How to Choose a Wedding Dress

ongratulations on your engagement! One of the first things you probably picture when envisioning your wedding is the dress. But before you start shopping for a wedding dress, it’s a good idea to know what you’re looking for.

Steps

1. Do your research. Before you even begin to look around, research gowns. You should always have a bit of knowledge about dresses (and know some of the lingo) before you even set foot into a bridal shop. There are also many bridal magazines that will provide a ton of information, including Brides, Modern Bride, Bridal Guide, WeddingBells, etc. All of these magazines have websites, where you can find quick information without paying for the magazine.
2. Decide on a silhouette. Wedding dresses are made in several different silhouettes. Before considering anything else, know which type of gown will flatter your figure the best. Look at photos of each type. You can browse wedding website message boards and member profiles for photos of real women wearing gowns, rather than relying on professional photos of models wearing them.
   • Ball gowns have very full skirts and generally will look beautiful on any body type, unless the bride is very short and small. In this case, it may be overwhelming to her small frame. Ball gowns generally either have crinolines built in or a slip you must wear to support the shape of the gown. Be advised that this extra fabric can be heavy and bulky and will require extra care to wear.
   • A-lines usually have a fitted bodice with a skirt that flares gently from the waist to form an “A” shape. They generally work for everyone as well, and are a terrific choice for someone who would like to hide lower body flaws, but does not want a ball gown. A-lines are not as full as ball gowns.
   • Sheaths flatter women with slim, balanced figures. They shouldn’t be worn by brides who dislike their figures. This gown will not hide any flaws. If you think your thighs or butt are too big, you’ll be miserable in this type of dress. Don’t try to pull it off because you found a gown you love in this style. You don’t want to risk being uncomfortable or self conscious on your wedding day, or regretting your choice every time you look at wedding photos.
   • Empire waist gowns have a skirt that falls from just below the breasts. Although usually listed with various waistline types and not always considered a type of silhouette, they are a wonderful choice for a casual, non-formal wedding, or weddings in a tropical climate. They’re usually made of light, flowing fabric. They’re also excellent for pregnant brides, because they provide extra room in the waist, making them a comfortable choice. They also won’t draw as much attention to the belly as a dress with a lower waistline would.
3. Envision your wedding. Picture yourself on your wedding day. What are you wearing? What silhouette is your gown? What fabric? Is it embroidered or beaded? What color is it? With so many choices for the dress, it can be overwhelming to look through hundreds or thousands of them. Some brides have said that after looking through racks and racks of dresses, they all begin to look the same. So before you even set out to try them on, envision your wedding day and how your dress looks, and jot down a list of things that describe the dress of your daydreams. You don’t have to know all the wedding dress terms. Just write down a description of the gown you’re envisioning. Example list: “princessy, satin, some shade of white but not pure white, spaghetti straps.”
4. Consider the circumstances. A wide variety of factors can affect what makes a particular dress appropriate to the occasion.
   • Formal ceremonies usually call for floor length gowns and long trains, while informal ceremonies (especially destination weddings) are a terrific place to wear a shorter gown without a train at all (or a “sweep” train, which just barely brushes the floor). 
   • If you’re getting married in the winter, you may not want to be a very light, thin fabric unless you plan to be inside the entire time. If you’re having a beach wedding in the middle of July, you may not want to wear a heavy fabric like duchess satin.
   • While the most traditional ceremonies will call for a white gown, in many cases, wedding dresses don’t have to be pure white anymore! Many women choose dress colors that best complement their skin tones, ranging from diamond white to ivory to champagne to actual colors (pink, blue, red). Pick the color you feel most beautiful in.
5. Decide on a budget. When deciding on your budget, you don’t need to set a very specific price. Just make it a general range, such as $1000 – $1500, or even $1000 – $2000. You can always break this rule later if you’re able to and really want to, but it helps to have a general range. Some experts suggest devoting 10% of the overall wedding budget to the bride’s attire. Just be sure to remember that “attire” includes not just the gown itself, but the other stuff: veil, shoes, slip, jewelry, gloves, etc. All of these things are optional, of course (except for the slip, which is usually necessary to keep the dress from going between your legs when you walk). But you’ll have to factor in the price of whatever items you decide to wear with your gown.

Tips

• Just remember that in the end, it’s your wedding, and you CAN do what you want. However, if you decide to wear a mini-skirt short, strapless, backless dress to your super religious ceremony, you may end up coming back to share your lessons learned by writing a wikiHow article on “How To Keep Your Super Religious Parents From Cutting Off Their Monetary Contributions To Your Wedding!”
• If you feel your most beautiful in a dress, then buy it! No matter what style of wedding you are having or how long before your wedding you are shopping, if you feel beautiful in it you will shine on the day.
• When you actually go to a store, unlike other clothing stores, wedding gown stores will not often have the dresses in your size. You may be making a decision based on a dress which is too large or too small. This is where deciding on a silhouette beforehand can help you. If you know that empire waists are flattering to your figure, it’s easier to take the plunge when you’re standing in a dress 4 sizes too big with huge clips in the back and trying to imagine how the correct size will look.
• Wedding dresses are typically sold by designer and style number, even for the less expensive types, so note which designers you like and the style numbers – this can help you find similar styles that may be more affordable than the exact dress you want.

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Choose a Wedding Dress. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

How to Shop for a Wedding Dress

Now that you’ve already decided what you’re looking for in a wedding dress, you’re ready to hunt it down and make it yours. To make shopping for your wedding dress fun, easy and painless, don’t just hit the stores and wait for the dress to fall on your lap. Make a plan!

Steps

1. Decide when to shop. There’s no time too early to start looking, but there is a time that’s too late. Depending on where you get your dress, it could take several months for your dress to be ordered and shipped. From then, you’ll need several weeks for your seamstress to make alterations. You should start shopping about 9 months before your wedding, but preferably sooner. There’s nothing wrong with beginning early, even a year before you’ll actually wear the gown.  Once you’ve found your dream dress BUY IT.  Then, stop shopping.  Why make yourself misearable by continuing to look at gowns once you have already ordered your dream dress.
2. Call to find out if you need an appointment–especially if you’re shopping on a Saturday.
   • Some places don’t require an appointment, but many do. Even if the store accepts walk ins, make an appointment.  This is to ensure you don’t wait around for an hour while while the consultant help customers who did have appointments. People with appointments will always come first.
   • Some shops will not let you browse freely through the gowns. They’ll ask you for a description of what you’re looking for and then bring you gowns they think match it. If you really hate the idea of not being able to see everything yourself, avoid these places. Call and ask first if it’s important to you.
3. Take what you need with you.
   • Make sure another person goes along with you. You’ll definitely want an opinion aside from the consultant’s. However, don’t make the mistake of taking your mother, your maid of honor, your bridesmaid, your other bridesmaid, and your other bridesmaid’s little sister. Not only will they get in the way, but none of them will all agree on anything, and mostly likely, at least one of them won’t like whatever dress you’re trying on. It’s probably best to take one person (or maybe two, like your mother and maid of honor), whose opinion you trust and value.
   • Take pictures of  dresses you found online or in magazines, if you have any. Even if they’re dresses made by another designer, the shop you’re in may be able to help you look for something similar. A lot of stores have styles that bear a resemblance to dresses even if they are by a completely different manufacturer.  
   • If you’ve already decided to wear a certain item (such as a specific pair of shoes, veil, or jewelry) because it has sentimental value, take the item along with you. If it’s absolutely necessary that you wear it on your wedding day, you’ll want to make sure the dress you choose goes well with it (though this may narrow your options considerably).
4. Look at choices for length, sleeve style, necklines, waistlines, trains, etc.There are a ton of options out there! Do a little research on what’s possible for certain fabrics and silhouettes, but don’t rule out gowns of a specific type because they don’t have all the little details you prefer. If you see what looks like the dress of your dreams but it has sleeves and you wanted a sleeveless, or if your dream gown ends up having a huge train and you wanted a shorter one, you can ask a seamstress to alter these things. However, remember that seamstresses often charge a whole lot for little things, so if you want to change TOO many things about your gown, you may be better off continue your search. Also keep in mind that most of the time, the same dress can be ordered in various colors. When you start to shop or search for gowns online, don’t pass up a dress just because it’s stark white and you want champagne. If you love it, check to see if it’s available in champagne.
5. Don’t be discouraged. Most women will try on many, many gowns during their search. It’s not only normal to not find the perfect gown on your first try, it could be a warning sign that you’re making a rash decision you’ll regret later. Some women get lucky and do find their dream dress shortly after they start looking, but it’s most likely something they realized later, after looking through many other dresses that didn’t compare to the one they found in the beginning. No matter what, the savvy shopper will keep looking and then go back to that dress later if it really turns out to be The One. u.s.
6. Have fun! This is a time in your life when you get to try on as many exquisite and expensive dresses as you want. You’ll be the center of attention (at least among your group at the shop) and people will treat you with special kindness because you’re a beautiful bride. Have fun!

Sources and Citations

• Affordable Wedding Tuxedos

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Shop for a Wedding Dress. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.