Wedding dress shopping can be one of the most stressful days, am I right? There is a lot of pressure to look a certain way and find the ‘perfect’ dress. Having worked within the bridal industry and seeing many brides go through all these intense emotions, I know this feeling all too well!

Here are my wedding dress shopping tips on keeping your cool and being prepared for your shopping trip! (And making it sustainable along the way too)

✦ Do some research on the ethos of the designer/store

Getting a bit of background research won’t harm! Find out a bit about if they have ethical manufacturing practices in place, or source organic fabrics. If it’s something that means a lot to you, don’t be afraid to look into it!

✦ Do some research on designs you like

There are many different details and shapes when it comes to bridal wear, so getting an idea of the types of styles you like online, will help you to start the process! Take these ideas to your bridal appointment to get the ball rolling!

✦ Pick a few wedding dress style keywords & create a small checklist

If you are feeling overwhelmed with the millions of styles there are within bridal wear, then creating a list can be super helpful. For example; words like, fitted, boho, spaghetti straps are great to take in to your appointment. Your stylist will absolutely love it if you have a couple of these keywords in mind. Bridal consultants have all the training when it comes to understanding your vision and making it a reality by finding you the perfect dress. If you help them, they’ll help you!

✦ Choose your bride tribe wisely

Picking the family and friends that come with you need to be your most uplifting, positive and helpful people around you! A lot of the time brides think they need the most brutally honest and critical entourage there, but that can really bring down the mood and vibe of a day. This day should be fun and exciting, so bring people with you that will make you feel the best you that you can possibly be!

✦ Forget about sizing

In the bridal world, sizing is a mystery. It’s vastly different to high street sizing. Each wedding dress is sized differently depending on the style and shape, and a lot come up a size smaller than labelled. So, don’t get worked up about what size the gown is. Most gowns will need alterations anyway, so going up a size and getting altered down to fit perfectly, is better than getting a dress that’s too small.

✦ Follow your gut

The main advice I would give is follow your gut instinct. You know your style and what you feel confident and look great in, all you need to do is clear your mind from these crazy pressures and think about what you really love. I always say to brides that are slightly confused, ‘what did you picture yourself in growing up, before you’d tried on any gowns?’ Because we’ve always thought about what we want before this day comes, haven’t we?

✦ Ask questions about sustainability

If you’re wanting to make your wedding day economical and sustainable, then don’t be afraid to ask questions! Where was this dress made? Who was this dress made by? Where did the fabric come from? Not many weddings can be 100% sustainable for the whole day, that would be hard! But the small things matter, like knowing where your wedding dress comes from and how it was made. These little things all contribute to throwing the best eco-conscious wedding there has ever been!

✦ Be open minded to different gowns

This one is key. Sometimes if you are looking for something extremely specific and you don’t find it, it can feel disheartening. Sometimes the thing you have your heart set on isn’t anything like the style you actually fall in love with. Don’t fight your feelings, if you’ve fallen head over heels with a dress but it isn’t what you originally thought you’d like, just roll with those feeling and enjoy it! All you have to do is go in with an open mind, and the dress will find you. You’ll just know once you put it on.

✦ Don’t be afraid to say yes to the first dress you love

Bridal consultants know which dress is yours, sometimes before you do, so trust them! They can pick up on your body language and small comments without you even knowing. Usually a bride feels they don’t want to commit too soon, but they always come back to the first one they loved anyway! If you love this dress, it’s your dress!

Every experience will be different, so cater these wedding dress shopping tips to suit you! If you'd love some more tips and tricks, or just want a chat about your shopping experience, head to my contact page and send me an email!

All Photography by the fabulous Clayton Creation.