A Formal Affair

We’ve recently received a lot of brides that look great in almost all the dresses they’ve tried on.  This dilemma begs the question: How does a bride choose the right bridal gown when every one of them looks great?  Everyone always says “You’ll know when it’s the one,” but is this true?  Does that really happen?

Here are some ways to narrow down to the perfect dress:

1. Take into consideration the formality and feel you want your wedding to have.  If your choice is between an elaborate gown, or something simple think about what tone you want to set for your wedding.

2. What have you always envisioned yourself looking like when you walk down the aisle?  Do you look like a princess, a greek goddess, or something in between?  Chances are, you’ll stick with the vision you’ve had the longest.

3. What time of day is your wedding ceremony going to be?  If it’s an evening wedding, you may want to choose something more formal, while during the day maybe something a little more casual.

4. What time of year is your wedding?  Believe it or not, asking this question does help!  If you’re getting married in July or August, you may not want to pick the heaviest dress made of satin since temperature is a factor.  You may want to choose a lighter weight dress to be more comfortable.  Heavier fabrics tend to be better for winter months instead or if you’re getting married in air conditioning.

5.  Are you getting married inside or outside?  Sometimes, a more elaborate dress can snag or can get damaged more easily if the ceremony is outside.  Brides can definitely pull off a fuller, heavier dress if the wedding location is in a church or an inside venue.

6.  What are your guests expecting you to wear?  Many brides like to surprise their guests with something completely different from what they would normally choose.  Others prefer to stay with something classic and traditional.  Just really think about what you want to look like on your special day.

As far as the “it’s the one” experience, some brides never have that!  We’ve had brides come in for over a year, attend over 4 or 5 trunk shows, and visit our store dozens of times before they decide on the dress.  Just remember to take into consideration the feeling you have when you put on different dresses, or if in the morning you wake up and immediately think of a certain dress.  9 out of 10 times, it’s your perfect dress.  Happy shopping!

Written by: Jill Morris

Photographs by: 2Be Bridal