Wedding dress shopping can be some of the most fun or the most difficult part of wedding planning depending on your experience and expectations. The hope is that you can enjoy yourself while finding something to wear for your wedding day, but it can be really hard to know what to expect when your only exposure to this may be “Say Yes to the Dress”. Here are some of the things that you should know before you go to your wedding dress appointments so you can make the most of your experience.

Who to Bring

Wedding dress shopping can be really fun or really overwhelming. When you are thinking about who you would like to be there, keep in mind that they may be assuming they are there to give their honest opinions. If you want to ensure that you are having a good time, make sure there are people around you that you really want to hype you up and help you out. Some people know they will feel obligated to include certain people, so you can always plan to go dress shopping with them one day and go by yourself or with other people on the other. This may be especially helpful if you have many people in multiple states or locations. You also don’t want too many people giving all of their opinions, so the sweet spot for guests is 3-5 people. You should ask the dress shops how many people they allow, because they may have a limit on the extra guests you can bring.

2. What to Bring

It is really hard to know exactly what shoes you plan to wear unless you have something really specific in mind, but some dress shops will really want you to know at least what size heel you plan to wear so they can plan for the proper amount of fabric to hit exactly at the right point. If you can bring your shoes, underwear, veils, or shapewear that you would like to wear for your wedding day, that would be ideal to really know the full look. If you’re planning on buying these items later, just make sure that you are basing those choices more off of your dress so they match.

3. Know the Sizing

Wedding dress sizing is far different from your street size. You’re likely going to try on samples that are much larger than you are and get “strapped into them”, and they might not be in the colors you may want. It’s definitely important to know this ahead of time so that you aren’t shocked if your street or “regular” clothing size is an 8 but your wedding dress is ordered in a size 14.

4. Know the Cost

As far as the the cost to expect, this will vary significantly depending on the shops you are going to, the location, and your specific style. According to The Knot, the average cost for a dress was $1,900 from 2022. You’ll also have to keep in mind any additional costs such as your alterations that you will likely need, as that can also cost anywhere between $300-1,000 depending on the complexity of the alterations needed.

5. Planning Appointment Times

Depending on the type of person you are, planning all of your appointments all in one day can affect your experience while dress shopping. Most people will try and book multiple dress shopping appointments in one day so all of the people you want to bring with you can see all of the options. However, this can prove to be overwhelming needing to time your appointments perfectly and feeling the need to wait until the last appointment to make a decision. If you think you’ll be overwhelmed, I would definitely suggest having the appointments on different days or with large gaps in between so you have some time to breathe.

6. If you’re not 100%, you can always come back!

With the TV shows like “Say Yes to the Dress”, there is always the idea of just “knowing” which dress you should get as soon as you put it on. Many people don’t feel this way, and that’s totally okay! You can always keep the photos or the names of the dresses for you to look at later. You don’t need to make a decision on that day if you’re not feeling ready - just call back the dress shops for another appointment when you feel like you know which dress is right for you!

Wedding dress shopping is supposed to be a fun experience, but if you go into it blindly it can totally become overwhelming. I definitely recommend looking this over before you start booking appointments so that you know a little bit better what to expect out of this experience, and I hope that you enjoy it!

If you would like more help to plan your wedding, you can reach out to me here. I would love to help you through your wedding planning journey and make sure that you can actually enjoy yourselves with your family and friends!