What was your wedding dress shopping experience like?

My wedding is 7-10-21 and started looking at dresses in June 2020. Covid made dress shopping a little difficult. Couldn’t bring as many people. I went to 4 shops. I first found a material I liked and compared other dresses to each other. I fell in love with an A line dress but my mom wasn’t with me and so I rescheduled. That night I couldn’t sleep I loved the dress but my gut said that wasn’t it. I wanted something to show my curves more but I had an appointment with another shop the day after and so I went and I fell even more with a straight dress. I took my mom to both appointments and she knew my face wanted the straight more! I ordered it late June and won’t be here till March 2021 !

I went shopping most of the time by myself. Loved it. I don’t have unsupportive friends or family it was just easier and more convenient. I did two trips with people: one with my mom & sister, one with with my mom & a friend. Plenty of people.


Check with the bridal shops. During Covid, you may only be allowed to bring 1-2 people.

I had no idea on what I wanted. I liked the look of several different dresses but ended up with something totally different! I wanted to bring a total of 5 people but due to COVID that number was cut to 2. We had a work around for that. My sister & MIL (my mom passed 2 yrs ago) went inside with me while my daughter & her fiancé looked through the window. I kept it to the ones who know me the best. I tried on 7 different dresses @ the first shop & fell in love with the last one. Even so, I went to my 2nd appointment & tried on 5 different dresses but compared them all to that last dress I tried on at the previous shop. It was the one! After talking to my fiancé, I called the 1st shop & told them I would be right back! I felt so dumb but the staff was awesome! They reassured me that if I hadn’t done that, I would of had doubts. I bought my dress at Brilliant Bridal- once you purchase it, you leave with your dress. I will have to get some alterations & plan on doing that in January for our April wedding.

My advice would be to take as few people as you can! The most I ever took to an appointment was 3 people (mom, bridesmaid, mom's friend), but most of the appointments I either only took one person (different bridesmaid) or went by myself (I tried on a lot of dresses). I think my favorite shopping experiences were the ones I was by myself. It really allowed me to focus on what I wanted and form my own opinion without worrying about trying to please other people. That helped when I went with others as I was able to stand my ground with what I wanted (not that I needed too much help on that as I tend to be pretty strong in my opinions as a general rule). Take the people you want to have the shopping experience with, but don't be disheartened if you don't find the dress at the first salon or decide later that you want to go shopping by yourself. Best of luck with your shopping!

View Quoted Comment Look at you, upgraded to a "legend!"

I unfortunately had a poor experience. My mom and fmil weren't interested in dress shopping with me, and I was unsure why. I went with a friend and I tried on about 5 dresses. I disliked all of them. I'm petite with large breasts so many wedding gowns are not flattering on me. Also, all the ones I liked looking at on the rack were wayyy above my budget. I decided to give up and will most likely wear something casual.

I got engaged on thanksgiving day when my mom was visiting. I honestly expected her to be kind of negative while dress shopping so I thought “Let’s just go ahead and look and get that out of the way then I’ll go back later with someone else”. So we went on Saturday following thanksgiving. I did not expect to find a dress at all but I did. My mom loved it, my daughter loved it (granted she was 8 and loved all the dresses) and I loved it. I tried on about 7 dresses and just kept going back to that one so we ordered it.
When it came in I asked my FMIL, future step daughter and FSIL to go with me. I tried my dress on and several others just to make sure and everyone loved it.
I’ve had a few second thoughts on it since but I think I made the right choice.

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Aw, I can’t believe you noticed, Julie! 😘

I did a dance for my hubby tonight and said “Guess who got promoted to Legend... on WeddingWire??? Meeeeee!” 😆

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Hahahaha I'm sure he was "thrilled." I'm so far away from anything impressive. I thought I was on here a lot, but apparently, just enough to be lame, but not enough to be legen.....wait for it...........dary

View Quoted Comment It was a laugh then an eye roll!
Lol, you’re not lame, you’ll get there soon enough. You only just got married!!! I did wait for it... 💃

I just purchased my dress in July! I brought my mom and best friend/MOH. My friend actually offered to take the day off of work to go which was so sweet of her! I knew ahead of time that they’d both be honest and supportive. They also have known each other for years, so it wasn’t awkward. I was allowed to have three people with me, but I’m glad I didn’t bring anyone else. They know me best and definitely knew which dresses weren’t “me.”
I had pictures in my phone of dresses from the store’s website that I wanted to try on. I had a pretty good idea of what I did and didn’t want, but I tried on a variety of silhouettes anyway. I tried on ten different dresses. The hardest thing was taking the dresses and and off myself since the consultant wasn’t allowed in the dressing room with me, but it was fine! I just got hot. lol We had a private room for showing the dresses which was really nice. The consultant was great. She listened to me and didn’t try to push anything or sway my opinions. I ended up having a pretty good idea of which dress was right as soon as I saw it on the hanger. It was the first one I tried on. There was another that was a close second, so I ended up trying them both on twice and looking at them in different lights. The first one just made me feel extra special. Around 60% of brides end up with the first dress they try on, too!
My advice is to go in with an open mind, only bring supportive people, try on a bunch of different silhouettes, and listen to your gut. You’ll know. Remember, the only opinion that truly matters is your own.

I went shopping 9 months before my wedding and I was dreading it so much. I was the biggest I’ve ever been, and so ashamed of how bad I let myself get. I took my mother and maid of honor. I had no other bridesmaids. I did invite my future mother in law but she conveniently forgot. We went to 2 shops, the first one was your typical bridal salon with the typical designer dresses. I was excited because they were elegant and I felt like I was on say yes to the dress when I walked in. Unfortunately they treated me like I was garbage. They acted like they were inconvenienced by me being there, all the dresses looked terrible on me, and they rolled their eyes when I said I was losing weight and didn’t think I would need a plus size dress. I left there feeling so let down. Then we found this bridal salon in an old abandoned warehouse. It wasn’t elegant but the dresses were gorgeous. They were so kind to me, understood my situation and immediately picked out a dress based on what I liked. I nearly cried, it was the first dress that day that didn’t make me feel disgusting. I said yes! They told
Me to come back 5 months later and get remeasured and they would waive rush fees. I dropped 3 dress sizes and and proudly own an American made/ locally made wedding dress. They treated me like a bride, remembered me every time I walked in and told me how proud they were of my weight loss journey.

My dress shopping experience is split into two different times. The first time was October last year, two months after we got engaged, because at the time we thought we were going to have a spring wedding. (that changed due to family conflicts but thank god because then COVID happened and we would have had to cancel!!) I went alone for reasons and I did not have a great time. The lady didn't listen to what I was looking for and kept trying to get me to buy a more expensive dress and add-ons, and I eventually purchased a dress that I ended up returning becasue I really didn't like it. That was at Davids. So then I decided to go online shopping instead and couldn't find anything, plus I'm extremely visual so I couldn't imagine anything on me. Then this past Feb/march (right before quarantine) I went to another Davids in a different location, this time bringing my cousin/bridesmaid and I had a great time! The location was way nicer, and my attendant actually listened to me and didn't go over my budget. The dress I picked was actually her surprise pick at the end of the appointment! I wasn't loving anything and she brought it out for me to "just try on and see" and I didn't want to take it off! It was not what I originally thought I wanted, but it was perfect!

As for delivery, it got to the store within a month, to my house in a week and a half after that, and then once I took it back for alterations, that was less than a month too. But it all depends on what dress you get and how many alterations you need, I only needed a hem and a boning piece put in. I am still waiting on my veil which I bought when I picked my dress up from alterations. (going on 4 weeks from purchase, 1.5 weeks after leaving the store)

So in the end, it really just depends on the location and having supportive people with you. My mom and I aren't on the best terms and she lives across the country so I didn't bring her, and if I brought my FMIL (who I am really close to) that would make my mom super upset so my cousin came. She was fine, but her and I aren't super close either lol and half the time she was on her phone, but oh well!

Good luck on your dress search!

I bought my dress 8 months in advance of the wedding. It was supposed to arrive early July but didn't arrive for another month after that, so definitely keep in mind shipping delays.

I brought my mom and my two BMs (sister and FSIL). For me, this was a good group because they all have very different tastes and I thought they would be able to tell me what looked good and what didn't. When I found the dress, they all agreed it was the one for me. And that assured me because I knew then I wasn't going crazy after trying on a bunch of dresses. I found the dress at the very first bridal shop I went to but still went to my other appointment at DB. Didn't like the experience there and even the dress I found that I kinda sorta liked, my BMs said my smile was not as big as for the other one. Plus it was significantly more expensive than the one I liked lol. So I went back to the first bridal shop and said yes to the dress!

Bring people who will be supportive of you but also offer up their opinions in a constructive way. You want to feel beautiful no matter what dress you try on!

I'd also recommend taking pictures in all the dresses - some say that you can't get an accurate depiction of a dress that way since they're usually just samples, but I think it helps to look at them in a photo than seeing the reflection.

I only went shopping with my mom and dad. I did not want to bring a big group with me because I did not want a bunch of opinions. My opinion and my parents opinions were really all that mattered to me.

Definitely take your inspo photos. Don’t be afraid to tell your consultant exactly what you are looking for. But also don’t be afraid to try on something you wouldn’t normally have picked out yourself. You will be surprised what you end up liking and hating!

I really enjoyed dress shopping. It was one of my favorite parts of wedding planning, by far!

I went dress shopping around 9 months before my original wedding date (we've since postponed). I brought two bridesmaids, plus my sister (MOH), and my mom. If I could go back in time, I probably would have only brought my sister and mom, or would have shopped by myself. Too many opinions otherwise. I tried on dresses of all different styles to see what I liked and what I didn't like, and ended up with a style I thought I wouldn't like (but definitely loved when I tried it on!). I strongly suggest looking at dresses online ahead of time to get an idea of what you like/don't like, and also don't be afraid to try on styles you think you won't like.

I have watched WAY too many shows of "Say Yes to the Dress" lol... I already knew bits of what I liked and didn't like...browsed online, went to davids bridal website when i was a teen and nothing caught my eye, I knew very early on I wanted a medieval/lord of the rings style dress and no one had what i wanted... looked on pinterest for mediveal wedding dresses and found some styles i liked, but still wasn't perfect... i ended up saving 6 different pictures that i liked parts of to blend together, found ieie Bridal in NJ to make it for me, quoted $650 (before shipping was added) and commissioned Wendy to make it. I am 4' 11' tall, and i have a belly, a butt, and thick thighs, bf loves those parts of me, but i hate them, (my nickname growing up was "skinny minnie" i didn't put weight on until i hit 25yrs old (now 33) ... I went with a sweetheart neckline, 2 piece (top and skirt) sheath style all in chiffon, with rushing on the bodice. I got it last week in the mail...tried it on for first time,, I felt like a bride and a princess at the same time....this dress was TOTALLY me!! The bodice fit well, skirt needs to be hemmed and a few things fixed, but wow!! I made me look so slim! It hid all the things I wanted it to, and she NAILED the look I was going for!!! (for only having a vision in my head, and her photoshopping pics together to get the idea down, WOW!!!)

View Quoted Comment You ROCK that dress! I’m so happy you found THE dress 💖 Thank you for sharing your experience!

I only went to one store. I found my dress during that first trip. I took my mom and my godmother with me to go shopping. It was a lot of fun. We mainly were by ourselves when shopping and the consultant only came in when we asked. I preferred it that way. I ordered my dress that day and it took about 5 months for it to come in!

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Awww thanks!! and you're welcome for sharing!