Newly engaged and excited to start shopping?
Here are important things you should do before you booking an appointment!
Step 1 - Have your Date & Venue. This is far more important than you think it is, as your wedding date will effect delivery timeline, season and more. Your venue will also help you to envision yourself in the gowns and set the tone for your overall aesthetic/look
Step 2 - Figure out an approximate wedding budget. Of course, budgets always change… but you will want to at least have an idea of what you are comfortable spending on your dress, or if you do splurge, it will help you figure out where you will pull from/make sacrifices.
Step 3 - Research Designers & Boutiques. Ideally, you have already done steps 1 & 2 and step 3 is what brought you to our website! The research part is super important for dress shopping as it allows you to set realistic expectations and choose the boutiques that are right for you. Go on Pinterest/Instagram and figure out what styles and designers you are most drawn to- then you can research their price ranges and where they can be found closest to you! This will allow you to either book somewhere that you know carries dresses you want to try, as well as letting you know if your budget aligns with your taste. If it doesn’t you can make plans to adjust your expectations or your budget! Each boutique will have its own selection of designers, vibe, price point, sizing, etc. It’s often worth a bit more of a drive to visit boutiques that fit what you are looking for, rather than just googling your closest store and having it not be the right fit for you which can be a time waster.
Step 4 - Choosing when To Book/scheduling. If you haven’t already checked out our “when to start shopping tab” go read there! This will give you more information on timelines! Short answer is 9-15 months or whenever you are ready to buy. However, you also want to factor in things like events you might be interested in! By checking if there are trunk shows, sample sales, promos, etc. That might influence when you want to come! Maybe you plan to start shopping in August, but there is a trunk show for a designer you love in July - you might want to schedule for that week instead! Designer trunk shows typically happen once a year, so if you have a certain designer you love- you won’t want to miss! Sample sales happen twice a year (early spring & late fall). If you love certain styles but are on a tighter budget OR you have less than 5/6 months you will want to book for a sample sale if there is one happening soon! Also considering if you have someone important to you visiting a certain weekend- you will want to consider booking then as well!
Step 5 - Choosing your gang. This is a tricky one… What often happens is one of two things, brides either think they want to bring more people, when they probably shouldn’t. OR brides know they have people that they shouldn’t bring but feel obligated. So, I will start by saying that our intimate space and guest count is for YOUR benefit. We truly believe that less is more when it comes to dress shopping and the big group thing we see on Say Yes to the Dress is highly overrated. Even if you are decisive, it can easily be overwhelming and very challenging-especially the first time around. One to Four guests is ideal. If you insist on bringing more, we suggest doing that at your follow up appointment! That way you already have a sense of what you love when you come back with your bigger group. Also, the right people to bring are the people who will be the most supportive and know you the best- no matter what their relationship is to you - you are never obligated to bring them. Choose what’s best for you!
Step 6 - Self Love & Acceptance. This is the hardest of them all! But also super important. We find a lot of brides have a very negative shopping experience simply because of self esteem issues. Now, the doesn’t mean you need to wait to go shopping until your self confidence is amazing, because realistically that can take years and lot’s of therapy. BUT you need to prepare yourself mentally to focus on the positives and the features you want to highlight- vs focusing on all of the things you want to change. And by letting us know what your favourite features are, we can help select gowns that will highlight them! We also recommend prepping with things that make you feel more confident, whether it's getting your hair done, or a spray tan (not that these things are needed but can often make us feel more confident when shopping). Also be sure to ensure the places you visit have relatively inclusive sizing if this is a concern to avoid any discouragement. Also understanding that although you may not have reached your goals yet, the dress will be altered much closer to your wedding to fit! So you don’t have to hold off too much on measuring/ordering. Alterations are done closer to and dresses can be altered by multiple sizes!