How many appointments to find "the One"?

I went to 3 different bridal salons before saying “yes to the dress”. That being said, I did extensive research beforehand and knew exactly which dresses/designers I was interested in. So I only booked appointments at bridal salons that carried those designers. At my first appointment, I actually tried on the dress I ended up picking, but they didn’t have a few of the other dresses I wanted to try, so at the 3rd bridal salon, I tried on THE dress again and said yes!
It sounds like you may need to do some more research before going shopping again. Narrow down a couple/few of designers you really like and find a store that carries all of them.

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Thanks, Meghan! That makes me feel a lot better! It seems like I see so many people buy a dress at their first appointment, so I've been worried! I have a good idea of what I'm looking for, but I haven't taken into account the different designers as much, so I'll be sure to look into that too! Thanks again!

View Quoted Comment I would never buy a dress at my first appointment! I have major FOMO lol. There are so many dresses out there! I will say, you don’t want to overwhelm yourself with too many options though. But once you get a good idea of a designer, style, silhouette, etc., that you like, it makes the process much easier.
I went in knowing I only wanted a Hayley Paige or Lazaro gown. So this helped me narrow my search significantly. So I think researching designers & their styles, and finding where they are sold can really help. It did me! Good luck! & have fun!!

Don’t stress, Meagan. I had to go to 8-10 shops to find The One. In 2016, it was nearly impossible to find a long or even short-sleeved fitted bodice with an A-line or ballgown skirt. Finally, I tried a dress way out of budget and figured out to try separates. I didn’t cry but I also knew it was the one.

Do try different stores because they often carry different designers!

What don’t you like about the dresses? What are you looking for?

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Thank you so much for your encouragement!! That's such a cool solution!

It was different aspects of each dress. It mostly would come down to cut or fabric. I would like the cut of a dress, but the particular kind of lace was more bohemian or overly traditional than I was looking for. The other day, I was at a really cute sample store with a lot of nice dresses, but if I didn't like the color of the dress, they couldn't necessarily find that same dress but in ivory. It seemed so silly, but I couldn't get past it.

I'm drawn to either a very slim A-line skirt or fit-and-flare/sheath with a train, lace, and a low back! Overall I want to look romantic and timeless, and a little relaxed.

I was lucky and found my dress and the first place I went. I totally had that yep this is the one moment. I went in with an idea of the dress I wanted to try and I knew they had it so I tried it on and loved it but obviously still tried other options. I went back to the first one and the one that is now my dress and I was like yep the first one is a no now lol 😂

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That is so wonderful!! I love it when that happens! When you know, you know

View Quoted Comment Exactly! I would also say a big thing for me was to try on a lot. I had a few dresses that I genuinely really loved but I knew the one I got was the one but it is also totally different than the one I went in there wanted to see. I had my girls, mom and grandma with me so everyone got to pick a few and it was nice seeing all the different options because you never know you might end up with a totally different style then you think you want

View Quoted Comment Hang in there! Do you know many wedding dresses come in 2-5 color options? Sample dresses are mostly two-tone because it shows their detail best but most do come in ivory! Just ask (or color options may be on tag).

For a softer A-line, you can remove the crinoline layer of an A-line/ballgown is too poofy. Try one on and ask tell the stylist. She can tuck the crinoline in between your legs to give you an idea of the look.

And visit a few more shops. You’ll find it!

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Thank you so so much! That helps a ton! I didn't realize that was the reason most of the samples were two-tone; that's really interesting, and it makes a lot of sense!

Thanks again!

View Quoted Comment You’re welcome! Also know ivory is the new white because it photographs better (true white can have a harsh blue tint in photos). Most dresses come in ivory but fewer come in a true white. But even ivory isn’t the same across designers—ivory can range from a soft white to more muted/yellow-based white. That said, just because you don’t like ivory from one designer doesn’t mean they all use that shade!

Thanks to my own wedding I started working in the wedding industry (with a bridal designer & local shop) and I’ve learned so much I wish I knew while engaged!

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Very cool! Thanks for passing down your knowledge!

That's nice to know; I'm partial to ivory as well! I think it looks better with my skin tone than true, bright white! It's so interesting how it actually encompasses a whole range from light to dark. I saw a dress the other day that was ivory but looked more nude to me. I'll keep that in mind when I eventually find a dress to order!

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You're welcome!

I'm the opposite. Ivory washes me out so I was dead set on "white only" until I learned after my wedding that sometimes ivory is a soft white. It just depends. It was interesting though I bought a bodysuit with white lace on nude mesh but when I tried with a white skirt, it DID look weirdly too white/old-fashioned bridal. I paired with an ivory skirt and it was a much softer look. Here was my dress:

Good luck! You WILL find it.

I just stopped into a little bridal boutique with my mom after a lunch date, tried on a few and fell in love with like the 3rd one. I had no expectations or thoughts about what I wanted. I just talked to the lady for a bit and went with what she pulled out. I just said to her, your the professional and have seen so many women in gowns what do you think would compliment me. But I also do this at the hair dresser and things like that so it wasn't abnormal for me.

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WOW! Your dress is beyond STUNNING! You and your husband look so sweet

Thank you! I've inquired about some new appointments so fingers crossed!

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That's so lovely! Those ladies really do know what they're doing. I may try that and see what they pick!

I looked in 5 stores and tried on about 7 dresses before finding The One.

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So happy you found your dream dress! On to store number 5 this week!

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Aw, thank you!!! It took a lot of work to find/create it but worth it. Fingers crossed you'll find your dream dress very soon...maybe in your next appointment.

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I found it! I can't believe I bought my dream dress today! Still on cloud nine!