On this day-possibly more than any other day in your life-you want to look perfect. You want the perfect hair. The perfect face. The perfect dress.
I know. I’ve been there.
They say the average bride tries on 20 dresses before making her choice. Me? I tried on 220. At least. Then I went back to square one. Seriously. That first little square picture I had plucked from the very first wedding magazine I read on my very first wedding information-gathering exploration.
But it was a process. A process many of us have to go through in order to get that perfect wedding dress. And so I'll share ...
Here are four tips to help you choose your perfect wedding dress.
1. Know Your Style
As we’ve discussed, knowing your wedding style will go a long way in helping you plan the perfect day. Same goes for your dress. If you are planning an elegant sit-down dinner, followed by a night of dancing and sipping champagne, you’ll be better off with a long, formal dress. On the other hand, if you are planning an afternoon lunch reception to follow your noon-time nuptials, a knee-length dress will better suit your style.
2. Choose Your Look
Do you want to be a sexy bride? An elegant bride? A blushing, youthful bride? Yes, technically you can be all three, but knowing the look you want will help you choose your dress.
I had narrowed my decision to two dresses. A soft-pink glimmering princess dress and an exotic, tight-waist bombshell dress. I couldn't choose and went back and forth between the two for days. Finally, the salesperson asked me a simple question, “Do you want to be sexy or do you want to look innocent?”
Simple enough. The choice was made.
3. Brainstorm Dresses
After your know your wedding day style and bridal look-start brainstorming. Search everywhere for wedding dresses. With the new color infusion wedding dresses are seeing these days, there is no longer a reason for brides to limit themselves to bridal salons. Seriously. Look everywhere. You might not find the dress you want on Craig’s List, but you might get an idea of where to look next.
Pull all of the pictures of the dresses you like and look for similarities. Are you choosing all ball gowns? Do all of the dresses have a hint of color? Are they slim, short or traditional?
4. Try Them On
After you have taken notice of the type of dress you are attracted to-get to the nearest shop and try them on. You may have loved those empire-line dresses but hate how they look on you. Try on several dresses with the same shape before you mark something off of your list. Try on anything the salesperson-or your mom, or your sister or your best friend-brings you. You never know what might change your mind.
Be sure to take a nice pair of heels with you to try on your dress so you can get a full picture of your wedding look.
After you have followed these four steps but before you have made your purchase, go back through steps one and two. Make sure the dress fits with your wedding style and look. This is an important step many brides overlook and although that might be a perfect dress-if it doesn’t go with your overall wedding plans-it isn’t the perfect dress for you.
Have you chosen your wedding dress? How did you do it? How many dresses did you try on before you found The One?
Photos courtesy of Notti Cabirian and Hopemeng
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Four Steps to Choosing the Perfect Wedding Dress
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
New Wedding Dress Styles
There are many different wedding dress styles out there. I swear every time I go into the bridal shops I see another wedding dress style I didn't know existed.
On the one hand...
You are thinking, "This is great!" It means you have a greater chance at getting a wedding dress or style that few others have. This can be very important to a bride. As women, I am sure we all remember the time spent picking out prom dresses and knowing the only thing that could ruin your night was if you showed up at prom and another girl was wearing the same exact dress. The same goes for your wedding dress. Now I highly doubt anyone would show up at your wedding in a wedding dress, but you still get that same feeling if you know someone that got the same dress, or if you see four other brides in the bridal shop trying on YOUR wedding dress. So rest assured that the wonderful world of wedding dress designers are feverishly working to create new and edgy wedding dress trends every day.
On the other hand...
You may be looking at an even larger pile of wedding dresses. And let me tell you, wedding dress shopping can go from super exciting to a chore when you have tried on your 100th dress.
However, after awhile, a long while, I started realizing what types of wedding dress style looked good on me. When this happens it is a great feeling. Where once you were looking at a pile of 50 wedding dresses, you are now only looking at 25 because you know which type of wedding dress styles don't work for you. So in my case this was great, but now imagine they have come out with even more choices!
Here are a few of the newest wedding dress styles. Check out TheKnot for more!
