Like anything else in life, wedding dress shopping has its unwieldy obstacles. I’m sure you’ve seen the catastrophes glamorized on popular TV shows, perhaps even experienced some of your own with friends and family. And I think we can all agree, a stress-filled cycle of arguing and opinions that land in a gossip saga to end all sagas is not our cup of tea.
So… what do we do?
For your entourage, the most important thing you can do is choose the right people. You want to feel uplifted and supported. Choose friends and family that you know are there for YOU and want to find the dress YOU love. However, sometimes the people you love most can pose some issues. This happens more than one would imagine and in these cases, we find the best way to overcome this is by setting clear expectations and boundaries.
Here are some examples:
“When we go in, could you only share your positive opinions about the dress and how I look.”
“If you have something negative to say about the dress, could you say it more factual (I do not like how the skirt is falling) instead of how it makes me look (the skirt is making you look fat).”
“Please let me be the one to pick the dresses out. I like your style on you, but I want my dress to look like me.”
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For yourself, the most important thing is to be open-minded and ready to make decisions. We know, especially if you have never seen a dress on, it is hard to know if what you’ve envisioned or seen online will be right. We suggest combatting this by trying on several varying styles, even styles you don’t think you’ll like. To the second point, being ready to be decisive is not just about what you do like. It’s about communicating with your stylist on what aspects of the styles do not feel like you or aspects that fit perfectly. Over-communication is hard to come by and its the easiest way to help your stylist and your entourage understand your decisions.
Lastly, we’ve seen the trend in the wedding industry time and again where the pressure to buy a certain gown at a certain store leads to buyer’s regret. Because of this cycle, we, as the stylists, have seen more reluctance or hesitation to say “yes to the dress.” Although we understand, we want to be clear and embolden you. No matter how many stores you go to, there will be dresses you have not tried on. This absolutely does not mean the dress you choose will be any less special or perfectly you, but you already knew that… because out of all the fish in the sea, you chose your partner—the one who makes you feel special and uniquely you. Be openminded, and at the same, be bold! Make your decision fiercely because you found the dress you never want to get out of.