There is this myth that married women seem to circulate that comes true for about 30% of Brides To Be – that you will try on a dress or see a picture of a dress and know it is the one! Just like meeting your future husband for the first time and knowing he is the one.
For those fortunate to have that experience it is easy, you get all goose bumpy and may be a bit teary and go ahead and book the design with no hesitation… for those other 70% of Brides To Be, the process is a bit trickier.
Here are some of the best tips I have to help sort out which dress is the best for you. There are basically only 3 things to choose. Try to focus on each one separately to make to process simpler for yourself:
1. CHOOSE A COLOUR
Even if you try on a dress you don’t like, take note of the colour and see how you feel in the various bridal shades… White, Ivory, Cream, Coffee tones, Pale blush (pink) icy Silvers and Blues… I have had girls who look amazing in Red just decide to go with a red dress because everything else just looks bland! Now once you have decided on this, it is time to focus on…
2. THE SHAPE OF THE GOWN
There will be one shape that you keep on being attracted to, it may be a full dress from the waist or a bias slinky style (sadly the more model like your body, the more choice you will have… I think this group have the Hardest time choosing) If you have a body part(s) that you think needs to be hidden, then wedding dress shopping is heaven… there is a style for obscuring every bit. I could write a book on each style of dress, but basically choose you most favorite physical asset ie. waist, legs, bust, long neck, skin, even your hair! and make that the focus of the outfit (this goes for everyday dressing too!!). Then choose the bit you want to hide and find a style that glosses over it.
3. CHOOSING THE OUTER DETAILS
Finally the fun bit! These have a lot more to do with your taste in dresses than with you body shape, although if you are trying to look thinner, lots of ruffles and flounces are not going to do you any favours. If in everyday life you like to keep things simple, keep a simple element in you wedding gown too. If your everyday dress style is over the top bling, take that into the dress as well.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you find yourself hesitating on making the final decision about a particular dress, try to imagine looking at pictures of yourself wearing the dress at your wedding… but looking at the photo 5 years in the future, do you truly think you will still be happy with your choice? If yes then get that dress.
If you can’t choose between 2 dresses, toss a coin. This always seems to work because suddenly if faced with a coin toss result that instructs you to purchase one of the dresses, but deep down you know the other one is best, you will choose the other one! It suddenly becomes magically clear!