When it comes to planning a wedding, there are so many important details to think about, from the venue and invitations to the food and drinks, flowers, cake, music and more. However, for most ladies, apart from finding the perfect groom, the most important element tends to be finding the perfect wedding dress. If you’re getting ready to start shopping for your ultimate look, read on for some key steps you should follow to help you find a dream dress today.
Set a Budget, Allow Time, and Conduct Research
The first thing you really need to do before you start shopping for a dress is to set yourself a budget. It is easy to get swept up in the moment when you’re looking at beautiful creations, so make life easier on yourself, and your wallet, by allocating a certain amount of funds for your dress in advance. When you speak to salespeople in shops about potential wedding gowns, give them your magic number straight away so that they only bring out gowns you can afford.
If you’re struggling to decide how much to spend on a dress, keep in mind that for most brides, a wedding ensemble that includes not just the gown but also a veil, lingerie, and various accessories, will account for ten to 15 percent of the total event cost. Don’t forget to factor in additional expenses when looking at dresses too, such as alterations, shipping, and professional pressing or steaming.
Once you have a set figure in mind that you’re willing to spend, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to research. It is best to allow yourself at least six to nine months to look for wedding gowns since they are typically manufactured on demand. Elaborate gowns, or those which are custom designed, will need even longer.
Look through magazines, blogs, and online shopping sites to get an idea of the types of styles you do and don’t like, and the kinds of materials used, costs involved, and so on. If you find something that you really love the look of but it is out of your budget, it is worthwhile researching to see if you can find the same dress, or a similar one, on sale or being sold as a sample.
Match Styles to Your Figure and Coloring
Of course, finding the perfect wedding gown isn’t just about looking at styles and deciding based on what you find prettiest — you must also consider what type of dress will actually suit you specifically. There are various things to think about here.
For starters, begin by trying on outfits in various colors to determine which shades look best on you. While you might want to opt for traditional white, you may find that this particular hue doesn’t match your skin tone or hair color and that you need to choose an ivory or pale cream or pink color instead.
You will likely also want to choose a dress that complements your type of figure. During your research, you will no doubt learn about the various types of silhouettes that bridal wear can come in. Once you have chosen a few that appeal to your visually, it’s time to start trying them on to see how they look on you. It helps to have trusted people with you who can give you honest opinions when you do.
If you have a favorite asset, such as your bosom, legs, arms, neck, or back, look for a style that will show this area off to its best advantage. As well, find a dress that not only flatters your body shape and size, but that is also comfortable to wear. After all, you don’t want to be pulling up a strapless bodice, feeling like you can’t breathe in a corseted dress, or constantly picking at straps on a busy and emotion-packed wedding day.
Consider the Location and Style of Your Wedding
Lastly, don’t buy a wedding dress without first thinking about the location of your special day, and the style of the event you are arranging. For example, if you will be having a casual ceremony on the beach, you typically need to avoid ball gowns with elaborate embellishments and long trains.
Alternatively, if you will be exchanging vows in a religious ceremony in a cathedral, you will probably want to avoid slip dresses or any other styles that appear like cocktail-party wear or that don’t cover you up appropriately enough. On the other hand, if you are having a specific theme for your wedding, such as one that revolves around you and your partner’s favorite era, book, movie or the like, you will no doubt need to find a dress that correlates to the particular style, color, or period in question.