Getting started - Shopping for wedding dress

Most brides have been thinking or envisioning about their wedding dress for a long time. Shopping for your wedding dress can be one of the most important part of wedding planning since this will be the centerpiece of the wedding and everyone notices it. I am sure most of the brides seem lost and have lots of questions about wedding dress, when should it be bought, where should you go and what to expect while shopping for it. This article will provide some guidance and hopefully answer most of these questions. So, let’s start:

When to begin shopping for wedding dress:

A very simple answer - START EARLY. Ideally you should start looking for your wedding dresses as early as nine to twelve months before wedding date. Unless you plan to buy a ready-to-wear dress, you should have this much time in your hands since most wedding dresses are custom made and a lot of iterations may be required for alterations and doing final touch-ups.


Where to shop for wedding dress

The most popular choice for shopping wedding dresses is the bridal salon. It is popular because of wide selection of designs available form variety of designers and also for its very personalized service. You can also check out the various salons in urban shopping malls, strip malls and large departmental stores. You can also check out the internet under 'Bridal Shops' while doing a search. A local listing will give you various options within your area. Also, check with your friends and relatives. Word of mouth recommendations are very helpful. They can help you shortlist the salons to 2 to 3 based on service, variety etc.
While short listing, make sure that you consider salons which fit in your budget. You can save a lot of time and effort if you know what your budget it. There is no point in inquiring about a salon having starting range of $3000 when your budget is $1500. If you are on a tight budget, you can try your luck at bridal outlet. The designs may be a bit older, or the designers are not that well known or the dresses may not be super clean. You may have to go through a lot of dud dresses. Another option is to try a rental wedding dress. If you are not very sentimental about your wedding dress, this can be a much cheaper option. You can check the local listings under 'Clothing Rentals' and also check online. The only negative here is that you may not find a wide selection and maybe the design are not as per current trends.

What should you expect while shopping?

Shopping for wedding dress can be confusing if you don’t understand the language about wedding dresses. Before you go to a salon, you should read about the lingo used while shopping. Get yourself familiarized with terms and parts of gown like fabric, finishes, neckline, waistline, sleeve style etc.
Before you start shopping, you should have a picture of yourself in mind in the wedding dress. The design of your dress should be a reflection of the formality of your ceremony.

When you reach the salon, most probably you will be assigned a specific salesperson. This is the person with whom you are going to interact with till you receive your wedding dress. She would usually ask you about your wedding, the timelines, the formality or wedding, what time of the year etc. She would also ask you if you have anything particular in mind for your wedding dress. She will analyze your body shape and may suggest you what kind of dress would suit you best. A good salesperson will never force you into buying anything.

If you have done a bit of homework and understand the wedding dress, the salesperson will know about it and she would know that she is talking to an informed customer. While interacting with her, try to get ideas from her. She is the one who knows about wedding dresses the most since this is what she does.

When you enter into dressing room, keep your mind open. You should try all dresses which salesperson brings for you. There maybe cases when you don't like it in first glance but trust your salesperson. Try all types of dresses and then decide in which dress you feel most comfortable and like the shape. Most of the gowns can be customized as per your liking. You can take body of one and skirt of another. You can ask for embellishments like beads and bows. But remember, all these customizations will add to the cost of your wedding dress.

Don’t hurry to finalize your wedding gown. After finalizing it yourself, take review comments from your good friends and immediate family members. Since most salons have no-return policy on custom made gowns, you have to be pretty sure that this is the one for you. Go with your instincts and visualize yourself wearing that dress on your wedding day. If you feel nice about it, you should probably go for it.