect dress at a great price. Without the to-order markups.
Schedule appointments early and often.
Unless you’re willing to take time off from work to try on dresses, weekend spots book fast. Some salons and boutiques limit the number of dresses you can try on in order to keep their later appointments. If you know you’re not the type to make spontaneous decisions, have at least two try-on dates lined up from the start.
Keep your crowd in check.
Too many brides invite their whole wedding party to their bridal salon appointment. Don’t bring your mom, your sister, your future mother-in-law, your great aunt, your three cousins, and your best friend along. Keep it simple. Keep it positive. You don’t want to invite your biggest critics to these appointments. You’re asking for a meltdown (or, at least, too much distraction and too many dissenting voices). Choose one or two of your favorite people, tops.
Follow designers and stores on Facebook and Instagram before you start wedding dress shopping or even make an appointment.
Even if you suss out a gown that looks like it’ll make all your dreams come true, you want to keep an open mind. Even with tailoring, it just might not work for you. Stay inspired. Think in terms of concepts and silhouettes and colors instead of exact dresses. You’ll be happier to find something more uniquely you than what looked great on that bridal model. Plus, checking out your local Chicago bridal shop’s Instagram might reveal some super special finds. 😉
Hit us up, and keep an eye out for some exciting #LBR sales in the new year!
