Our Top Tips for Wedding Dress Shopping at Your Local Bridal Boutique

You said “yes” to your sweetheart. Now it’s time to for the wedding planning fun to begin! What better way to start than by wedding dress shopping? Maybe we’re biased, but gown shopping should be the most exciting part of your wedding planning journey. To make your experience easy breezy and stress free, we’ve compiled our top tips for wedding dress shopping at your local bridal boutique. Scroll on!

Do your research before your bridal appointment.

We get it. The endless bridal gown options out there can be overwhelming. If you’re not sure where to start, take our wedding dress quiz to find what style of gown might be right for you. And if you want to see what silhouette best flatters your figure, take a scroll through our post on how to choose the perfect dress for your body type.

Then, take a look through the wedding dress Find Your Style page on our website. On the left of the page, you’ll be able to filter between price, style, silhouette, sleeves, and much more! We promise this will save you loads of time in store and also help your bridal stylist find the right wedding dress for you!

Wear the proper undergarments.

Aside from a wedding dress’s construction, the secret to a perfect fitting wedding dress is proper-fitting undergarments. To experience the best fit possible, make sure to wear the right type of undergarments. (Need help? Take a look at our bridal undergarment guide!)

Note: When shopping for your wedding dress, also make sure to bring a strapless bra and any shapewear you may want to wear on your wedding day. The bra will let you rock those backless styles, and the shapewear will support you while smoothing and holding everything into place!

Bring shoes that are the right height.

When trying on wedding dresses, don’t forget about the shoes! Whether you are planning on wearing heels or flats, make sure you wear shoes similar in height to the shoes you plan to wear on your wedding day.

You don’t need to bring the exact pair of bridal shoes you’ll wear on your big day. However, wearing similar ones will help you determine what length of wedding dress you need to order. And it will also help you better envision your overall wedding day look!

Come with your hair and makeup done.

To help you get a complete feel for which wedding dress is your style, do your hair and makeup in a way that resembles the hairstyle you are thinking about wearing for your wedding day.

This way, you’ll get a more realistic image of how you will look on your special day in the wedding dresses you are trying. It will also help your bridal stylist find you the perfect accessories to complement your gown. And lastly, it’ll be easier to imagine yourself in the dress on your wedding day if you look and feel “wedding-day-ready”.

Keep your entourage small.

Too often, brides bring a large entourage to their bridal appointment (Say Yes to the Dress anyone?). While your bridesmaids, sisters-in-law, mother-in-law, and the other women in your life may offer lots of love and support, they will also offer just as many opinions.

As one of our most important tips for wedding dress shopping, we recommend bringing a smaller group of close friends and family. Try limiting it to three or four people. This way, you’ll feel less pressure to please everyone, so you can choose the wedding dress that speaks to you!

Most importantly, keep an open mind!

You may be set on a romantic ball gown wedding dress. . . until you try on that fabulous form-fitting mermaid bridal gown that perfectly highlights all your curves. Don’t be afraid to try styles that seem out of your comfort zone! Who knows? You may fall completely in love with a different style than you imagined!

Or, you may be reassured that your initial mindset was the right one for you. If you need tips on what silhouette will look best on your figure, check out our Finding the Perfect Wedding Dress for Your Body Type blog!

If you stick to these top tips for wedding dress shopping, you’re sure to have a successful boutique experience! Just remember that the most important part of finding “the dress,” is to decide what you want and then follow your gut!

For tips on how to know if a wedding dress is “the one,” check out this advice from real brides! Download our ultimate wedding dress shopping guide here. Then, visit this blog post for more in-store shopping tips! Cheers!

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