10. Don’t take a lot of people with you. Buying a dress can be an emotional time, and having 4-5-6 people with you will only crowd and confuse the issue. Inevitably, 6 people will have 6 different opinions, and do you really want to deal with that? I searched in 3 places and broke it down into different groups: My fiance’s daughters went with me to one shop, my family to another, and my best friend went to the 3rd. That way, everyone felt included, and I was not completely stressed/overwhelmed.

9. Set a budget before you go–and do you best to stick with it. As I mentioned in my last post, I had set a budget of about a thousand dollars for everything: The dress, the undergarments, the shoes and the headpiece/veil. Since my dress came with a bra and crinoline sewn in, I will only need to get panties and hose, so I have a little more to spend on my shoes, headpiece and the like–although there is never anything wrong with being UNDER budget…and it won’t happen very often–trust me…
8. Start looking early. It is said that a woman will try on 15-20 gowns before she finds “the one” for some it may be the 1st dress she tries on, for others it may be the 50th. Since it can take up to 6-7 months for the dress to be ordered and arrive, not to mention the time it takes for alterations, start early, take your time, and enjoy the process. It took me about 3 weeks to find my dress, spacing my shopping days out. Don’t try to do it all in one day–you can only look at some many dresses at one time–it’s very tiring, and after a while, they will blend in together.

7. Check with the place you are having your ceremony, to see if there are any restriction on the style of your dress. It used to be that you were not allowed to wear a strapless dress in a Catholic church. Other religions may have other restrictions. And, if your ceremony requires you to kneel at all during the proceedings, make sure you can do then when trying the dress on. Mermaid shaped dresses often will not allow you to kneel. You don’t want to spend all of this money only to find you cannot wear it for the ceremony. It is also a good idea to move around, dance, crouch, or any other type of movement youj think you will be doing on your wedding day. You don’t want to spend the day in a dress that is uncomfortable, or you cannot move it!

6. Leave ALL your money at home. All of it–the credits cards and your checkbook too. Then, you can go home and think about it at least overnight, so you can be sure you are not being swayed by a pushy “I work for commission” salesperson. You can take a few days to think about it–the dress won’t suddenly be discontinued if you don’t buy today. That is not to say you can wait 2 months–but up to a week should be fine…

5. Do some research before you begin looking. Check out wedding websites (Brides and The Knot are good places to start online), or grab a bridal magazine if you are not internet savvy…It is always better to have some idea of what you are looking for so as not to make yourself crazy. There are a million dresses out there–you can’t try them ALL on…

4. Don’t discount buying a dress on the internet, or even EBay! I saw a TON of beautiful dresses at a fraction of their original cost on EBay. Best thing to do is find out if the seller has a return policy if you don’t like it, it does not fit, etc. But you can save a TON of money this way. End of season clearance and sample sales (where they sell the dresses people try on in the store) are also good ideas–just check the dress out very carefully to make sure its not stained or too beat up.

3. Charges it!. When you find the dress of your dreams and are ready to make that hefty 50% down payment–charge it on your credit card. That way, if there is a dispute in the future, you have a better chance of getting some or all of your money back. Anoter part of this: Do not pay the whole cost of the dress up front, you won’t have any bargaining position if the dress comes in the wrong size, or is otherwise not right–and it does happen!

2. A Picture is worth a thousand words. Since it can take up to 6 months for your dress to arrive, take some informal photographs of you in the dress. It’s also a good idea to have a manufacturer photo of the dress as well (from a catalog or magazine)to make sure the colors are the same. The reason is this: All other design decisions (color and style of tuxes, bridesmaid dresses, flowers, decorations, etc) all flow from your dress. Also, If you did not buy your veil/headpiece with your dress, as I didn’t, you’ll be able to see if the one you find later will work with your dress. Yes, it’s the dress of your dreams–but you will not remember the exact dolor and every last detail–Trust me.

1. Breath a sigh of relief and smile: You found the perfect dress for you–the one that will make you feel beautiful on your wedding day. Congratulations!

If anyone else had some tips that worked for you, please feel free to share!