Dress Shopping- Who to Invite?

I recommend only bringing 1-3 people with, who you are closest to and whose opinions you value most. Bringing too many people means a LOT of differing opinions, and not necessarily with your best interest in mind. You could also start out shopping alone to get an idea of what styles you like best, and then bring the crew back at a later date so you can officially say yes to the dress with everyone there.

I only brought my mom with me. I knew she would listen to what I was saying about the dress and recognize what I was feeling while in it. (To be fair, all of my BMs and my MIL were far away, so them being there wasn't feasible anyway, but still)

I agree with Lisa, definitely limit the number of people you're bringing to 1-3 people whose opinions you want most.

Check with the dress shop first and foremost, some have a limit on how many people can actually come. I took my two best friends, my mom, my husband's mom, and my husband's sister. It's also about knowing your crowd, you don't want to invite anyone who is going to be TOO honest and not care about what you think. There's a huge difference in something actually not looking good on you and someone just not liking the style you picked (example...I don't like lace, but my mom loves lace, so when we went shopping for her, I kept that in mind to ignore my dislike for lace).

You should bring who you want to! You don't have to invite all 7 bridesmaids. I took my mom, sister, future mother in law, and future sister in law. I knew they were the people that I couldn't imagine the day without.

When I first started dress shopping (Aug 2020) pretty much all bridal salons in my area would only allow you to bring 2 people with due to COVID. That restriction was relaxed last spring / summer, but I wouldn't be surprised if some restrictions are going back into place these days (depending on where you live).

Either way, agree with those who have suggested bringing 1-3 people max. Otherwise it'd likely be too many opinions to take in. If all of your BMs are super supportive and not the type to second-guess something you really like, then I'd consider asking each of them if they'd be interested in joining you for a fitting sometime. You could have just a few come to each appt so they all get a chance to hang out in the bridal salon, see the dress in person, basically have the bonding experience if that's something you and they are into. I considered doing this and just never got around to it so it was always just me, my mom and/or my MOH - but I think it would've been fun to experience it with a few of the other girls, too. Just not all at once. :-)

Currently dress shops limit you to 2 guests max for social distancing. And you can FaceTime with as many as you want. But try to limit it to the one or two people whose opinions you value above all others. Make sure you follow your gut instinct and take all opinions with a grain of salt. You will be wearing the dress so the one you ultimately buy should make you happy and be something you don’t want to take off at all. Keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle for the first one you try on.


Some brides choose their fiancé instead of any moms or bridesmaids and that’s ok too.

Ahh!! I would suggest your mom, your MOH & 2 more bridesmaids! You are right that would be a lot of opinions!! Don't forget to bring your champagne and lots of fun energy!

Bring no more than 3 or 4 people... mother, sister(s), and the Maid/Matron of honor.

View Quoted Comment Call ahead to see if the shops allow champagne and what their limit is of people accompanying you.

With a bridal party that big, I wouldn't take them all on one dress shopping trip at once. If you want to take one or two at a time on different trips so that no one feels left out, that would probably work better. Then you don't have to contend with so many opinions all at once. I only made three dress shopping trips, all of which were at David's Bridal. The first one was at a DB in Chicago, and one of my bridesmaids - who I hadn't even asked yet - went with me, mainly because I went at a time when I was briefly unemployed, and this particular friend was one of the few I had who also didn't have a job at the time. The second time was a few weeks later over Christmas. That time I went to a DB in Akron, OH, with my now mother-in-law. Three months later, I went back to the DB in Chicago with my sister/maid of honor, and that was the one where I found my dress.

Your mom and maid of honor, girl. Don’t let others decide your day.

I personally have had multiple appointments and brought different people each time. I always invite my mom and maid of honor and then it varies. I think for my first fitting I just brought my mom, maid of honor, and a friend.

Are there restrictions on how many people you can bring to the bridal shops you will be making appointments at? It would be good to call them/email them to ask, due to COVID restrictions. I’m not sure where you reside, but better be safe than sorry!


And 7 bridesmaids is definitely a lot of opinions so I’d keep it small and intimate. Maybe you don’t want to play favorites with bridesmaids, so I’d try doing separate appointments. One of my old friends met up with me to her first bridal appointment since the other 3 bridesmaids couldn’t make it & her mom wasn’t invited to attend since they weren’t close!
I’m other words — PICK WHO YOU WANT.

I have 12 bridemaids

I took my mother and grandmother. Most mothers want to go dress shopping with their daughters. I wouldn't invite anyone else. Trying on dresses is so personal, awkward, and unless you're a size 2, you'll be clipped into too small dresses that expose a lot of your back and bra

Way too many opinions. Take 1-3 (so maybe your MOH and a family member?).

I took 4 with me. My mom, my two younger sisters (who are in my wedding) and my grandma who was paying for me dress. When I actually found my dress I just had 3 with me. I found I enjoyed the experience and didn’t have too many opinions coming my way. I would have liked to include one of my bridesmaids (who invited me to go shopping with her) but for simplicity sake I stuck with family.


Definitely call ahead and see how many people you can actually bring. And take who you wanna take!!!

I had my mom, my sister and my one bridesmaid. Too many opinions might make for a disaster. Also some places have a limit on guests, especially right now with Covid. So I would double check that

I only had my mom. I had a friend with me when I picked up my dress.

Ill end up having a lot of people because I have a really big immediate family. So it will be my mom and my four sisters at least. My family is extremely laid back, supportive, and I know will read my reaction and support my decision 100% regardless of whether the dress is their style or not, so im not worried about that many people

if my MOH can make it then she will be invited. I am also extending the invite to my husbands mom and step mom although I dont expect them to attend because of distance. Any of my other bridesmaids who want to be part of the experience can do so over video call.

I will say, that if I were concerned at all about anyone on the "invite" list having really strong opinions or being critical of me in any way I would scale it back to just the people I know are going to be 100% supportive.