One of the most stressful elements of the wedding planning process is finding the perfect wedding gown. Whether you want a “white wedding” or not, it can be really tricky trying to find that one dress that fits you perfectly, accentuates all your favorable features while downplaying your less desirable features, and looks good. Simply put, the vast majority of dresses you look at will not fit the bill, and so you don’t need anything else to make this process even more difficult. As such, what follows is a list of 3 things NOT to do while shopping for that perfect wedding gown. Failure to follow this guidance will make things 10 times harder for you, trust me. So please heed this advice!
First and foremost, DO NOT rush. Start the search well in advance so you have enough time to look through dozens or even hundreds of dresses before making a decision. Start at least 6 months in advance if possible so you can make the most informed decision possible. Similarly, pick a day and devote the entire day to dress shopping. Having to juggle the shopping process with other appointments will create a rushed experience which in turn will lead to a rushed decision.
Second, DO NOT invite tons of friends and family members to accompany you on the dress shopping excursion. This is especially true if the members of your posse might have differing viewpoints – for example the mother of the bride compared to the maid of honor. Like having too much information, having too many opinions can lead to overload and might result in a shift in focus from trying to please yourself to trying to please everybody else. Avoid this by only bringing 1 or 2 people with you that you trust.
Third, DO NOT be closed-minded. Chances are that this will be your first time trying on wedding gowns, and if that’s true then you might not be aware that wedding dresses fit much differently than regular attire. Thus, no matter what your initial opinions are, they are likely to change as you go through the process. So make sure you try on all kinds of different styles, and always listen to the bridal consultant’s opinions, as she is an expert who can set you on the right path.
Simply following these 3 pieces of advice will lead to a much smoother wedding gown shopping adventure – guaranteed. Just remember to start the process well in advance and allocate the entire day every time you shop, limit the number of attendees to 1 or 2 of your closest friends or family members, and keep an open mind. I can pretty much guarantee that doing these things will lead to a better decision compared to not doing these things. Good luck and remember…try and make it fun…hopefully you only get one chance to do this!
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