Dress Shopping Hindsights Sharing

I never actually got the true bridal store experience since I got mine online. I did eventually go to different stores and tried other gowns on but now I tell people to do that before they buy online so they have an idea of what they like

I actually wouldn't change anything about mine. I took just my parents shopping with me (I didn't need too many opinions), I went to 3 different bridal salons and tried on between 20-25 dresses total, I took a lot of photos, and I went in with a style/designer in mind (but was open to trying on others). I really enjoyed my dress shopping experience and I am obsessed with my dress!

I would have done my hair and makeup nicer so I could have gotten a better idea of what I would look like on my day/ how the veil would look etc.

This is kinda dumb: I wear glasses on a daily basis but planning to wear contacts on my wedding day, so I probably should've worn my contacts to the bridal salon appoinments to get a better idea of how the dresses looked on me.

I cried and was super discouraged after having “bad” experiences at bridal salons, takeaway, be bossier. I am too nice by default and kept on dresses I didn’t love much longer (wasting time) or didn’t request to be properly clipped in when they did a cruddy job. Pictures from one salon made me look like a wrinkly rectangular blob and I almost gave up shopping altogether. Once I realized I had to be more vocal I went to a different salon with only my mom, had a consultant I clicked with (and gave her the 411 on my prior experience), and purchased my dream dress that day.

I would tell you to try on every style of dress. Even if you think you wont like it. I went in and the one thing I said was "I dont want strapless!" My mom convinced me to try on a strapless, and guess what dress i bought lol. But i do regret not trying on a mermaid style, just to see how it would look on me

My advice would be to ask for a discount. My daughter did and got several hundred dollars off her designer gown. Everything is negotiable!

View Quoted Comment This!!! Only I can't do contacts,I wish I would have worn my glasses that day to see if I want to wear them during the wedding. I don't need them to see, they just make everything sharper and less blurry.

I had a great experience and ended up buying the first dress I tried on (after then trying on about 6 more, just to see), so there's not much I would change. If anything, I'm almost kind of sad that I only went to one shop and it was over so quickly -- I found trying on dresses to be super fun!

People told me not to wear any makeup because it would get on the dresses. I didn't really follow that advice and wore what I normally wear day-to-day, with a tiny bit of extra, and I'm glad I did. I stepped into every single dress, so there was no issue with getting makeup on fabric. It also made me feel like myself, but not so overdone that it took away from the experience of how the *dress* made me feel.

Before going to the shop, I had a Pinterest board for dresses and had a general idea of what I thought I liked, but went in with an open mind. Tried on a bunch of different styles and colors, and ended up with something similar, but different, to the dress I had in my head. I also only took two people with me--my mom and sister--which made for a fun, relaxing appointment.

What problems are you running into?