I don't want to pretend I'm an expert at this, in full disclosure I've tried on wedding dresses twice ever. Also, most of what I'm about to share are recycled tips! I'm a very indecisive person so when I went to my consultation, I literally had a binder of approximately 30 dresses ranging from all types of styles, materials and shades. I sincerely couldn't tell you what I wanted other than it being a classy, sexy and youthful looking dress. So without futher ado, here is the advise I got that helped me:
(1) Prior to my appointment I called my cousin who overloaded me with tips. She is a seasoned maid-of-honor/bridesmaid. She said, and this was her best tip, "politely ask your consultant how long they've been doing their job. Remember, even if they haven't been doing this long, THIS IS THEIR JOB, trust them. Ask them to pull a couple dresses for you. They've seen brides in all different shapes and sizes and knows what works and what doesn't". My consultant pulled a dress I stopped to look at 3 times but never picked and it ended up being THE dress. She was adamant the style would be most complimentary for my body shape and that it was a dress you needed to see on because it wasn't a "hanger dress"; a body made it beautiful not a hanger.
(2) I was told to bring a variety of different hair accessories such as clips, hair ties and/or bobbi-pins. These help you envision what you were to look like on the day and really sell the full picture!
(3) Also bring extra bras, if you need bras. I had straps, strapless, pasties, and "the Instagram bra" ( you know the one with butterfly looking adhesive silicone and a drawstring in the center). I'm chesty and need a bra but seeing I didn't know what dress I wanted, I didn't know what type of bra I needed and this way I was prepared to have the best experience.
(4) Have style you like picked out/ dresses that you would like to try on. Don't think I'm negating my "trust your consultant" but this is your appointment! You have to see what you want to see and I think you need to see enough dresses to know "the one is the one". If you know your "one and done" after trying on one dress, great! But if your more like me and need a couple (8 dresses) overall to know, that's okay too. My consultant pulled my top 3 picks from my book for me to try on and they were just all wrong for me. My top contender all along was the first dress I tried on, and the style just wasn't it for me, and that's okay. But only after having seen it I knew it was not the one.
(5) Only bring people who you trust to your appointment. This is totally an overwhelming experience and I took a gamble inviting a couple of strongly opinionated individuals. If you love something and know in your heart it's for you, then it's your dress no matter what anyone else says. Having a largely opinionated crowd can confuse you and make you second guess yourself. Also trust your instinct with it. I found myself searching for their reactions and I was hesitant because they didn't give me the reaction I was looking for. Turns out some of them were trying to gauge me before they gave their reaction in case I loved it or in case I hated it they didn't get too excited.
(6) Trust the process. Things happen different for everyone and this is no exception. I didn't get the "overwhelming this is the dress feeling". I had to take it all in. I had to take off the dress and see the other one I previously liked and and then try it back on. I sat there quietly staring at it as everyone was talking around me for quite some time and when I realized the calming sensation I had wearing my dress is the same one I have with my fiance, I knew it was for me. That may sound weird but it make sense for me and when it makes sense for you that's all that matters. It may take a couple times and you might have to go back to the drawing boards, what you thought you liked may not work and that's okay as long as you don't get discouraged! Your dress is out there!
I hope this helped at least one bride in their search! Happy shopping.
