How to Find the Perfect Wedding Dress

If you’re trying to find the perfect wedding dress then the chances are, you’ve reached the most stressful aspects of wedding preparation. You want your future husband’s jaw to drop as you walk down the aisle and for your mum to weep over how stunning your look. You want to be a showstopper, and that’s a lot of pressure to put on one dress. But the pressure is necessary in order to find something that is perfect for you rather than settling for something you find in the first shop you visit.

The most important thing to remember when trying to find the perfect wedding dress is to remain positive and optimistic. You may not spot your dream gown in the first shop you visit. It may not even be in the ninth or tenth, but you will find it! And if anything, the arduous shopping process will increase the rewarding feeling when you emerge victorious and clutching your dream dress.

Don’t go hunting for your perfect wedding dress with any pre-conceptions of what you think is going to look good on you. If you only look at strapless ball gowns then you could potentially miss that beautiful slip dress that’s hiding in the corner, waiting for you to fall in love with it. Stay open-minded and ready to try on a variety of styles, making notes of the ones that suit your body shape; this will help to streamline the process with the more shops you go to. Bring a camera with you so that if things end up taking a few days/weeks (which it likely will!) you have clear points of reference without having to rely completely on your memory.

Additionally, try not to get too hung up on the year’s current styles and trends when looking for the perfect wedding dress. Just because a dress looked amazing on whatever A-list Hollywood celebrity you’ve seen in the magazines, doesn’t mean it’s the one for you. Plus, a lot of wedding dress styles are timeless enough that trends mean very little.

While getting your friends’ opinions, it is important when trying to find the perfect wedding dress, remember not to take too many people to a bridal shop. Too many voices can be overwhelming. I would recommend taking just your mum and one or two close friends; their advice will be succinct, honest and a smaller crowd will make clashing opinions less confusing. If they say something doesn’t suit you, take their feedback on board and try not to be offended; they’re trying to help, and can often assess more clearly from an outsider’s perspective.

A lot of this advice is reliant on you being in a physical shop while looking for your perfect dress which leads me to my next point; avoid the temptation to shop for your wedding dress online! In this digital world, it can be tempting to order multiple dresses online but it really is pot luck and you miss out on so much of the experience! You need to be able to touch the dresses and fully inspect them (as well as listen to advice from the in-store bridal consultant) before you can make a fully informed decision.

And lastly, remember that this dress is for you. It’s all about what you feel comfortable in. Yes, you want to look like a showstopper but if you don’t feel like one, then it’s simply not the perfect dress – even if everyone else loves it!

Got a question for after the big day? If you want to find out more about our wedding dress cleaning and preservation services, click here or get in touch with us!