Loathing Wedding Dress Shopping

If I were you, I would go to a salon just to try on the various silhouettes. Go by yourself.

This will allow you to find a style you can actually tolerate, and the staff can help you find something that matches your vibe.

Then, buy a similar dress second hand online, or off the rack from a sales place.

Your other option is just to pick a white dress. It doesn't have to be a 'wedding dress'. You haven't said much about what kind of thing you (or your husband-to-be, if this is driven by him) really would like or imagine yourself in.

But... here are some simple dresses that might be your speed from random shops:

One-Shoulder Dress - Nordstrom

Ruffle Dress - Nordstrom

Lace Maxi Dress - Lulu's

Satin Fishtail Dress - ASOS

Lulu's, ASOS and Chi Chi London all have a bunch of white dresses in various styles for under $300 that would make gorgeous wedding dresses.

The best thing I did was shop solo first. I had an appointment at a bridal salon alone and the bridal consultant was awesome!! My only criteria was to look as lean and tall as possible and she picked a style that made me feel great.


You’re smart not to go with an entourage. Trust the consultant and go in with an open mind ❤️ Good luck!

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Thank you for taking the time to put up all those links! The third one is closest to my vibe, though not my silhouette.

I recently went shopping for some non-wedding dresses (I was a guest to a wedding and needed something) and so I discovered that pretty much anything A-line is great. I'm tall and skinny (5'10" and 120 lbs, pretty flat), so a mermaid would apparently flatter me, but I'm honestly not a fan. I'm looking for something that's not white-- like, cream, or blush, or champagne, or all of the above. Flowy, but not like a poof ball. Interesting but not ornate. Above all, long and modest. So I'm having a hard time finding something that fits the bill and makes me want to wear it.

One concern I have about going to a salon is actually the staff. I have major salesperson fear lol. I don't like the idea of people trying to sell me stuff.

Do I just need to buckle down and choose something? Try and make it? Keep putting off a choice until I actually do go try something on? I feel so overwhelmed haha.

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You're so welcome! Since you appear to have a fairly good idea of what you're looking for, it seems like your best option would be to buy something online with a good return policy, and avoid sales people all together. Why not just get a few, and see what you think?

I found these A-line styles - everyone's definition of modest is a bit different, but these are a bit more covered, at least! The links for each are underneath and none are over $300.

Lulu's 1

Lulu's 2

Lulu's 3

But, if you check out Mia Maples or Tina Yong on youtube, they review dresses from places like Lulu's, ASOS, Wish, etc, and you can get a much better idea of quality and whether you want to commit!

If you're buying online, off the rack, you still have heaps and heaps of time, so no need to panic!

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Excellent advice and selections. These are all gorgeous.

If you go to a salon, go alone. Be very honest with the salesperson - he or she will appreciate it. I don’t think you should be afraid. These consultants are doing a job and will hopefully have your best interests at heart. It will be worth it when your groom sees you coming down the aisle.

I went to a salon alone at first like these ladies are suggesting. I only included two people because I didn’t want to get too overwhelmed. Just like the wedding day is your day, your appointment is your appointment. Go by yourself or just bring 1-2 people you trust.

If you're against salon shopping check out Amazon and Azazie. You can search for a formal dress instead of a wedding gown to broaden your options.

Call a couple shops and see if they will let you pull your own dresse to try on. I went to 2-3 places where i didn't have a dedicated consultant, just shopped like I would for anything else. It was really nice!

Also recommend solo shopping

Look at the bridesmaid section. One of the prettiest dresses that I saw was a champagne a-line - hemmed to ankle length. And it was just freaking simple and it was still flowy - but without the train. Is that more your vibe?

I’d call up local bridal shops and see when their sample sales happen and their prices. I’ve worked in a shop that did this 2x/year and sold dresses $200-$1000. I bought my reception dress at a bridal shop for less than $200! It’s worth exploring.