This week we are pivoting a bit away from our bridal fashion and wedding dress shopping advice for brides and instead are focusing on the guests attending a wedding dress shopping appointment with a bride. If you are lucky enough to be invited by a bride to help her shop for her dream wedding dress, there are a few things you should know ahead of the shopping trip. We will be sharing all the tips to prepare you to help your bride and her bridal stylist have a stress-free shopping appointment. Follow along to learn all the etiquette guests should follow when helping a bride shop for her wedding dress.
VIDEO: Guest Etiquette When Wedding Dress Shopping With The Bride
If you are attending a wedding dress shopping appointment with a bride, be sure to watch our advice video learn all the guest etiquette you need to know when wedding dress shopping with a bride.
Let The Bridal Stylist Work
If you have never shopped for a wedding dress before, you might not know what to expect when visiting a wedding dress shop. Even if you have shopped for a wedding dress, you might not be sure what your role is as a guest who is helping a bride shop for their wedding dress. In most cases, there will be a dedicated bridal stylist or consultant who is helping the bride find her dream wedding dress. No matter your experience with fashion or the bridal world, our number one piece of advice for guests attending a wedding dress shopping appointment is to let the stylist do their work.
The bridal stylist is there to help guide the bride to find her dream wedding dress. The main goal is not to make a sale, but to find a bride the dress that she is excited to walk down the aisle in and marry their partner. Most stylists will appreciate your feedback and opinions on the dresses the bride is trying on as ultimately the guests that the bride has brought with her know her the best. But the bridal stylist is the expert in this scenario and knows the store’s inventory and what can and can not be done to certain dresses or which dresses are available in the timeframe before wedding day.
Give The Bride Some Quiet
If you come in loud and try to take over the appointment by pulling dresses or throwing out ideas of accessories for the bride to try on, it can be overwhelming for everyone. Give the stylist time to work their magic before you start throwing out suggestions. If you are doing all the talking, it can be very distracting for the bride. You certainly shouldn’t feel like you need to be silent for the entire appointment, but let the bride take the lead.
If you are the most vocal one at the appointment, it might be hard for the bride to process everything and truly know how she feels in a particular dress. Our next most important piece of advice is to give the bride some quiet moments in each dress she tries on before you give your input. Let her take in the whole look of the dress and sit in her feelings for a moment. Give your bride a chance to express herself fully and say what she likes or doesn’t like about a dress before voicing your opinion. There might be a dress that she loves but if you jump in first with your opinion, it could change her mind and ultimately we all want the bride in her favorite wedding dress. You can even start the appointment by telling the bride that you are going to give her a minute to process her thoughts and feelings and then will share your opinion when she is ready to hear it.
Be A Productive Participant
Many people get very excited when attending a wedding dress shopping appointment. There are so many emotions going around and many people want to wander around the store looking all the different dresses. If you have an idea of a certain style or type of dress you think the bride should try on, we would urge you to communicate this to the bridal stylist rather than walk around the store and pull dresses on your own.
You don’t want to miss any of the dresses that the bride is trying on. You see, when trying on wedding dresses, no dress is a waste of time. Each dress a bride tries on leads to the next dress in the journey to find her dream dress. Maybe she tries on a ball gown and decides she doesn’t want a skirt that is quite that full. Or a strapless dress can lead her to decide that is the perfect neckline for her or perhaps she wants to try a dress with straps or sleeves. Each dress will help the bride narrow down what she does and doesn’t like in a wedding dress and on her body. So if you are walking around the store looking for other gowns, you are going to miss some of the dresses the bride is trying and her feedback on these particular styles.
Our advice would be to instead help the bride be productive and ask her open ended questions. This will help get the bride talking and expressing how she feels in a certain dress. Based on this feedback, the stylist will know which dress to try next and if she needs to pull different dresses for the bride to try on. Ask the bride what she likes about a particular dress or what is not working for her on a certain dress. Ask if she feels beautiful in the dress or if it excites her to be wearing. Can she picture herself walking down the aisle in the dress? Asking productive questions like this will help the bride determine what she likes and will ultimately help lead her to her dream wedding dress.
More Helpful Wedding Dress Shopping Advice
We hope you have found this advice helpful when it comes to helping a bride shop for their wedding dress. 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 Maximize Your Wedding Dress Shopping Experience
- How To Set Boundaries When Wedding Dress Shopping With Guests
- Tips For Wedding Dress Shopping With Opinionated Family & Friends
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.
