The idea of choosing a wedding dress seemed straightforward to me. The thought of ‘changing my mind’ or ‘having doubts’ just didn’t seem like an option but, as many of us do, I experienced it all! I felt pressure to decide on one gown, pressure to ‘look good’ and most of all, I wanted everyone else to like it.
Being a bridal shop owner I’ve always given the bride the service I would expect during my bridal search. Luckily enough, I knew who was behind the door, what the shop was like, knew it had plenty of dresses/designers I liked and how they worked during an appointment. I can totally understand why someone would feel daunted by the whole process, it’s a nerve wracking experience!
I started my gown search 10-11 months before my wedding. This allowed me time to search without any pressure still allowing for the standard lead time of 8-9 months. The amount of gowns you try on is personal to you – some people try one and say ‘yes to the dress’ and others need to try more. I tried 10 in total across both of our boutiques, for me that seemed like the right amount.
Three pieces of advice:
1. If you’re wanting to change 5 things on a dress, move on, it’s not the one.
2. Don’t feel pressured into it, you will have doubts during your fittings!
3. Try something that is ‘everything you didn’t want’ – for me, that was the one!
Not many of us have the burst into tears moment shouting ‘this is it!’. For the majority of us it’s the one you can’t stop thinking about or the one you keep comparing to others. The right wedding dress makes you hold yourself in a certain way and your facial expression will say it all.
Once I’d chosen my gown I decided not to have any photographs – I knew I would end up scrutinising my body in a dress that wasn’t even fitting how it should. It’s the only time we can continually stare at something and we’re critical creatures! I made sure I remembered the moment, the feeling it gave me and the reactions from my bridal party. That’s how I knew!
The time from ordering to my gown arriving felt like ages and ages, all kinds of thoughts ran through my mind ‘is my partner going to like it?, what if I don’t like it anymore?, what if I see something else I prefer? What you have to remember is – there’s always a reason why you said ‘yes to the dress’ and that there will always be pretty dresses out there, it’s only natural to have a few nerves but stick with it.
Onto the fittings…..
