Wedding Dress Shopping - Part 1 (Preparation)

I can't believe that it has been six months already since we got engaged! My wedding is nine months away and time is ticking fast. It is true what people say, wedding planning is stressful and takes a lot of time.
My reception was booked very early on so we could set a date. Next step on my list was searching for the perfect dress.


The search began three months ago. I had no idea what I wanted and what would suit me. I want it to be special and have that WOW factor when I look at myself in the mirror. However that WOW moment didn't happen to me for a while. All up I've been to ten bridal shops before making my mind up. So I just want to share my tips that helped me choose the right dress and make the whole process easier.



1. Get yourself a Wedding Journal 
It doesn't have to be anything fancy. You can even get yourself a large notebook and glue tabs on yourself.
I got mine on sale for $15 at Typo and it has everything I need. I love how it has tabs for the Budget; Guest List & Invites; Attire, Hair & Make-up; Flowers & the Cake' Music & Entrainment; Ceremony & Cars; Reception; Photos & Video; Gift Registry & Thank you and Honeymoon plus one clear and one paper envelope for receipts etc.

 2. Book an Appointment
In most cases you will need to make an appointment to try on wedding dresses. So I've searched various Bridal Shops and categorised them by location so I could visit 2-3 shops at once. I left plenty of space next to each name so I could write comments about dresses I've tried on.

Saturdays are usually very busy so I was trying to sqeeze my appointments in when I had RDO during weekday. That way you are most likely to be the only bride there and not only you will get more attention from sales assistance but also you won't have to wait for a dress (if another bride is trying it on).

3. Ask your friends/mum/whoever-you-want to come with you.
I must say that its OK to go dress shopping by yourself! If you are good at making decisions and judgement without emotional attachments then go for it! However if you need some honest advise then bring someone with you (I found that some bridal shop staff can be very...ummm... sales-oriented).

Make it fun for them too! Organise a lunch or take them out for a coffee afterwards. If people make time for you and go out of their way to help you with your wedding show them your appreciation!








Comments

  1. Little black sheep11 July 2012 at 00:40

    Good luck! I went looking at dresses once by myself as I usually took my MOH along with me, and felt so guilty when i sent her photos of a dress that I possibly liked. Vowed after that to always bring her along with me. Made it so much more special when I found the right dress. I agree with the making it fun part, I at least tried to find shops with bridesmaids dresses that she could try on too and always took her for lunch or caught a movie before hand as it gets very boring for them after a while :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Buyers Beware - Fake OPI nail polish!

Image
Fake anything especially make-up makes me very angry! Yesterday I was browsing Ebay because I wanted to get some OPI nail polishes and came across few clearly fake ones. I got few OPIs from Ebay and never had an issue. Mine came from US sellers who charged US retail prices for their polishes. They sold lots and lots of them and seemed to specialize in nail products. Yesterday I came across few lots of "OPI" nail polishes. I saw fair dew lots from sellers who don't particularly specialize in nail products. They were "factory seconds" and were missing a label. The shades were very random and I never saw those shades in OPI collections. However I know that some counterfeit OPIs will have a lable with colour name on it. I was fortunate enough and never got a fake OPI nail polish . So I will show you what a REAL one looks like. 1. The front of the bottle Note the writing. There are some variations between old and new editions of OPI but the writing at t...
Read more

I had my Tragus pierced today!

Image
It is something I wanted to do for few week now. I always liked the look of multiple earrings and even pierced a second hole in my ear when I was 11 (which then I took out and it eventually healed). Tragus piercing to me looked very appealing but painful. However after speaking to few people who had it done I realised it doesn't seem to be as bad. Today I summoned my courage and called Cosmetics Plus at Carindale. They told me to come in as Fridays are usually not very busy. I've applied plenty of EMLA numbing cream on the area 30 min before (however I was told it is best to apply it 45 to 60 min prior). The whole process took 10 minutes and set me back $35 including the earring.     The girl who did my piercing was very nice and friendly. She first marked the spot with a marker pen and asked if I was happy with the placement, I've decided that I wanted it a bit lower hence why you can see a bit of ink residue above the piercing. Then she disinfected the area and a...
Read more

Happy Birthday Barbie!

Image
Barbie turned 53 today! She changed a lot in 53 years and I must say she got better with age In 1959 she looked like this: Beautiful, pale and stylish In 1960's Barbie was quite conservative and traditional as a Nurse and French Fashionista In 1970's iconic Malibu Barbie emerged. In my opinion she started the whole "Barbie" trend - tanned skin, blonde hair and long legs. She also came with a BF Ken and camper van Barbie industry was going strong in 80's. She appeared in vast range of outfist and collections From sweet Peaches n Cream To Over-The-Top Rocker Barbie and Holiday Barbies I grew up in 90's. I remember my best friend's sister brought this one home from Italy in 1991 It was in the former Soviet State and Barbies were very rare and highly prized so to me it was the most beautiful thing ever. Totally Hair Barbie and Teresa were very popular This add used to mesmerise me, it was played during Disney series as well as Hollyw...
Read more