Tips for Dress Shopping for an Indecisive Bride?

Are there any dress styles you specifically already want to try on and look at?

I think there’s too much pressure to pick a magical, life-changing, tear-inducing dress. You want to pick something that will look good on you since you’re getting married and taking a lot of photos. But at the end of the day it’s just a dress and you’ll only wear it a few hours. Decide how much you want to spend and think about what formal dress styles looked good on you in the past. If you’re not at all sure, try on different styles/shapes. I would pick a main color (pure white, ivory, champagne or blush), and pick a fabric style (satin, tulle, lace, beading). That will narrow it down a lot. Remember they can alter hems, bodice, zipper/corset, sleeves/straps, and possibly necklines if you change your mind about something later. And you already said it, once you buy stay away from the shops and websites. Something may look amazing on someone else or on the mannequin but might not be best for your venue, season, or body type, or be in your budget or be good quality. All things you may not know by just browsing. So I would think about what you want first, try on different styles, sleep on it and go one more time if you want, and then buy and stop looking. I would not go to tons of shops or try on 50 dresses hoping for a movie moment. Good luck and keep us updated!

View Quoted Comment My mind is split between a ballgown with a big skirt and a more fitted mermaid/fit-and-flair style. Lol pretty much opposite ends of the spectrum

View Quoted Comment I appreciate this! Will do.

I changed dresses three times so it can definitely happen. The first dress I settled on. The second I liked, but didn't love. The third I was looking for a short dress to wear to the after party when I found the third one and fell absolutely in love with so I wore that for the wedding and had the second one shortened for the after party. The first dress my mom is selling since she is the one that bought it. My advice is to try on different styles to determine what style you want. My problem was I got tired of shopping and just wanted to be done. If you feel yourself being over shopping walk away and don't make any decisions until you have a clear mind otherwise you could very easily end up in a situation like mine where I had two dresses I didn't love. I will say I did find a dress I loved early on, but I was worried it would be too sparkly and that my husband's family who are very plain would hate it so I left my feelings about what I thought they would like influence my decision. Go with what you love rather than anyone else. Also don't take too many people with you when you go shopping otherwise you will end up with too many conflicting opinions. Once you find your dress, don't look at other dresses. Don't Google, Pinterest or go to another bridal salon and try on dresses.

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You know the other option is you COULD ideally have both. they have gowns where there are detachable skirts on top for a ball gown and underneath it is a more sheath like or slimmer gown. that's just an idea, in case you feel really truly that indecisive or torn between both

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That's okay! Try them both and show your consultant pictures of what you like, they should be able to point you towards what you like. I asked to see a few very different styles, it's the best way to find out what works on you! The dress I chose ended up being something that I pinned, but some other attempts from pinterest were not as great. Fortunately for me, we all agreed that my dress was the one, but not every bride has that moment. I think it's just important you find something you like and that you feel confident in and then STOP LOOKING. I think a lot of dress regret could be nipped in the bud by just loving what we have and steering clear of salons and pinterest.

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This is SUCH good advice. Sometimes I feel like "dress regret" was only invented by forums like this (seeing others posting about dress regret), social media (seeing others post their tearful "the one!!" announcements), and that TV show.

Edited to add: don't go shopping with too many people. One or two other opinions are fine, but there is a distinct diminishment of returns after that.

View Quoted Comment Yes, I think the TV show has had a lot of influence on people, including certain people my own family who wanted to take me dress shopping bc they thought it would be like TV. I had also wanted to add, accessories and hair and makeup can make a huge difference in your look too regardless of your dress.

Pick the style you like and try those dresses on, but don't be afraid to go outside your comfort zone and try something different. You will know it's the dress when you try it on. Otherwise all the other dresses are just dresses.

Tell your bridal consultant you're open to trying different styles but would like to try A-line/ballgown and fit & flare. Hopefully, she'll bring you 2 samples of each style to try to see which you like better. Generally, you'll see if you like the princess feel or more fitted feel. Because in each style there are a ton of options.

Try to be as descriptive as possible with what you like/dislike. If you love the fit of the ballgown but hate the extreme poof, she can show you how it would look with a layer of crinoline removed. For fit & flare or mermaid, it can make a huge difference where how far down the "flare" starts. For some brides, the wrong mermaid makes her butt/hips look unfavorably big, but then another one gives her that gorgeous hourglass figure!

I suggest booking appointments at two shops initially so you don't get FOMO (fear of missing out) about dresses. If you NEED to visit more you can.

What helped me too is looking at pictures of myself in it. My mom took pictures during my appointment and I when I looked at the pictures it helped me figure out that yep this was the dress that I felt the best in AND also looked the best on me in pictures!
I was in between an A line and a very fitted dress too before I came to the store and my consultant brought me multiple dresses in each style. I felt so much more comfortable in a fitted dress that I right away realized that was my preferred silhouette.
Also don’t put too much pressure like PP said, it’s not always going to be that life changing omg this is the one moment, for me it was more subtle like I was super comfortable and it looked like my style.

One thing I think gets forgotten a lot is comfort - you want to be comfortable during your wedding! Ask yourself if you feel beautiful and special and happy in your dress, but also make sure you feel comfy!

View Quoted Comment Such a good point!

Definitely try on styles that you wouldn’t think you’d like! My dress appointment I had scheduled with David’s Bridal was cancelled due to the pandemic (it was scheduled literally a week after it was declared a pandemic, lol). I ended up trying on dresses at home from Azazie. Since I could only pick 3 dresses at a time, I tried to pick three very different ones all with different features (i.e. sleeves/no sleeves, A-line/mermaid, etc.) so I could pick and choose the features I liked best, so I could narrow it down for my next at-home try-on session. Well, the dress I ended up picking was actually my least favorite of the three when I had picked them out online; I had only picked it so I could see how a mermaid silhouette and off-the-shoulder sleeves would look on me. Tried it on and loved it the most out of all the others! I knew it was the one when I was trying to shop for more dresses to try on and I was looking for a dress that had all the features of the one I had already tried on, lol 😆 My mom tried to tell me to keep trying more on, since it’s my wedding dress and I “need to put more thought into it,” but I didn’t listen and I am still very happy with my choice 😊 sorry for the long post!

In my opinion, (and as an indecisive woman, regarding literally everything) you will have some form of regret. The dress I purchased was one I had my eye on from the beginning and I had already KNEW it was the one, and once I tried it on I had ALL THE FEELS. BUT, that didn't stop me from trying on other dresses and loving those as well, or seeing others and thinking "what if?" I think when you try on the right one, you'll know and it won't matter if you see anything else because you already felt "that" feeling with your dress. Good luck and have fun! That was my favorite experience of the wedding thus far.

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So much this. In every dress you try on that you like the look of, lift your arms, hug someone, sit down, dance a few steps, hike it up (as if you were about to pee). I am serious.

People choosing dressing for looks alone rather than wearability is what has led to the reception dress trend (I need something I can dance in, something I can eat in, something that isn't so hot, so heavy...), which can add such needless expense and extra stress (two choices, more alterations, different accessories, reception timelines that include outfit changes, etc.).

Keep the people giving opinions to 2-3. Start plain as can be dresses to get what style you like(ie a line, ballgown, emperor, ect/ and neckline you like, and what sleeve you want) build from those with what material and details you like. If you dont find anything that you like take from this and visit anomalie to build your own with what you learned.

I went through the same thing. I couldn’t decide on a style and went to 6 different locations and at each location I must have tried on 10-12 dresses. What I found helpful is to try all styles at your first appointment to get an idea of what you want and what fits your body. I found that at each location there was a dress I loved but couldn’t make the decision to buy the dress at that moment even with all the discounts they throw at you if you buy that day. So I had my friends take lots of pictures from every angle and even at the places where they said “no pictures”, my friends were pretty awesome by being sneaky about it. I also went to my appointments with different family/friends to get different perspectives but I always had my bestie go to all my appts since she’s so honest. I then gave myself a deadline to decide (2 weeks after my last appointment) since I was so over trying on dresses. I must have stared at the pictures daily and began eliminating the ones I was no longer excited about. It was a whole ordeal only because I was worried about spending so much $$$ on a dress that I will wear once and Not know if I would still love it 8 months later on my wedding day. My wedding is 5 months away and I’m still happy about the dress I picked

If you’re indecisive, then don’t bring anyone when you’re dress shopping. Their opinions will sway you too much and make it even harder for you to make a decision.