Congratulations! You are engaged -- let the wedding planning begin! Once you find your perfect venue, it is time to find your perfect dress! Maybe you have been dreaming of this moment since you were five and put on your mother’s shoes and red lipstick. Or maybe you are just overwhelmed with anxiety about the thought of planning a wedding! Either way, dress shopping can be an exciting + emotional experience. Check out our five ways to prepare for your bridal appointment!
Identify your Budget
Name that number and stick to it! Occasionally a bride will tell us that she has no budget! EVERYONE has a budget. Before you shop, it is important to have the conversation of how much you want to spend on your gown. Bridal gowns can range in price. Your dream gown is out there in your price range. Our gowns start at $1,500 and go up to $8,000. We also have a sample rack filled with gowns for around $1000 or less. When you are making your bridal appointments, be sure to ask the price ranges of gowns they carry. When you decide on a gown budget, you also want to keep in mind of the cost of both alterations (yes, those are separate) and other accessories (shoes, a veil, earrings and other hair pieces). These extra costs can all add up as well! At our shop, we never want to put you in a gown you do not feel comfortable purchasing.
Find some Inspiration!
Start a Pinterest Board to gather some inspo! We LOVE a prepared bride! Do you like lace, beading or are you going for a more simplistic look? Identify things you like and dislike about a gown so you can have a better use of your bridal experience! If you don’t know where to start on a Pinterest Board, Check out ours! We have boards for every designer so you can see the gowns we have in our shop! Feel free to bring pictures of things you are seeing online! We LOVE that!
We recommend a bride to go out and try on some stuff before she comes to our shop to get a better idea of what she actually likes! You will be amazed how many brides end of loving something they thought they were going to hate. Try on different things, even to just officially rule it out! Once you pick your dress, that is it! The shopping stops! Do not tempt yourself by continuing to look for bridal gowns online or in stores after you picked your gown!
Choose your Entourage!
Choose them wisely and do not take too many guests with you! It ends up being more stressful for you as the bride! Sometimes we can have some very opinionated guests where the bride may walk away without her dream gown. Remember, it is your day and you choose the gown you feel most beautiful in! We typically encourage our brides to limit your entourage to one to three people, maybe four people max! Some bridal shops have a max amount of guests you can bring. Be sure to check before you show up with 10 friends! If you would like to bring in a larger party, we ask if you come during the week day or week night.
Bring your Accessories!
Remember, you will be trying on white gowns -- wear your nude undergarments! This way, you will get the full idea of how the dress will look! We never thought we would even have to touch on this but, brides, please wear underwear to your bridal appointment! It is not hygienic to try on bridal gowns without wearing underwear! Also, if you have a family heirloom you are planning on wearing for your big day, BRING IT! You can try it on with your dress to see how they look together! We have brides bring their mom’s veils or a pearl necklace. We just love to hear the stories that come with your family heirlooms.
Remember to Have Fun!
We cannot express this enough! We know shopping for your bridal gown can bring up some emotions and stress, but remember to have FUN! This is about you and your special day with your fiancé! Remember to enjoy the moment and the experience! Planning your wedding goes by so fast, enjoy trying on fun gowns! We know it can be stressful to try on gowns, but your bridal consultant is here for YOU! There can be many emotions flowing during a bridal appointment. Sometimes there is an outspoken mom or friend. Sometimes we have a bride who lost her mom which can make bridal shopping even more emotional. We try to read our bride before she starts trying on gowns. If she is shy, we will try to help ease her anxieties. If the bride is excited and she brings a fun group, we are surely going to match the energy levels! Once in a while we will get a bride who is just not into shopping at all! It can be difficult to connect to every bride! But, we try to give each of our brides our full attention and the best customer service no matter what!
So that is it! We hope you enjoyed our first blog post. We cannot wait to meet you during your La Bella Moda Bridal Appointment!
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