The Do’s and Don’ts of Choosing Your Wedding Dress

by Kathleen Loxton

The journey to find your dream wedding dress should be exciting and full of joy. Use these hints and tips to help you search but remember one golden rule: do not buy a wedding dress unless you love it! If you’re ‘not sure’ move on until you find ‘the one’.

Don’t leave it too late

Almost as soon as you finish celebrating your engagement, start looking for style ideas and investigate the shops you might source your wedding dress from. Make sure you book a fitting appointment in good time, nine months is a good rule, as the gown you choose may need shipping from abroad or altering. Be aware that bespoke designer wedding dresses will take much longer to be ready than off the peg gowns. Don’t allow yourself to feel rushed into choosing a dress because it is the only one that will arrive in time for your wedding.

Do ask your fiancé his opinion

If you are a traditionalist your fiancé wont see your dress until you are side by side in front of your celebrant. It’s important that the bride loves her dress but it’s as important that her new husband doesn’t dislike it.

It will probably be a strange conversation with a level of confusion or disinterest but just show him the wedding dresses and perhaps other designer dresses from the fashion pages of a magazine and ask what he likes and what he doesn’t.

Don’t forget about lingerie

Designer wedding dresses often have beautifully intricate straps or illusion fabric in strategic positions. Fall in love with these styles by all means but make sure you remember the practical reality of wearing such a dress. If you have big boobs you need a bra, be it strapless or part of a corset – you won’t feel comfortable without one. Remember to take the lingerie you will wear with your dress to the final fitting.

Do stick to your budget

A bespoke ivory Vera Wang wedding gown with vintage lace overlay is your ultimate dream, a dress to make jaws drop and angels weep. Sadly, if you can’t afford it the only tears will be yours, it’s just not worth sacrificing your honeymoon for. Be sensible, don’t even try on the dresses you can’t afford so you don’t have the heartbreak of letting them go.

Don’t think about dress sizes

If the gorgeous dress the shop assistant suggests has a label three sizes bigger than your norm don’t get bent out of shape about it. Try it on. No question. It could be ‘the one’; and you’ll miss out because you focused on a silly number. All dressmakers, designers of wedding dresses and high end brands will have a different way of measuring their dresses. The label size means nothing.

Do be a little bit brave

Wedding dresses should be the reflection of the brides wearing them. A shy lady is unlikely to choose a funky dress with deep v neckline and thigh split. It just wouldn’t suit her and friends would wonder who the stranger at the alter is. However, a bride should have the courage to be bold if she so chooses. Do pale pink dresses speak to your soul? But you’re thinking your Nana will tut and insist wedding dresses should be white?! Let her! It’s YOUR dress and if pink makes you feel fabulous go for it!

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