Hello, Brides and Future Brides alike!
Firstly, congratulations on your engagement! Today, we are talking all about one of the most important aspects of The Big Day. It is also something I feel like many of us grow up dreaming about, and if you are anything like us, it feels like there are tons of options. (Because there are a ton of options). What in the world should you do? How do you make a decision? What if you love a dress that someone else doesn’t?
We are diving into all the different aspects of picking out a Wedding Dress today. If you're ready to find your perfect dress, keep reading!
Let’s start with the basics!
What style of dress are you looking for? Some of the main styles are Classic, Modern, Romantic, Boho, and Ethereal. There are different necklines and shapes within these styles of dresses as well. Honestly, it is so much fun and also so hard to choose.
Shapes & Silhouettes
A-Line, Ball Gowns, Fit and Flare, Mermaid, Column, Sheath
Necklines
Square, Sweetheart, Straight, V-Neck, Deep-V
The next step is to find inspiration or get ideas!
Our favorite place in the world for inspiration is Pinterest. (Michelle actually falls asleep looking at pins every night). You can find so much about what you like by looking at photos online by simply doing a google search. You can also find all kinds of quizzes around the internet that will help you decide what style of dress may interest you.
Another option would be to look at your closet and build off of the style that you already wear day to day. Maybe you are interested in an edgier style or a more clean & classic style. Do you prefer color to white? I like to use my closest as a free resource for figuring out little things about my style. For instance, I really did not pay attention to necklines until I was shopping for a dress. Something I noticed in my own closet is that I have many v-neck tops. Wouldn’t you know that the neckline I chose was a v-neck.
For some Brides, starting with a theme is significantly easier than starting with a dress. Once you know the time of year, aesthetic, and details that you like for the wedding, choosing a dress that matches the essence of the event may be easier. An example of this would be deciding to have a wedding on NYE, and wanting to have a gorgeous winter velvet dress for the ceremony. Then for the reception, which we all know has to go until Midnight with a champagne toast, you could change into a beautiful glitz and glam dress perfect for dancing the night away.
Naturally you will want to consider your jewelry as part of the whole look. We are pretty passionate around here about jewelry, as we actually met in the jewelry industry. With Brittany on the operations side and Michelle on the sales side, it’s easy to see why we make such a good team. Something that we like to consider is that our engagement rings could help us when deciding on a dress. Michelle’s wedding set is clean and classic, while Brittany’s is a sparkly, classic twist with movement. It’s honestly pretty true to our dresses as well. Michelle had a very clean and classic, column style dress, and Brittany had a very sparkly ball gown. Check out our blog on how to pick out an Engagement Ring.
Here is a look through our lens: How we decided on our Wedding Dresses
Brittany
Brittany went into her dress shopping experience knowing the shape of the dress and what the skirt would look like. She went online and looked for inspiration, which gave her a better idea of what she wanted. She also knew that she really wanted something with some sparkle.
One of the things that helped Brittany make the decision was bringing people with her that would support her and her decision on whichever dress she chose. Once she tried on her dress, she knew it was the one because she simply could not stop playing with the skirt while she was wearing it.
Side Note: While Brittany and Tyler were already married when we met I recently saw the dress in person and immediately started to cry. It is simply stunning, and the photos just do not do it justice.
Michelle
I went into dress shopping with less tradition in mind. This was about marrying the man of my dreams, and for me it was important that we were able to pick it together, which kind of happened. Budget really played a role in the dress I bought.
I did have the girls come with me to look at dresses, and felt so loved and supported, however, I was so torn like many brides are. I love essences of so many styles: lace, classic straight lines, beading, and wow-factor. Most of these just are not paired together, so after I said yes to about 12 different dresses, and realized the one I really wanted was still outside of my budget and timeline (we eloped), I decided to find a different approach.
At the end of the day, I went with a beautiful clean and classic, yet sexy dress from Anthropologie. It was under $300, and I only needed to take the shoulder straps up for it to fit like a glove. It was a stretchy, crepe material which just made me feel beautiful.
Our Advice
If you want our advice, you really just have to follow your gut. If you like a dress regardless of what anyone else thinks, you should allow yourself to consider it. Here’s the thing, at the end of the day this is your wedding day. You need to feel beautiful, loved, cherished, and if a dress can help you also add confidence to that list, we say do it.
Set a realistic budget. If there is any lesson that we would suggest, it is to make sure you know the top end of your budget before you even walk into the dress shop. Make sure you are not pulling dresses out of your budget. That only sets you up for disappointment at the end of the day.
Don’t forget to check out our blog post from last week with advice from the pros at The Wedding Loft. They have some great advice and fun dresses for all brides and budgets. Check it out here.
Congratulations, again & happy planning!
XOXO,
Michelle & Brittany