There is so very much to consider when you begin planning for arguably one of the most important days of a person's life; your wedding day. From the moment your partner pops the question there are sure to be a million and one things that you start to consider. If you plan on wearing a wedding dress on your big day, a lot of those questions can surround the details around that: What kind of wedding dress suits me the best? When should I start shopping for my wedding dress? How many people should I bring with me when I go wedding dress shopping? It can be easy to get overwhelmed when you start to consider all of these different questions. As a bridal boutique in the largest bridal district in the United States, we like to consider ourselves experts and are here to answer some of those most asked wedding dress questions you may have.
"When should I begin wedding dress shopping?"
This is such a popular question when you are newly engaged, because it is not every day we buy a wedding dress! The process is much different than even buying formal wear for other special events. Most wedding dresses if you are purchasing them brand new have to be special ordered. There are Off-The-Rack wedding dress stores where you can purchase gowns as-is and take home same day, but the majority of new gowns will have to be ordered and because of the amount of detail and time that must go into crafting wedding gowns, the shipping timeline, though it will vary from designer to designer and boutique to boutique, can be considerably lengthy. Because of this, we recommend you begin wedding dress shopping 10 months to a year prior to your wedding date; but really, it is never too early. Your wedding dress and venue are some of the biggest decisions you will make for that special day, and a lot of the other choices you'll have to make can be planned around your dress and venue. It can make the rest of planning that much more refined when you have your dress and venue to base it off of.
"How many people should I bring wedding dress shopping?"
Wedding dress shopping is such a special part of the wedding planning process. You have the option of gathering some of your most special people and sharing in the experience of trying on wedding gowns with them by having them by your side when you do. Deciding which dress to say "YES!" to is a big decision, and sometimes having people you trust and that know you well by your side can help you feel empowered to make the best decision possible. Trying on wedding dresses is very exciting, but can also become overwhelming when you do have TOO many additional thoughts and opinions to consider when making such an important decision for yourself. For this reason, we recommend limiting your guests to around 5 people. Some boutiques do have guest limits, so it is important to check with the stores you plan on shopping at, as well.
"Should I try on wedding dresses at more than one store?"
In today's age, possibilities and options are limitless. It is a big decision, saying "YES!" to the dress, and with so many wedding dress options out there, it can be easy to start to feel like you might miss out on something if you don't go to as many bridal shops as possible when you begin wedding dress shopping. Though there is no right or wrong answer to the question of should you go to more than one store, something to take into consideration is that most bridal shops carry a variety of styles in their individual boutiques so even if you only go to one or two, you will still have the opportunity to try multiple different options! If you do decide you want to go to more than one bridal store, we do recommend spacing it out over multiple days because it really can be both physically and mentally exhausting when you are taking gowns on and off in consideration for such an important day.
"What kind of wedding dress is best for me?"
We wish there was a clear cut answer to this one, but the reality is that there are a lot of things to consider when deciding which wedding dress is best for you and ultimately that has to do with your personal preferences! Some brides want to emphasize certain parts of themselves and in that case, some dresses are better than others. Some brides want to focus on comfort above all else whilst others will want to prioritize their gown matching the vision and theme they have. Working with a bridal stylist during your wedding dress appointment will bring together your personal preferences and priorities with the consultants expertise and knowledge and together you will be able to find a dress that is best for you, based on the things that matter to you.
"What is the average price range for wedding dresses?"
On average, wedding dresses are going to be between $1,800-$2,800. The actual price of wedding gowns is going to vary from designer to designer and dress to dress, but this price range is very standard and one you can anticipate when you begin shopping for your dream dress. There are some luxury designers and gowns that can range in price from $3,000-$8,000, whilst some custom designs can be upwards of $10,000. For the most part, you can expect a wedding dress to fall in that $1,800-$2,800 price range. We do recommend reaching out to any bridal shop that you plan to attend to inquire about their payment process as that can vary from boutique to boutique with some taking partial payments and others requiring payment in full at time of ordering.
"What is the alteration process like?"
Some dresses come in and they fit a bride like a glove, you won't have a true idea of what kind of alterations you will need until your gown comes in your size. At that point, you and your consultant can take a look at it and they can help give you an idea of what kind of alterations you may end up needing. Some wedding dress boutiques have an alterations specialist on sight, some have a business close they partner with, and some have an alterations business located in their boutique; it can vary from store to store. In order to find out the specific process for alterations at your respective bridal shop, we highly recommend reaching out to them so they can give you the most accurate insight on what that process will look like for you.
Whether its considering how many bridal shops to go to when wedding dress shopping or what kind of wedding dress will look best on you, there are truly so many things to consider when wedding planning and we hope that by answering some of these most commonly asked questions we are able to make the process that much more simple for you. Make sure you follow us on all of our social media like Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest so that you stay up to date with all the latest information and inventory that we have to offer!