Today's post is in partnership with Castle Couture. xo
Wedding dress shopping was quite possibly what I've been most excited about during the planning process so far! If you've been following me from the beginning, you know I've done styled bridal shoots before (more on that here), so I already had a sense of the type of dress I wanted to get. Now that I've actually been through the process of finding MY dress, I wanted to share some tips for all my brides who are searching for theirs!
But first... After getting engaged, I reached out to Castle Couture to schedule an appointment, knowing they have a huge selection of wedding dresses and carry some of the most sought after designers. Based on their beautifully curated Instagram feed, I knew I would fall in love with this bridal boutique and had high hopes for finding my dream wedding dress there! If you're a New Jersey bride, you HAVE to make an appointment with them! With the help of their amazing staff, I found my dream wedding dress there, but you'll just have to wait and see ;)
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
There are SO many different style wedding dresses out there! From boho & whimsical, to classic & traditional, to fully beaded & super glam, the options are endless. It's important to browse Pinterest and look through your favorite bridal magazines so you have a feel for what's out there right now. Certain styles will catch your eye, while others might not make you look twice.
Going into your appointment with a sense of what style you want to try on will make the process much easier. Bring inspo pics with you so the girls helping you know what you're envisioning. Often, you will go into your appointment and be asked what style you want to try on. The girls will then pull dresses based on your answer.
Another thing to consider before your appointment is price range. It's important to know what your budget is (and to stick to it). This is another factor that will effect which dresses the girls pull for you. For example, if you say you want to try dresses that are fully beaded but don't want to spend more than $2500, they won't pull a $5000 fully beaded dress because then what happens when you fall in love with it and it's double what you wanted to spend?! This is also another reason why they pull dresses for you and don't really let you browse around. They know their inventory and trust me, they will help you find the one while staying within your means!
BE OPEN MINDED
Finding inspiration and bringing photos of what you think you might want is a great starting point, but what if you try a style you thought you would love and you actually hate it? Rather than being disappointed and feeling like your wedding dress dreams are crushed, be open to trying a different style, especially if the girls helping you make a suggestion. Again, they know their inventory and have helped so many brides find the one, they will be able to tell you which style will look best on your body type. Remember: we're all unique & we cannot compare ourselves to the model wearing what we thought our dream dress would be.
LIMIT YOUR ENTOURAGE
Finding your perfect wedding dress can be a bit overwhelming to begin with. I mean, this is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity and you want to be able to have your moment, ya know? Again, this is your wedding dress and how you feel in it is what matters most! It might not be in your best interest to bring along your mom, grandmom, future MIL, entire bridal party, and your neighbor. Well, maybe not your neighbor, but you know what I mean.
Having too many different personalities will result in a ton of different opinions and you don't want that to have a negative effect on how you really feel about a certain dress. For me, I brought my mom, future MIL and future sister in law because they are the people closest to me and who's opinions I trust the most. I also knew that they would all be honest, and probably have similar thoughts since their personalities are similar. Having them there made me feel confident in my final decision and I'm so glad they were with me when I said yes to the dress!
Most importantly, you want your wedding dress shopping experience to be so much fun! This is your time to shine. When you find the one, you'll know!
As always, thanks for reading! Don't forget to subscribe at the bottom of this page so you never miss a post!
xo
