If you are recently engaged and planning your wedding or maybe just dream of one day having an amazing wedding, your Pinterest is probably full of gorgeous wedding imagery. One of the aspects of wedding planning that many brides look forward to most is wedding dress shopping. Once you begin your search for your dream wedding dress, it can quickly become overwhelming in trying to determine what style wedding dress you want to wear and what type of bridal dress will make you feel like a “bride.”
As bridal stylists, we see so many brides in our shop in LA each and every day with a different look and style. Bringing photos of wedding dresses you like to your shopping appointments will help your bridal stylist have a starting point, but we also encourage you to have an open mind and be honest with your feedback. You might have it in your mind that you definitely want a ball gown wedding dress or a mermaid style dress, but we want all brides to have an open mind when going wedding dress shopping. You never know what a certain style dress is going to look like on your body until you try it on. Your shopping appointment is the time to experiment with different styles. Follow along as we share all the tips and tricks brides need to keep in mind to have an open mind when trying on different wedding dress styles.
Video: Experimenting with Wedding Dress Styles: Tips To Keeping an Open Mind
If you are a bride who is beginning to shop for your wedding dress and are researching wedding dress styles and designs, it can quickly get overwhelming with the amount of options. Without trying on dresses, it can be hard to determine what style or silhouette is going to be best for your body and personality. Before heading to your wedding dress shopping appointment, be sure to watch our advice video all about experimenting with wedding dress styles and tips to keeping an open mind.
Don’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover
We have recently been seeing brides at Lovella that are hesitant to try on certain dresses that the stylists are bringing to them. One very important tip for brides trying on wedding dresses is to not judge a book by it’s cover - or more appropriately, don’t judge a dress by how it looks on a hanger. Wedding dresses are not designed to stay on hangers. They are designed to be worn and look very different on a body than it does on a hanger. You won’t know how you really feel about a certain dress until you try it on. Of course you want to love how the dress looks, but it’s also about how the dress makes you feel when wearing it.
It can easily become discouraging if you are trying on dress after dress and not finding anything you like. Emotions run high during wedding dress shopping and while it’s often fun and exciting, it can also bring up nervous feelings. You might see a dress on the hanger and start to over-analyze certain details like the pattern of the lace and then you don’t try on dresses. Don’t waste your appointment time by not trying anything on. Even if you think a certain dress won’t be “the one” it might still be worth trying that dress on. You might find that you love the silhouette or maybe you hate the way that fabric feels on your skin. While it’s not your dress, it will help your bridal stylist know what else to show you and will guide you to finding what you do like by eliminating other options.
Keep An Open Mind
Our best tip for brides who are wedding dress shopping is to show up to your appointments with an open mind. Having some inspiration photos or at least an idea of what you want to try on will be a great starting point, but be open to trying things you didn’t have on your list. Open yourself up to something you had not envisioned. You never know what will happen. You might absolutely hate it when you try it on or you might love it. However, no dress you try on is a waste of time, there is something to be learned about every shape, every silhouette, every pattern, every design.
For you to know what you truly like, you also have to figure out what you don’t like. Wedding dress shopping is all about trial and error. Even the dresses you try on and hate are going to help lead to the next dress and ultimately the dress you will wear down the aisle. You have to try on dresses to know how you feel in a certain style dress and to figure out what makes you happy and feel confident and like a bride.
If you try on a mermaid style wedding dress and don’t like the fit, then that leads to trying different styles that are not as fitted, like an A-line dress or ball gown. Perhaps you try on a lace wedding dress and decide that it’s not working for you, so that can lead to a minimalist style dress with no embellishment. Each dress you try on will narrow down the search for the dress you will love, as long as you are open in sharing your honest feedback with your bridal stylist.
Avoid Buyer’s Remorse
There are a few causes for wedding dress buyer’s remorse that we hear from our past brides. We have often heard from brides that they continue looking at dresses online or see more dresses as they continue their wedding planning after they’ve bought their wedding dress. They wish they had tried on a certain dress or a particular style after seeing it online.
Your shopping appointments are the time to experiment. Try on a dress in every silhouette if you want to. You don’t want to get farther along in wedding planning and wish you had tried on a certain style of dress. Get it all out of the way when you are shopping and ensure that you’ve chosen the right dress for you. Very rarely does a bride come in with a particular vision for their wedding dress and end up buying that specific dress or vision. Many, many brides end up buying something very different from what they originally envisioned themselves wearing.
The Feeling Matters
We mentioned earlier that wedding dresses look different on the hanger than they do on the body. The same is true in that they look different in photographs. Wedding dresses photograph differently than how they look in person. Keep in mind that if you are looking at wedding dress photos from a fashion show or the designer’s website, they are most likely going to be stylized and edited. Don’t be discouraged that these dresses look different on your body than the model’s body.
You have to make your wedding dress decision on a number of different factors. The look of a dress is of course one determining factor, but it’s also very important to pay attention to how a dress makes you feel. Feeling confident is going to exude beauty so pay extra attention to the dress or dresses that give you a boost in your mood and make you hold yourself differently. Take photos while wearing the dresses so you can compare how you feel in the dress and also how the dress looks in photos so you can make a well-rounded and sound decision on your purchase.
More Helpful Wedding Dress Shopping Advice
We hope you have found this advice helpful when it comes to keeping an open mind when trying on wedding dresses and being open to trying on different wedding dress styles. For even more helpful advice when it comes to shopping for your dream wedding dress and finding your bridal style, be sure to check out our past posts:
- How To Determine What Style Wedding Dress You Want
- Wedding Dress Shopping Tips & Advice For The Newly Engaged Bride
- How To Maximize Your Wedding Dress Shopping Experience
About Lovella
If you're shopping for your perfect wedding dress, come visit us at Lovella Bridal in Glendale, CA. We carry wedding dresses in all sizes and styles, including plus-size bridal gowns and a full selection of veils and accessories. Lovella Bridal is the premier, luxury bridal wedding dress shopping boutique located in Los Angeles, California. Lovella features couture, feminine, modern and chic bridal gowns in all sizes from the best wedding dress designers. Schedule an appointment to find the wedding dress of your dreams at Lovella Bridal. We can't wait to help you!
About Wedding Fashion Expert
Our wedding dress shopping tips and advice are from Nayri, Lovella's own, in-house wedding fashion expert. Nayri is truly the expert when it comes to bridal fashion and wedding style. As the Wedding Fashion Expert, Nayri is the top bridal fashion stylist and the best-selling author of the book "I'm Getting Married And I Have Nothing To Wear," the ultimate guide to helping brides find their wedding day style and their perfect wedding dress. You can subscribe to her YouTube channel or listen to her podcast for more helpful and practical advice on wedding dress shopping.
