Dress Shopping Tips

I recently went wedding dress shopping for the first time—and lo and behold, I ended up buying a dress in the same visit! My only ideas for what to expect going into it were based on multiple episodes of Say Yes to the Dress, which isn’t saying much. 

A lot of websites offer their own dressing shopping tips, like The Knot and Martha Stewart Weddings. However, nothing compares to actually trying on dresses for the first time. I learned a lot from the experience, and I’m happy to share my lessons learned with other brides about to embark on the same journey—with pictures from my own trip!

#1: Go in with a plan…

Have an idea beforehand of some things you want might want to try on. They might not have them all in stock, or your size, but at least it can give your consultant an idea of some things to pull for you. In my case, I had two “top choice” dresses and about six others that I liked the style of. (Being the super organized person that I am, I had a printout of all the dresses with their model numbers and current prices all in one glance.) Of those two top dresses, she was able to pull one right away, and was able to say, “Sorry, we don’t have that one anymore” to the second. I was happy with one out of two! She learned quickly that I liked tea length dresses, and pulled a few of those, along with some others that fit the styles of the other dresses I liked.

My ideas sheet. It ended up being a great tool for the consultant!

#2: …But be open-minded.

There will be dresses that you think you’ll love, but they don’t quite fit your figure. Or, there may be dresses you don’t like parts of that end up being very flattering on your body. You never know what could happen! I went in with no intention to wear lace. I tried on a short, lace dress that my consultant pulled that ended up being very flattering and cute. I ended up walking around the store for a while in it as I looked for more dresses!

The lace dress. Not my style at all, but very comfortable!

#3: Limit who you bring with you.

I promised my dad when I got engaged that he could join me on my first dress shopping trip. He and I are very close, so I was ecstatic when he said he could make it to the appointment I booked! Along with my dad, I brought my best friend and Maid of Honor, Karyn, and my future mother-in-law. Three people—that’s all.

On the shows, you often see brides bringing all of their bridesmaids, their mom, sister, mother-in-law, cousin, and a long lost neighbor from 20 years ago for good measure. While it’s great to have all that support, it will also result in a lot of conflicting opinions. The dress should be about what YOU love and what makes YOU feel beautiful—not anyone else.

My experience would not have been the same without my dad there with me.

#3a: Make sure you’re close with at least one of them—and I mean really close.

This is more of an addendum to #3, and one I didn’t even think about going into it. Karyn was the one in the dressing room with me every time, helping me to get dresses on while not drowning in a train of fabric. (It’s also worth noting she’s a good four inches shorter than me, at least. Her trying to get the dresses over my head was an interesting challenge.) She saw me in a lot of undergarments, and help me put on and take off corsets with zero experience doing so. It was a great testament to our friendship, and I was incredibly thankful she was there with me. Plus, we took some silly selfies along the way!

We love being silly together, which is why she's my Maid of Honor!

#4: Know your budget—and stick to it.

If you try on a dress that’s out of your price range, Murphy’s Law will probably kick in and it will be the best dress ever. But how do you pay for it if it’s out of your budget? This is the one rule I sort of didn’t follow—I didn’t exactly know my budget going into it. My dad gave me a number out of the blue, then a few minutes later, made that number a little higher. The dress I ended up getting was right on this higher threshold. There were plenty of other gorgeous dresses I saw that were way out of that budget, and I had to force myself to keep looking. Don’t risk trying something on that you would have to go into debt to afford, not matter how stunning it is!

This little piece of paper is critical to pay attention to during your trip. It could make or break a dress choice.

#5: Be prepared for a little chaos.

We went on a very busy Sunday morning, and there were brides everywhere. My consultant was helping out a few other girls at the same time. She explained how the store was laid out to us, and we were sent into the racks to pull whatever dresses we wanted. We had no idea what we were doing! We pulled a few things here and there, but generally were pretty lost. Not to mention, what dresses look like on the rack are hard to compare to how they will look on a bride. I ended up finding my dress on a random clearance wall, because the fabric and embellishments stood out to me. It was also not even the size that I was told to look for, and it still fit me like a glove!

Chaos for me included navigating very large trains--and not always successfully.

#6: You might not know it’s your dress immediately—and that’s okay.

A lot of brides have that “Aha!” moment where they burst into tears, knowing it’s the dress. But, not every bride feels that—and it’s totally normal! I thought I would be in the former category, but I actually wasn’t. My dress was the third dress I tried on, and I just thought, “Wow, this is nice, I really like it.” Then I went on to trying more.

How did I know it was the one? Every dress I tried on after, I kept thinking back to that dress. We would go back into the dressing room, and every time, I would glance at the dress and think to myself, “I really want to put that one on again.” Eventually I did, and decided that was the one. Everyone we texted pictures to voted for that dress before I even made the decision myself. It was beautiful, in my budget, and very comfortable. It was the dress that felt the most “me,” and that’s the most important thing.

Not to mention, when I rang the bell and said my official “yes,” that was when I started crying. Everyone else with me immediately followed suit.

Saying "Yes" to a dress made me a bit emotional! 

#7: Remember to have fun!

Yes, dress shopping can be stressful. It’s a big chunk of money being spent on a large piece of styled, embellished fabric. But, if you remember to smile, and enjoy the experience, you’ll have no problem finding yourself a dress to get married in.

I couldn't stop spinning in this dress, and it made for a lot of fun times, even if I didn't get the dress.

Bonus Video: Capturing the moment!

My dad filmed me as I was ringing the bell and giving my final answer. It was a great moment to celebrate a wonderful occasion! Plus, I love looking back on it and seeing just how the dress flowed when I moved in it. Always a plus!