7 Things to Do Before Booking a Bridal Dress Appointment
Posted on April 14, 2024 by Lissa
Finding your perfect wedding gown should be a joyous escape from the whirlwind of wedding planning. Preparing ahead can help ensure that everything runs smoothly.
Instead of popping into a bridal shop on a whim, schedule an appointment beforehand so the store can focus on you and give you all the help and attention you deserve.
After all, this particular time is all about feeling cherished and pampered! And to make the experience even more stress-free, here are seven things to do before scheduling your consultation:
1. Start looking for a dress early in your wedding planning process.
Be sure to allow plenty of time to pick out your dress, as it will be a central part of your big day.
How early should you start looking?
We suggest brides search for dresses and book appointments to try them on around 6 to 9 months before their wedding. This ensures you have the time to make the best choice without rushing.
Planning gives you the most options. You can browse off-the-rack dresses and find “the one” right away, and if you don’t, there’s still enough time to have a custom gown made to your exact specifications.
You are waiting until closer to the wedding can be stressful. You’ll be limited to the dresses remaining in bridal shops, which may differ from your ideal style or size.
2. Educate yourself before you start.
Before you set up your initial wedding gown meeting, it’s wise to grasp what’s currently in style. Look into the latest in bridal fashion to understand the different dress types and fabric options. Bookmark designs that stand out to you.
Create a simple collection or mood board of these dresses. Bring these images to your consultation to give the consultant a clear idea of what you’re looking for in your dream dress.
There is a lot of wedding dress information out there. By looking online, reading magazines about brides, or checking out what wedding styles celebrities choose, you can learn what’s trendy now!
3. Stick with a solid budget.
If there’s a specific gown you’ve set your heart on from browsing online, research and find out the typical price range for such dresses.
This helps you set your expectations budget-wise and establishes a spending limit you’re okay with before visiting any bridal shops.
Keep an open mind during your search. Avoid trying on dresses that are out of your price range so you don’t set yourself up for disappointment.
Falling in love with an over-budget dress can make it challenging to appreciate something more affordable.
Is someone else paying for your wedding gown? Ask them how much they’re willing to spend on your wedding outfit. Then you can plan your dress hunt within this set amount (unless you can add some of your own funds to the budget).
4. Bring the right entourage.
Selecting your wedding dress is an essential personal moment, so having loved ones who truly wish you the best is 100% critical.
We recommend inviting only those close to you who truly understand your taste and can offer honest feedback during your dress fitting session.
Only ask two or three trusted people to come with you when looking at wedding dresses. Having too many voices around can make things easier to figure out. It’s your day, so the dress should show who you are and what feels good.
5. Wear light makeup.
Going to your dress fitting with minimal makeup is a smart move. At the store, most wedding gowns are in light shades like white or ivory, which can easily show marks.
Keeping your makeup light helps keep the dresses spotless, which is essential because they’re expensive to clean.
That said, styling your hair like you might want it for your wedding when you’re off to see dresses is essential. Just be sure to go easy on makeup, especially near your face and upper body.
6. Limit your visits to 1 or 2 shops per day.
A session to try on bridal gowns might last 2 to 3 hours — and the process is surprisingly tiring because dressing up in wedding gowns takes much longer than putting on regular clothes.
If you pick a fancy dress with many layers, it can take between 5 and 10 minutes to get into one.
And once you have the dress on, you and your friends (along with the person helping you at the store) will talk about how the dress looks and feels. This part of trying on dresses also takes up more time.
Aside from this, searching for a wedding gown is also quite an emotional process. Visiting more than two shop stops in one day can be overwhelming. It’s better to pace yourself.
Schedule your appointments on separate days and limit yourself to one or two shops daily.
7. Dress appropriately underneath.
Put on underclothes for your visit that you don’t mind others seeing. When you are trying on wedding dresses, the bridal consultant has to stay inside the changing room to assist with the dresses.
If you feel shy about showing too much skin, think about wearing biker shorts to your visit so you feel okay while getting dressed.
If your wedding day look includes shapewear to help your dress fit better, bring it along when you try on dresses.
Getting shoes the same height as the ones you plan to wear at your wedding is also a good idea.
Visit Flares Bridal Today.
Flares Bridal is a trusted San Francisco Bay area wedding dress shop. When you come to us, you get 80-90 minutes with your fashion helper, your dressing area, and a spot just for you and your dress picks.
We don’t charge you anything for visits from Tuesday to Thursday, but there is a small fee of $20 on Fridays and $35 on weekends.
Book an appointment by calling (925) 939-3306 today.
