Dress Shopping

Eat before so you are full & ready to try on dresses (it's exhausting). Drink water too, and bring water with you! Try on as many style of dresses as you can and take plenty of pictures.

Hi Catarina,
Congratulations! Dress shopping was so much fun for me, I didn't bring many people with me, I was advised by girls who had gone through the process and felt that they were pressured ( mom's, sisters MOH ) to buy dresses that weren't really their dream dresses, so I just went with my MOH, when I found my dress, then I brought my mom to see it, I tried on about 30 👗 before I found my dream dress, but I really loved trying on all those gorgeous gowns, I hope you will as well, you know in your ❤️ when you find " the dress " if you care to Google it, my dress is by Stella York, style 6979, if you look at it, I would love your opinion!! I recommend looking at the Stella York and Casablanca lines to give yourself and idea of what you like or dislike!!!! HAVE FUN girl!

Whoo boy. If you're going to David's Bridal, expect a crowd since that is their busy day. I found my experience with them miserable because of the huge groups of ladies all trying to find dresses, but honestly dress shopping itself is fun. Think of it as high quality dress up. Try on a little bit of everything - you have no idea what looks good, what doesn't until you try it. And be open to all dresses. That being said, don't be afraid to speak up if you don't like a dress - this is your day and you need to own it!


Also, big one, not all women have that teary moment. The big thing is that your dress needs to make you feel beautiful and special. That's the important part. You might not cry, but you should love it and feel good in it.

I went shopping at 4 different boutiques, did Azazie's try-at-home program, and tried on at a bridal show sample sale. I think I tried on about 40 or so dresses to figure out what I liked the best. That being said, don't stress if you don't find something you love right away! I also always like to say that it's okay to not have "the reaction" to a dress. I never cried about my dress, but I still know it's the one I want to get married in. Many, many brides don't get emotional over an article of clothing; that doesn't mean the dress that makes you feel beautiful and confident is not the dress! If you love it, buy it!

Try on every silhouette and all the fabric choices. So many brides end up loving something completely different than what they originally were looking for after seeing the dresses on (I did!) As far as trying on goes, I only ended up wearing a nude thong when trying on my dresses. It was great to not have to worry about anything showing, no matter what silhouette/detail the dress had. If you're comfortable in doing so, I'd lose the bra and just be in underwear when you try on....it's also so much easier to get in and out of dresses quickly this way (which means you get to try on more during your appointment!) Have fun, don't get pressured into saying "yes" right away, and remember that you're going to be beautiful in whatever you end up wearing as long as you feel comfortable and confident!

This is both my future hubby & my second marriages. Because of that, I initially didn't want to do the dress shopping thing & wasn't sure if I even wanted to wear a wedding dress, but my MOH being the AMAZING girl that she is talked me into it. She said I had to at least try it so that I'd know for sure I didn't want it. She was SO right! We had so much fun just her & I and we took lots of pics that we sent to my mom and another bridesmaid. Ultimately the dress I chose was a dress that I just randomly decided to try on thinking I would think it was ridiculous & thinking my MOH would hate it. Good thing I just went with it bc we both love it!


Side note: slipping in & out of all of those dresses is tough work & you'll need help with some of them... don't worry about modesty bc the attendant helping you has seen it all, I promise!
Just relax & have fun. Think about what your future hubby will think when he sees you walking down the aisle. That's what sold it for me. I just know his eyes will pop right out of his head & I can't wait to see it!

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much! How funny, I’ve been loving the dresses by the designer Stella York! I absolutely LOVE your dress. You are going to look beautiful on your wedding day😍

View Quoted Comment Thank you for your story! I love your dress and I’m so happy you found love and your dress!💕

I went to David’s bridal first, didn’t like anything. There it’s more like a department store where you try on dresses by yourself really. I had the budget to try go somewhere else though.


Then I went to a boutique and it was much better. There was an amazing consultant that was so good at helping me. He was very experienced. Only thing I would recommend is be firm with what you like. Don’t ask for opinions unless you LIKE it. If you don’t like it, don’t ask for opinions or else you’ll second guess yourself. Also don’t make ANY modifications to the dress other that usual. I was told by my consultant that I could make easy modifications for modesty and they cost me $700!!
Side note, I also went to a really fancy boutique and told them my budget was $15,000 and tried on a bunch of crazy dresses. It was super fun! I’d recommend that if you have time.

I booked 2 appointments in 1 day. My mom, MIL and sister all flew in the night before. I read about eating and staying hydrated the day of, so FH and I took everyone out to breakfast before our first appointment.

I went to BHLDN and it was great, the stylist was super nice and knew exactly what I wanted. My sister took photos of my dresses and my stylist gave me a list of my favorite outfits and which ones I needed to order soon.

We had a quick bite to eat and then went to David's Bridal for their latest appointment. Just like BHLDN, they give you some time in the beginning to look at different dresses and to pick the ones you want to try. Since I chose all the dresses with my sister at BHLDN, my MIL, mom and sister chose the ones at DB.

By the end of the night everyone was laughing and joking around, it was a lot of fun bonding with family. You'll have so much fun!

I went to a variety of different type stores-boutiques and sample stores. Almost bought at first place but decided it was too much. And hey we’re really putting pressure on me. I found one I loved at sample store and it was too small. But totally changed direction. I got a blush dress- Stella York calls it moscato. They one I liked had pink tulle and they didn’t make it any more. But the one I bought had tulle and pink. So try on different styles, don’t let anyone talk you into their vision (they lov lace, you don’t sort of thing). All the dresses are beautiful. I hated David’s. I like the smaller boutique places. Take pictures. You can always go back a second time if you’re not sure.

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much Catarina, it's nice to get positive feedback, but I still worry about how my bust will look, I'm less than a full B cup and I'm insecure about it, even with seen in padding, so like most other girls, I keep second guessing my choice, I'd love to see your dress 👗
when you decide, I hope you get a Stella, I love the line, GOOD LUCK!

Make sure to eat and drink. you wouldnt believe how exhausting wedding dress shopping is. taking dresses on and off had me SO hungry, thirsty, and tired. i was over it after like three dresses lol.