Finding The Right Gown
So you've made the big decision to get married. Now comes the hard part - finding the perfect dress.
Before you visit thirty stores, try on hundreds of gowns and become paralyzed with indecision, take some time to consider the following shopping strategies.
 Before you even set foot in a store, grab a handful of bridal magazines and look through them for ideas.
What types of dresses do you like?
Do you like them plain or beaded?
With loads of lace or with none?
Jot down the main features of your dream dress - colour, neckline, silhouette, waistline, amount of lace.....and so on.
Now you're ready to hit the stores.
Use a worksheet to jot down notes as you shop.
Before you begin shopping, ask recently married friends, co-workers and acquaintances about their experiences on the bridal gown shopping circuit.
Their insights on service, prices and selection at bridal boutiques may help you discover the best places for service and style.
Know what your budget is. If your budget is $1,000, stick to it. You may want to quote the salesperson
a budget slightly lower than your real amount. The salesperson will probably try to interest you in gowns at the upper end or slightly over the budget you've quoted, so by slightly understating your budget, you stand a better chance of staying whithin your set amount.
Never shop on a Saturday unless it's a last resort. Stores tend to be busiest on
the weekend and you could end up spending more time lining up outside the fitting rooms than actually trying on gowns.
Bring a trusted friend to help you shop and offer opinions. Do not bring your entire wedding party or a dozen best friends! You'll only end up with dozens of suggestions and lots of frustration.
After a while, all the dresses and stores will start to blur in your mind. Remember to write down a description of gowns you really like and where you found them.
When you're ready to narrow down your choices, you'll know what's what and have less problems.
Narrow your choices to your absolute favourite two or three gowns. Any more than that and you'll never be able to make a decision.
Once you've chosen the perfect gown, place your order and get a receipt with the price, colour, size, manufacturer, style number and a written declaration of the promised delivery date. If you are getting alterations done at the store, get a written estimate on that as well.
To ensure your dress is ready on time, tell the salesperson the wedding is one month before the actual wedding date. This will ensure that your dress is ready on time and allows you extra time for alterations.
If you are using a dressmaker to design your gown, then make sure that the dressmaker is someone recommended by several reliable sources. Choosing a dressmaker or designer strictly based on price could be a costly mistake. A fine dressmaker is a skilled professional and her price reflects experience,
design and sewing skills, a sophisticated fashion sense and an enormous investment of time.
Be sure to read "Finding the Right Gown",
and "What Does The Perfect Wedding Dress Look Like?"
which are part of our wedding library.
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