The moment/article you’ve all been waiting for. Possibly the biggest decision any woman can make for her wedding is what she wears – that’s right; this article is about your Wedding Dress.
Before we get started, I have to state that the writer of this article is male (I won’t say who it is, we’ll leave that for suspense!). I admittedly have never gone dress shopping, I have never been part of the dress choosing process, and I have rarely seen an episode of Say Yes To The Dress. Now before you hit that little red X on the top of your web screen, hear me out! Sometimes in this situation is good to have a male’s opinion on fashion because ultimately we are the ones that will determine how attractive you look – especially to your soon to be husband! I know it seems far fetched that a man who has never been even close to buying a wedding dress can give you any good advice, but as an experienced wedding planner and entertainer, I have seen the best and worst reactions to dress choices over 15+ years. So, without further-a-do – LET’S GET STARTED.
Stop With Fantasy, Start With Reality
Yep – You may not like what that title implies, but the more you realize the truth about your dress, the better fit you’ll find. Your wedding dress is one of the key elements of imagining your wedding since you were a little girl. You’ve seen them in romantic movies, pictures, tabloids, celebrity suggestions, etc. The truth is, everything you’ve seen this far has generally been promoted to a large demographic of women and you MAY not be in that category. Stop fantasizing about the dress Kate Middleton wore for her fairly tale wedding and start thinking about how beautiful YOU will look in your own gown. Think about what makes YOU look good instead of seeing how the dress in the tabloid makes the model look good.
Dresses have to be thought of as a person. Each dress has a different style, purpose, personality and fit. Pretend like you’re trying to make a new best friend! The dress should make you feel amazing every time you’re around it. When you look at the dress, can you relate to it? Can you see yourself in the dress looking beautiful and still feel comfortable? How do you think your fiancé will react to the dress? Even though you will only wear it once, you will be remembered by what you wear on your wedding day. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that in 20 years when you look at your Wedding Pictures, you will say “I looked amazing in that dress.”
Do’s and Don’ts
Ok. I admit this is where I may lack some formal knowledge. What i’m about to list is really based on personal perception and should be taken that way. Remember, I am a male writing a very sensitive topic, but hopefully my logic perceived by countless client experiences can help you not make the same mistakes they did.
Do’s:
Always make sure that you make the dress decision. Don’t ever allow a family member or soon to be in-law determine how you feel about a certain dress. If you feel that it’s the perfect fit, go with your gut instinct because ultimately it will make you happy.
Be attentive to the personal details of the dress. Every dress has a character to it that may or may not fit you.
Always make your dress appointments early in the day. Don’t think that you’ll be able to get this done directly after work. This is can be a grueling process and you don’t want to do it when you’re already exhausted from work. Pick a day, go see the dresses and review later. Talk to a stylist. Their expert opinions come before the price they try to sell you on. They will be honest in what they think about the dress and maybe shed some light on a controversial decision.
Think about what you would have to wear underneath for the dress to fit and feel comfortable. Yes, I know, I’m a man but from what family members have discussed infront of me, you have to be sure that the dress is comfortable since you’ll be wearing it for at least 12 hours.
Don’ts
Don’t make this a huge event gathering. You don’t need all of your bridesmaids, in-laws, mothers, sisters, cousins or any other close woman to come with you. This should be intimate with only the most important people in your life. Let them help you instead of just anyone. Don’t think this is going to happen quickly. Like I said earlier in this article, this process can take time. Don’t get frustrated, be patient and the perfect dress will find you!
Don’t try on every dress. So many women believe that every dress can look beautiful on them, but all it can do is waste more valuable time. Be persistent, but also be cautious.
Don’t go with the most modern style dress. Look at your mother’s wedding gown in her pictures. Could you see yourself wearing her dress? If the answer is no, than you should understand why I made this point. The dress style should only be modern if it fits your body type and flaunts all of the good things about you!
Don’t focus on the bottom of the dress. The top part of the dress is going to be the most memorable part of your dress because it will be the part that gives your body the best compliment!
Prices vs. Value
I could’ve let this point be shared in the Do’s and Don’ts aspect of this article, but I feel like it holds a much bigger purpose and should be spoke about in more detail. In previous articles we spoke about the perception of value. To some women, a dress can be the most important part of her wedding! To those women, everything else can fall on the back burner as long as she gets the dress she wants. To other women, the dress is something they just want to wear to get through the day. Believe it or not, you can now rent dresses for your wedding day – just like men can rent tuxedos (that came as a huge surprise to me, too). The truth is, your perception of the importance of the wedding dress is ultimately going to determine what you’re willing to pay for it.
A great word of advice is to NOT look at the price tag of the dress until you’ve fallen in love with it. If you look at yourself and think “Wow,” than you shouldn’t worry about the money and believe me when I tell you that you will be able to find the money if you want it that badly. Your dress will be remembered for as long as you hold pictures from your wedding day. When you look back at the most amazing day of your life, you have to say “I wish I could wear that dress again,” (without actually meaning it) and feel the same way you felt about it 20 years later. You are a beautiful young woman and even though we have never met, I can tell you that you are going to look stunning on your wedding day!
I hope you found this article helpful! This is going to be an amazing and exciting process and I hope you enjoy every second of it!
