Will boutiques hold dresses? First time shopping tips?

I'm not sure about holding a dress. I went to 3 boutiques and all of them just had the sample in the store, then ordered a dress from the designer if you wanted one. Friday should be a good example of what it will be like, but I brought a water bottle to stay hydrated & ate before the appointment because it was EXHAUSTING. I wore pasties & a nude seamless thong. I took a ton of pictures because I didn't want to decide at the boutique, I wanted to reflect later.

Wear nude underwear/bra/spanx (I didn't wear a bra when trying on most of the dresses). Wear makeup if you're planning to wear makeup at your wedding. My SIL said it really helped her to wear her hair up in a bun or something bc she knew her hair would be up on her wedding day.

Try on different silhouettes and styles to get an idea of what you like - it may surprise you.

NEVER try on anything that's outside of your budget - so definitely have a strict budget going in.

If a boutique is selling samples in store, there is no way they will hold one for you. If it's a dress you'd have to order anyway, then holding isn't an issue.

I bought my dress off the rack and the boutique did end up holding it for me for like a week. i think that was only because I was ready to pay but my bank declined the payment because it was over my credit limit lol. But if you are ordering it, just tell them you need to sleep on it, and they will totally understand. Be honest! Tell them you're going to other stores and you just need to think it over. You can always call and order over the phone too.

I think it’s normal to be nervous, feeling like you won’t have that say yes to the dress moment.

I tried on close to 50 dresses from 7 different shops (I know, that’s a lot!) and the majority of the stores I visited are able to hold a dress if you are buying off the rack. Some were sweet enough to “hide” the dress for me and some require that you put down a deposit (like $50), but most of the time when I returned they still had the dress. The dress shops should get your information and will write down the designer or “name” of the dress that you liked so that it’s on record when you return. For your own benefit, I would write down the name of the designer and style number so you can look online if you want to try and find it used or somewhere else cheaper. The boutique I ended up ordering from offered me the online price from another reputable boutique and it saved me over $200.

Don't feel pressured to buy; the stylists should be there to help and it doesn’t truly hurt their feelings if you don’t buy from them. I loved the stylists that were comfortable and felt like cheerleaders. The boutique I bought from had GREAT stylists on the weekend, but the one time I visited during the week, the stylist was so blah.

Hope this helps!

I bought my dress from a small tailor shop in town. She goes and buys all the sample dresses from the big store and she sells them for next to nothing. I was able to make payments on the dress instead of buying it outright. Plus, all my alterations are included in the price.

I’d ask. They might ask for a deposit to hold it or they may have a policy of only allowing a 24 hour hold. But if you find “the one” you will know.

Good luck and have fun!

I had one store who was willing to hold the dress for me for the day since they knew I had other appointments. If after they closed I didn't come to claim it they put it back. I ended up going with a different dress from another store, so I don't know if they actually stayed true to that.