How to get the most enjoyment out of finding your dream dress.

We’ve all seen those uncomfortable episodes of “Say Yes to the Dress” where the bride’s appointment goes haywire for one reason or another and begins to resemble more of a tragedy than what should be an exciting and happy experience. Here are some tips that will help you not only avoid such an experience but also help to ensure that your experience is as pleasant as possible:

1. Make an appointment.

Some stores are appointment-only, and some take walk-ins all the time or on specified weekdays (we are by appointment only all the time). You can usually find this info on the bridal shop's FAQ tab on their website, or of course by calling and asking. While you're on the FAQ area or on the phone with them, you will also want to gather info on appointment length, price range, guest count, photo policy, etc. If you intend to come during the weekend, call at least 2 weeks ahead to make an appointment. If you want to shop during a holiday weekend, make your appointment 1 month in advance. If you want to come in during the week, we recommend calling about 1 week out. 

2. If possible, schedule your appointment on a weekday.

For obvious reasons, weekends are the busiest time of the week for bridal stores. If you can swing it, make an appointment during a week day. Weekends tend to be full of back-to-back appointments and we have to be very careful of our time management so as to give each bride that day her full 90 minutes, whereas weekdays tend to be off-peak, so it’s normally no big deal if your appointment runs a little over, or if you got caught in traffic and are running late. 

3. Start shopping early.

Most gowns take 4-6 months to be produced, and then we always recommend allowing at least 1 month for alterations. So, in order to keep your options open and your selection expansive without incurring any rush production fees, start shopping 9-12 months before your wedding. If your wedding is more than 18 months away, or if you’re not engaged yet, we typically recommend you hold off. Trends and fashions and tastes change, and what you end up liking 18 months before your wedding may be different than what you’re wanting 9-12 months before your wedding.

4. Only bring the people who you truly trust and who know you and your tastes.

Unless you want to end up on some juicy episode of Say Yes to the Dress: Asheville, keep your party small. More people equates to more opinions, and more opinions tend to lead to more confusion. Stick to 3  trusted companions or less, whether that happens to include your mother, sister, father, bridesmaid, daughter, maid of honor, or even your fiancé. Bring people who you know will support YOU and your taste and not be shopping for what they like.

5. Decide on a budget, and tell your consultant what it is and how firm it is.

You don’t want to try on and fall in love with a Porsche if your budget is more in line with a Honda. Trust us, we’ve seen it happen, it’s not pretty. Make sure that the shop/s you are going to have gowns in your budget (our gowns run from around $1200 to $3500). Also, keep in mind alterations are not included in the price of wedding gowns. If say you want to spend $2000 on your gown and accessories including alterations, you want to be looking at gowns in the $1000 range because alterations run from $300-$600 and then that leaves you some room for accessories. Also, remember we have to charge sales tax! If someone is helping you pay for your gown, have these convos with them before your appointments, so that once you arrive to your appointment you know if you need to be looking at Hondas, Audis or Porsches. Lastly, come prepared to pay for your gown should you find one that day, because that's what you're there to do after all, ami right?!

6. Be decisive.

As your appointment moves forward and you try on more dresses, try to begin to eliminate the ones that just aren’t wowing you. This should become easier to do as the appointment goes on, as you will be trying on more dresses and getting a feel for what you like and don’t like. By the end of the appointment, you should have a top 1-3, and you should feel comfortable eliminating the others. If you’re having trouble eliminating, this is where you can enlist the help of those trusted companions, as well as your bridal consultant. 

7. Don’t hold out for that “ah-ha” moment.

Many brides do have that moment of clarity, and consider yourself fortunate if you do! Some people just don’t feel it like that ever, and some brides feel like that with EVERY dress. If you love fashion, you’re probably going to love several dresses that are rather different from one another. Just as some days you like to be girly and wear soft pink lipstick and a floral dress, other days you may want to wear smoky eyes and all black. Likewise, different gown styles will speak to different aspects of your personal style. Again, this is when you can ask for help from your companions and bridal consultant about how to narrow down your choices. I never had an “ah ha” moment when I was shopping for my bridal gown, and I own a bridal store! I needed my mom to tell me, “this is it.”

8. Don't be afraid to commit, and once you do, get rid of all the other pics

Many brides end up falling in love with a gown during their first appointment ever, and even though they can envision themselves getting married in this magical gown and it speaks to them in all the ways, they are hesitant to say yes right then and there because they may have other appointments that day or maybe there's just some gown out there that can beat this one. Then they go to another appointment and find a different gown that they love, and now this situation becomes really stressful instead of fun and exciting because you have too many options to choose from and you don't know how to make the right choice, and maybe you're leaning more towards one dress but you know your mom likes the other one. I'm getting stressed just thinking about it! So, if you find a gown you absolutely love that makes you feel like all the feels at your first appointment, consider yourself lucky, enjoy that magical moment, say yes, take all the photos, go celebrate, and if there's other gowns on your phone or Pinterest board or anywhere else, get rid of those. There are so many gowns out there, and there will always be a gown that may make you second guess your decision if you continue to scroll through wedding gowns on Pinterest after you've already chosen your dress, so don't torture yourself by doing that. Allow yourself to have that special moment with your friends and family and don't look back!

9. Decide on your accessories during your appointment.

We know that you want to focus mainly on the dress, and we don’t blame you. But it’s a lot easier to figure out accessories and veils during your appointment when you’re already in the dress. Otherwise, you will be searching for accessories without the actual dress, which can be difficult if you can’t easily visualize yourself in the dress.

10. This is the most important one of all: BE OPEN MINDED

Everything looks different on the hanger than it does on the body. Our consultants have seen all the dresses on, so even if you’re not crazy about something on the hanger, if we recommend you try it on, go ahead. We know you said you didn’t want lace, so maybe we’re pulling it for you because we know it comes in a non-lace option, or the lace is a very modern lace, etc. You wouldn’t believe how many brides come in saying they don’t want strapless who end up falling in love with a strapless gown! Basically, if there’s specific things you tend to like or dislike in your day-to-day clothing, all that goes out the window when it comes to looking for your wedding gown! I know, it’s kind of mysterious, right?