Your Bridal Gown for your Dream Wedding
10 tips to help you find that perfect Gown
The time has finally come. The perfect man has come into your life & you are engaged! Your gown has to be perfect, to go with the perfect wedding you have been dreaming about. Maybe you have a style in mind, or perhaps you have been looking through the bridal magazines & have found the gown you think is just right. You want to make sure the gown you choose fits you perfectly and enhances the beautiful you. The right style of gown will turn you into the most beautiful bride you & everyone else has ever seen. That perfect gown for you looks better on you than any other gown you try on. That's when you know you have found it.
Of course, the search for that perfect gown can be exhausting and frustrating. You can help yourself find that gown with minimal hassle & maximum happiness. Follow these tips and you will be in your dream gown in no time!
- Ask yourself what kind of wedding you want - do you want a formal style, more informal? What is your theme? Perhaps you want to find a dress that fits your theme you have chosen - for example if you have a Cinderella theme, you would be looking for a Cinderella style of gown - big full fluffy skirt, long gloves, tiara in your hair.
- Try to start searching for your dress nine months in advance. This way you can have any alterations done in plenty of time for the wedding.
- Buy some bridal magazines & flip through the pages to get an idea of the styles you like the most. Take out the pages you liked the most & bring them in to the store with you.
- Make appointments with the bridal store before stopping in. This assures you a dressing room, and allows you to try on whatever dress you want. If you don't make an appointment, you may get stuck waiting in a long line before you get to try on anything, let alone talk to any consultants.
- Try to go to a reputable store to find your gown. One thing you don't want is for the bridal gown shop to close two weeks before your wedding.
- Watch out for shops that tout "designer names at discount prices". If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Ask friends & family where they found their dress. Most women who have gotten married are more than happy to tell you what their experience was like when looking for their perfect gown. Often their advice can help save you a lot of time!
- Check out "trunk shows". You can get an idea of what gowns the designers are highlighting for the season at these. Bridal shows around town also often have fashion shows that highlight gowns from area stores. These are also great to check out.
- Don't like to wait around? Take some time off during the week to shop for your bridal gown. Saturdays & Sundays are madhouses at most every bridal store. Shopping during the weekday allows you some breathing room & gives you the opportunity to shop without a lot of stress.
- Don't take everyone with you when looking for your gown. Too many opinions can make it hard to decide. Take no more than one person with you, and make sure that you trust & value their opinion.
- Three is the magic number - don't visit more than three bridal salons. You can quickly get lost in the bridal gown search if you go all over town to every store. Limit your search.
- Take notes. Write down what you liked about the gowns, what you didn't like about them. This help you review when you get home.
- Open up the possibilities. Try a couple of gowns the consultant shows you that you might not have thought about before. You might be surprised at how well they flatter you.
- Remember your budget. Sticking to your budget will help you narrow your search, and will keep your finances intact. Don't let that temptation get the best of you. Be firm with the bridal consultant about your budget. Many will try to show you gowns that are above the price range you indicate.
- Narrow your choices down to no more than three gowns. Try them on again. Ask the consultant about all fees & costs up front for the gowns. Ask about extra costs (gown bag, pressing, shipping, large size, alterations). You'll want a written estimate before you put down the deposit.
- Once you have decided on a gown, ask how long the gown will take to get in.
- Ask if there are any additional special order fees for the gown you want.
- Ask what the payment policy is. Can you put the deposit & final balance on your credit card? When will the payment be due? What about refunds? What is their policy on refunds?
- Ask who is the manufacturer of the dress is. If the store absolutely refuses to tell you or they "don't have a way of knowing", go elsewhere for the gown. Chances are, they have a copy of the dress. If you know who the manufacturer of the gown, you can call the manufacturer directly & ask if that store is an authorized dealer for the gown.
- Pay for the deposit & final payment with a credit card. You have more protection if something goes wrong, or if the gown isn't delivered as promised. If you pay with cash or check, kiss the money goodbye if something happens.
- Remember once you find the gown, the dealer will want a 50% deposit from you to order the gown.
- Once you have found the dress & are sure it's the right one, go get the undergarments you will wear under the dress. You'll want to get the shoes too. Try on the dress with the undergarments you plan to wear under the dress & make sure everything looks right. If everything looks right, you are finally ready to buy.
- After your dress is ordered, wait one to two weeks, call the bridal store & ask what the "confirmed or expected shipping date" is on the gown. Most stores know when they place the order what that date is.
- Two weeks before the gown is to arrive, call the store again & ask if your gown is still expected to arrive on time. Usually the store will know about delays at that time and can let you know. This helps avoid surprises.
- When the gown arrives, take it out of the bag & inspect it throughly before paying the final balance. In most cases, once you walk out of the store with the gown, you have officially accepted the gown "as is", and have no recourse if you get home & discover a tear or flaw in the dress.
- Alterations. Make sure you trust your gown to an experienced alterationist. Ask them how long they have done alterations on wedding gowns. Give them a firm deadline as to when you need the dress before agreeing to any work done on the dress. Get all your agreements in writing before you hand over the dress.
- Last but not least - make sure the dress fits you well when you are sitting, bending over, standing, dancing, etc. You want to make sure it fits perfect for whatever you may be doing on your perfect Wedding day.
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