When it comes to wedding gown buying, there is a slew of frequent mistakes that women make, often because they are unprepared or reluctant to look beyond their perfect picture. However, wedding gown buying does not have to be unpleasant, futile, or time-consuming. Here are the top 10 mistakes we see brides make while shopping for a wedding gown; if you can avoid them, you’ll be great!
1. They have no idea what their budget is.
Unless you have an infinite budget, you should have a rough sense of what you can spend. Obviously, if you look for affordable wedding dresses from a factory outlet or a discount designer boutique, your budget will stretch a lot farther, but you still need to know how much you can spend.
2. Not taking into account additional costs
When you’re planning your outfit, keep in mind that you’ll be wearing more than a dress! You should think about your shoes, underwear, a veil if you’re going to wear one, any new jewelry (I’m thinking most of us didn’t have a tiara before we were married! ), as well as your hairstyle and make-up.
3. Bringing an excessive number of people
You should absolutely bring someone with you. Many people bring their mother, sibling, or close friend with them. Whoever you select should be individuals you can trust to give you an honest assessment but also not trying to get you to buy a dress they like instead of the one you like! If you have more than two individuals, you’ll wind up with too many diverse points of view, which might be confusing. Besides, you want as many people as possible to be surprised by your wedding gown on the big day!
4. Having it all made up during wedding dress shopping
Okay, shopping for a wedding gown is more special than regular shopping, but there’s no need to get it all dolled up for us! If you’ll need more support under your wedding gown, make sure you’re wearing a well-fitting bra, but otherwise, casual is OK. In fact, we would prefer that you didn’t wear any make-up that may smudge the gowns. Don’t forget your engagement ring though, because you want to make sure it matches the dress.
5. Shopping too early (or too late!)
Shopping at wedding dress factory outlets, for example, is less of a problem because these gowns don’t need to be produced from scratch for you, but you should still allow enough time for any changes. When it comes to shopping too early, you should at the very least have the wedding date set, as well as the location, since all of these factors will impact the kind of dress you select. Also, if you aren’t ready to buy, you can fall in love with a dress that isn’t available when you have the funds.
6. Not having done any preliminary research
It’s OK to keep your options open when it comes to clothing styles, but you should have some concept of what you enjoy. Knowing your venue will help (beach weddings have a whole different dress code than church weddings! ), but spend some time to look at some photos and see what you like. Perhaps you prefer a removable train to a built-in one or plainer gowns to more intricate ones. Looking at all the wedding gowns on the rails might be a little befuddling if you don’t know where to start!
7. Only trying one style on
Being insistent that you would only try on white strapless ballgowns, on the other hand, may mean you lose out on a dress that might suit you better, as well as limiting your options.
8. Attempting to purchase a lower size under the pretext of “I’ll lose weight before the wedding.”
It’s simple to say, but not so easy to do, and although we’re not suggesting you won’t lose weight before your big day, keep in mind that most gowns can be taken in up to four sizes without losing their design. It’s considerably more difficult to let a dress out, and even if you can, you’ll only be able to do it by one size. So pick a dress that fits right now and get it altered after you lose weight!
Also Read: Essential Things You Should Know About Preserving Your Wedding Gown
9. They forget that they have to wear the gown for the entire day.
This may seem self-evident, yet many individuals will try on a dress and decide to buy it without ever sitting in it. Consider how comfortable your wedding gown will be to wear when sitting down, eating, and even dancing in. This is especially critical with corset-style bodices, which may be confining, and fishtail dresses, which, if excessively tight, can prevent you from sitting at all!
10. Purchasing a dress that you do not adore
It’s YOUR outfit. It should be the garment to which you compare all other gowns (I still do this four years later, and I still adore my wedding gown more than any other!). Choosing a gown because it made your mother cry, or because it has a color trim that matches the bridesmaids’ gowns, is not a good idea. You’re not going to do this again, so make sure you get the wedding gown of your dreams.
With the tips mentioned above, you are now confident to go on your wedding dress shopping. Once you have your wedding dress take into consideration that you need to clean and preserve your wedding dress after your wedding. By doing this you will preserve the most memorable dress of your life. Don’t forget to order a wedding dress preservation and cleaning kit.