Wedding dress shopping entourage!

I think you have to be comfortable and that’s what matters the most. I went alone because I didn’t want any other opinions but everyone is different.

Bring who ever you want to and who you feel comfortable with. Keep in mine how many opinions you are bringing with you too. I ended up just having my mom and my future mother in law and it was too overwhelming. I ended up going by myself a couple times. Some stores also have a number of people max to bring so keep that in mind too. I don’t think anyone will be offended if you end up not inviting them.

I don’t know where you’re from, but everywhere I the Chicago suburbs needed to know how many people, with a max of 2 or 3 depending on what spot i was bringing. I would not show up dress shopping with a huge entourage, it’s counter productive to the whole process and most places won’t allow it.

I went to David’s Bridal and had a pretty good size entourage. I always loved the bigger number of entourages on Say Yes to the Dress so I followed suit. I didn’t take my sister in law but I took my mom, my daughter (my matron of honor), both my sisters (maids of honor) and my best friend (bridesmaid). We had a blast! I even let them each pick a dress for me to try on! I loved hearing their opinions and their reactions when I said yes to the dress! We went out together afterwards for a late lunch. I loved the experience! Like the PPs though, you have to do with is comfortable for you.

I say smaller is better. When I picked my first dress from David's Bridal, I went by myself for my first appointment on a weekday. Everyone lives out of town, so i just went to try things on. To my surprise, I loved a dress. Brought my mom and my sis/moh back that Saturday, and oh god. It was AWFUL. There were at least six other brides that had brought easily 7 people each, kids were running around, a baby was screaming. Women were crowded into the one display area of dresses, talking over each other, and I began to overheat very quickly. My mom and sis helped me grab a few, including the one I liked, and I tried them on while a baby was screaming like a banshee, probably needing a nap and denied it. It was terrible. David's Bridal is already the fast food of dresses. Don't need to add the drama of huge groups of women crowding into a store.



When I picked my second gown- I lost a ton of weight and had to do an exchange - I went by myself again on a Saturday early. She still rushed me, and i could see why when the huge groups of women started coming in again. It makes it hard to think, hard to concentrate. I honestly wish I had waited for a private salon for my gown, but I bought a DB and they only do exchanges after 14 days. The huge groups of women are partially why I think I went with a dress that I was only partially in love with. I love my new gown, but take my words as cautionary.

Too many cooks in the kitchen over salt the soup....


You seem like a people pleaser on this one so the large entourage or even a entourage may be a mistake. The reason is the people you bring should have an opinion that matters to you... Don't force a relationship that isn't there if you don't know future sister in law in that way.
Bridal salons recommend 2 people however they will accommodate more. I recommend no one from experience if you're a people pleaser. You'll try to please everyone but yourself and regret it.

I wouldn’t, but just think what are you going to do if you find the perfect dress and they say they don’t like it, how will you feel at that moment and feel toward them after? I would keep it small, it’s overwhelming enough without a bunch of people there. I only had my moh and stepmom and it was already plenty.

Personally, I wouldn't. I had my mom, sister, both grandmothers, FMIL, and both FSIL's with me and I wanted to set fire to things. I was annoyed and stressed. If I could do it again, I'd go alone tbh. LOL

Thank you all so much for your opinions. I will keep it just me and the two i had initially planned to invite. 🙂

I would recommend going dress shopping with people who "get you" and if you don't have a strong relationship with your FH's sisters or mom I would be hesitant to include them. Some people are really opinionated, and where their brother is concerned you may get more harsh opinions than you bargain for.

Having said that I went dress shopping with the wife of one of our groomsmen (not someone I'm super close with at all) because I don't have any close girlfriends in the area but she was available and offered to help. She was an AMAZING dress shopping partner. She was/is super invested in our happiness as a couple but didn't have any preconceived notions about what I as a bride should look like (or what my FH's bride/wedding should be like), so she was really there just for me and worked out amazingly.

Have you asked your FH what he thinks about including them? My FH's sister is kind of crazy (as in high drama and anxiety, the panic mode button gets hit a lot) but I think he understands the ways in which that comes out much better than I do, so he would better be able to predict
"she'll interject her opinion too much here" vs "she knows its not her place and will stay quiet."

Also, you can always include your FH's mom and sisters in a different part of the bridal process, such as going back for a fitting, or helping you pick out accessories after you decide on your actual dress. Doing so can be a great bonding experience without putting all the pressure on that moment of picking out a dress.

Lastly, I'll second what others have mentioned about "too many cooks in the kitchen." You may want to consider the size of our entourage separately from who is included. For me personally, three people is about max that I think would be helpful to me. More than that and it would feel like a show, not a personal, intimate experience with those close to me, and that just isn't my style.

Personally I had a large entourage and I had a great time! I know this may not be the same for everyone but everyone was so supportive of what I liked and for the most part kept their opinions to themselves, at least until after I formulated an opinion of my own and I think for the most part all of our opinions matched (we also LOVED the dress I picked). I think it depends on how close you are to them too, if you give then a courtesy invite but don't really want them to come, they make courtesy accept and then everyone feels uncomfortable. If you guys aren't that close maybe they aren't even expecting to be asked to come and there's no issue to begin with? Maybe don't invite them, but if you do find the dress you like maybe ask if they would like to see it so that you're keeping them involved while also at a distance, ya know?

Personally more people just would stress me out. I went spontaneously with one friend and ended up finding "The One"! I don't think you should feel obligated to bring anyone! This is all about YOU!