▷ 🥇 The wedding dress shopping guide

Cristina Elena

Every future wife dreams of finding her perfect wedding dress, either from the moment she gets engaged or long before the proposal. Because this is not just any dress, it is the dress that you will wear on one of the greatest days of your life, when you say “yes, I want to” to spend the rest of your life with your soulmate. So for that walk down the aisle, she will need to find a unique wedding dress that makes her look and feel her most beautiful self.

While finding your perfect wedding dress is definitely one of the most exciting parts of wedding planning, Pinterest’s secret boards full of trendy dresses, visits to the bridal shop with your best friends, trying on a wedding dress for the first time is also incredibly crucial. To help guide you to the dress of your dreams, we are going through the entire dress buying process step by step. From creating a wedding dress budget to finding the right style for your body type, from the bride’s salon etiquette to alterations and fittings, consider this your ultimate guide to wedding dress shopping. So cheers to finding that magical dress that will not only take your spouse’s breath away, but everyone else as well.

Let this Shopping Guide help you say “Yes, I want” to the perfect dress.

ME Photo & Design LLC

Your wedding dress will probably be the largest clothing-related purchase you will ever make, so it’s best to start your search with the basics of dress shopping. Before setting foot in a store, you’ll want to be on top of all the things related to bridal attire, from dress budgets to dress silhouettes, to hairstyling research and etiquette. Here, you will find a dress shopping primer that breaks down everything you need to know before trying on a single wedding dress.

Read more: How To Buy A Wedding Dress Like A Total Pro

Photography Connection

It’s true, not all dresses are going to fit perfectly, and that’s okay! The most important thing is to find a dress that flatters its body write better. Your dress should hug you in all the right places, and make you feel confident and comfortable dancing the whole wedding night. Whether you want to show off your curves or draw attention to your cleavage, finding the perfect wedding dress for your figure is totally possible. So we partnered with Casablanca Bridal to show you exactly how to find your fit.

Read more: The best wedding dresses for your body type

Angie McPherson Photography

When you are on the hunt for your wedding dress, you need to make sure that you are shopping at the right bridal store for you. The salons you choose should not only carry the styles and designers you want to try on, but they should also work to make you feel relaxed and confident trying on your wedding dresses in front of your loved ones. So to help you have the best possible suit shopping experience, we’ve put together our rules to find the right dress store for you.

Read more: How to choose the most suitable bridal shop for you

Black & Hue Photography

You have done your homework and learned the basics of wedding dress shopping. Now, it’s time to go to a salon and try on a wedding dress (Woo hoo!). But before you go, make sure you’ve gone over your gown-buying protocol. For example, did you know that an appointment is required in almost all bridal salons? Or that some clothing stores only allow a certain number of guests to accompany the bride? These golden rules will ensure that your dress shopping experience runs smoothly and without drama.

Read more: 10 Rules of Wedding Dress Shopping Etiquette You Must Follow

Photograph by Erin Wilson

Falling in love with a dress that’s out of your league can seem like a bride’s worst nightmare – try the dress on, it gives you the whole sensation, and then your stomach drops when you see that price tag (insert crying emoji here). Turns out, there are several bridal budget hacks you can follow to help avoid sticker shock at a bridal salon AND find a dress that won’t break the bank. Visiting trunk shows or limiting customizations are just some of the ways to cut costs. Here’s how to be smart about your wedding dress budget.

Read more: How to save money on a wedding dress in 6 simple steps

First Delight Photography

After you have found a wedding dress, there are some telltale signs that it is the perfect choice. But these can be easy to overlook, with all the excitement and fanfare involved in the buying process. Whether you like a wedding dress that your mom hates, or you’ve fallen in love with a dress that is way over budget, it’s easy to get confused on the road to finding “The Chosen One.” So, put that wedding dress to the test, and see if it’s the right dress for your walk down the aisle.

Read more: Is your wedding dress “The Chosen One”?

Stanlo Photography

So you found the dress, yeah! But slow down with that bridal roll, you’re not done yet. Now is the time to make reforms and adjustments. Your wedding dress, while beautiful, is not going to fit perfectly right away, or you may want to add lace sleeves to it or alter the neckline a bit. Regardless of your tailoring needs (minor or major), it’s a good idea to learn about the alterations and fitting process before meeting with your seamstress.

Read more: 8 Tips for alterations and adjustments of the wedding dress