One of my favorite parts of planning a wedding is going gown shopping with my bride’s. They always look so beautiful and it helps me to learn more about their personal style further allowing me to tailor their wedding to be as individual as they are. Here are 7 Gown Shopping Tips For Brides:

1. Know what shapes and styles suite your body type before you go (Check out this Figure Flattery Guide)
2. Take someone with you, you always want to get an opinion from someone who knows you well. Many bride’s like to have their maid of honor, or mother with them; if they aren’t available take a close friend.
3. Understand some of the terminology, it will help you to communicate with the consultant better regarding your likes 7 dislikes (Check out Bridal Glossary)
4. Know your budget; this includes veil, headpiece, undergarments, etc. You don’t want to fall in love with a dress if your budget won’t allow you to purchase coordinating accessories.
5. Shop during off-peak times, the sales consultant will have more time to spend with you and your overall experience will be far more pleasurable.
6. Be open-minded, most often it is the dress that you would have never thought you would like that will give you that special sparkle in your eyes.
7. Take your time in making your selection, you don’t want to buy the first dress you see. I recommend having someone take pictures of you in the dresses you like. This will give you the opportunity to evaluate your favorites side-by-side before making your selection.

Starr Studded bride’s don’t have to shop alone. One of the services I offer to my 5 Starr Brides (and some 5 Starr Social Clients) is a complimentary 2-hour consultation with a personal stylist. Bobbi Oxendine, owner of ooh that’s cute is a combination of a personal stylist, interior decorator, and style coach who offers fashion tips, advice, and motivational support and guidance. Bobbi handles the event design & décor for most of the Starr Studded clients, shops with brides and clients, and she even keeps me looking fabulous!

Last week Bobbi, Tiffany (my May Bride) and I had a blast gown shopping. Tiffany tried on tons of dresses, veils, and head pieces in styles that she knew she’d like and Bobbi even got her to push the envelope a little and try on styles that were a little outside of her comfort zone. We narrowed the dresses down to four and it was off to lunch.

Tags: Wedding, Wedding Gown Shopping, Wedding Planning, What style wedding dress fits my body?

This entry was posted on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 11:03 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.