Why wedding dress shopping overwhelm is so common
When you start looking for a wedding dress, you’ll most likely start on social media. Then the algorithm realises you’re looking for wedding dresses and floods your feed with every kind of gown, whether or not you’d actually like it, and whether or not it’s even available in Australia or near you. It’s no wonder wedding dress shopping overwhelm sets in so quickly.
It’s one of the biggest changes I’ve seen in my 37 years in bridal. Brides used to arrive with a handful of magazine pages. Now many arrive with hundreds of saved images and no clear idea of where to begin.
The good news is that a little planning makes the whole experience calmer, and a lot more fun. Here are my wedding dress shopping tips to help cut through the overwhelm.
1. Start with a wedding dress budget
First and foremost, set a budget. My rough rule of thumb is that your dress should be no more than 10% of your overall wedding budget. Work out what that 10% ceiling is before you start looking.
Knowing your number up front saves you falling in love with a dress that’s out of reach, and it helps you choose which boutiques and designers to visit. Remember to leave room for alterations, a veil and accessories too.
2. Visit three or four boutiques, maximum
Research with the aim of visiting three or four boutiques at most. Some brides feel they need to see everything before they choose, but whatever your taste, you’ll very likely find your dress within three or four boutiques if you research well and choose them wisely.
Being dragged around 10, 15 or 20 bridal shops, trying on dresses that all look much the same, is exhausting for you and for your family and friends. Unfortunately, many wedding dresses have become quite homogenous these days.
So use your social media time well. Find the designers and boutiques whose dresses genuinely excite you, and book only those three or four.
3. No more than two appointments a day
I wouldn’t do more than two appointments in a day: one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with lunch in between. That gives you time to debrief and think about what you’ve just seen.
Four boutiques in a day is too much. Everyone’s exhausted by the end, and by the last boutique you can barely stand up, let alone think about what you’re trying on. If you can, spread your appointments over a couple of weekends, or book a weekday appointment when the showroom is quieter and you have more time.
4. Bring a mood board
Put together a simple mood board before your appointments. Include any dresses from that boutique you’d like to try, or at least a few images that show the style you’re drawn to. A handful of images you truly love is far more useful than hundreds you’ve saved along the way.
If your first appointment is with a designer, they’ll help you narrow down what suits you best: the fabrics you’re drawn to, and the necklines and shapes that work for you. Often they’ll spot a common thread in your images that you hadn’t noticed yourself.
5. Start with four different styles
If you’re at a boutique without expert stylists, especially at your first appointment, try a range of styles. Even four dresses is a great start: a slimline lace, a fuller lace, a slimline plain and a fuller plain.
Once you’ve tried those on, you’ll quickly feel which look you’re most comfortable in, and you can narrow down from there. If it’s a full plain dress, look for more full plain dresses to try. Bit by bit, you’ll realise you love this neckline, the waist shape of that one, and the fullness of another, and you’ll find the plain fabric you like best.
6. Leave each boutique with one favourite
Try to leave each boutique liking just one dress. Think hard and choose your favourite while you’re still there. It’s much easier to decide when you can see the dresses side by side than to compare a favourite from one boutique with a favourite from another. By the end of your search, you’ll have a shortlist of three or four dresses rather than a blur of twenty.
7. Take photos if you can
If the boutique allows it, take photos. You can look back at the dresses later from a different perspective, and seeing photos of yourself is often quite different from the vision you see in the mirror. Try to capture the front, side and back, as your guests will see all three.
I also recommend videos, they capture the movement of the dress and give you a truer vision than one millisecond snapshot. Plus, if the gown is your favourite, it will capture the joy you are feeling at that moment.
8. Sleep on it
I know this is controversial, and other boutiques won’t like me saying it, but if you are unsure on the day, I believe you should step away from the dress overnight and see whether you still love it the next morning.
Many boutiques now push for a decision on the day, often with on-the-day incentives to buy, and it puts brides under enormous pressure. We’ve seen more and more brides with dress regret a month or six weeks before their wedding. That’s really difficult timing, because it’s almost impossible to find another dress by then, and you’ve spent so much on the first one.
It’s such a shame if you don’t put your dress on that morning and feel truly excited to be wearing it. Some brides know then and there and that is brilliant, but if you are hesitating at all, give yourself one night’s sleep so your subconscious can work on it. If you wake up the next morning and you’re still thinking about it, it’s the dress.
A great tip I have is to tell someone close to you that you have found your dress (you can even tell them what dress it is – if you want to share that.) If you find yourself worrying overnight, it might need a bit more thought before committing. But, if you are still excited over the choice then you know it is ‘the one’. Telling someone makes the choice real, rather than a thought exercise, and telling someone close to you means that if you do change your mind, they will understand the thought process.
Wedding dress shopping FAQs
How much should I spend on my wedding dress? As a rough rule of thumb, no more than 10% of your overall wedding budget. Leave room for alterations and accessories.
How many bridal shops should I visit? Three or four at most, chosen carefully after researching their dresses online.
How many bridal appointments can I do in one day? No more than two: one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with a break in between.
What should I bring to my first bridal appointment? A simple mood board with a few images of dresses and styles you love.
What styles should I try on first? Try four contrasting styles: a slimline lace, a fuller lace, a slimline plain and a fuller plain. Then narrow down from there.
Should I buy my wedding dress on the day? If you’re sure, absolutely! It is great to share in the celebration with everyone there. If you are unsure, sleep on it, and if you’re still thinking about the dress the next morning, it’s the one.
Any questions?
If you’d like more help finding your dress, get in touch at info@corston.com.au, or book your first bridal appointment with us at our Chippendale studio in Sydney. Helping brides cut through wedding dress shopping overwhelm and find their direction is one of the things we love most. We’d love to help.
Looking forward to meeting you soon,
