Wedding dress shopping is a time that should be exciting and stress free – but it isn’t always that way. For today’s blog we’ve pulled together some tips and tricks to make your exciting day one to remember for all the right reasons.

 

START EARLY

This usually isn’t a tip most brides need reminding of as most are anxious to get the search started early, but it really is important that you start your search for your wedding dress well in advance. Our dresses can take up to 16 weeks to come in from the designer. On top of that, most brides can expect to need to attend 3 to 4 fittings before their seamstress has the dress perfect and ready to go, which can also take up a large chunk of time, usually a couple months or so. Many brides worry that if they start too soon, that leaves no time to trim up before the big day. Luckily, whatever size of dress we order for you will more than likely need alterations in different areas as is, so if you trim a few inches by the time your dress arrives, it is more than likely a simple task to fix your dress to fit you even if it comes in a little too big.

 

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVITY

Ok, so at this point in your wedding plans, it is more than likely that you’ve tuned in to Say Yes to the Dress on TLC to dream about your own future appointment. If not, we’re sure you have certain expectations as to how your appointment will go. One thing that SYTTD has taught us is that too many of the wrong opinions can make the appointment go sour rather quickly (that makes for good reality TV right?). Well good thing for you, this isn’t a reality TV show and we don’t want it to feel like one! Though you may feel obligated to include certain people, we encourage you to choose loved ones who will give you their honest opinion, yet at the end of the day encourage you to pick the dress you feel best in and love the most (I think quality over quantity also applies here ;)). Otherwise, your appointment could fall well short of your expectations and you may leave the store discouraged rather than elated.

COME WITH A BUDGET IN MIND…AND STICK TO IT

One thing we take pride in at our store is providing designers that offer both quality and affordability. Though our dresses are very budget friendly, they may or may not fit every single bride’s budget. To prevent any tears or tough decisions, we encourage you to come to our store with a budget in mind and stick to it. We will ensure that we remain respectful of any budget you give us – that is, we won’t be choosing dresses for you to try on that is way out of your budget – but it’s important that you do the same. Once you find THE dress, it makes it a million times easier to say YES when you aren’t worried about how you’re going to afford the dress.

 

BRING ITEMS YOU’RE GOING TO WEAR UNDER YOUR WEDDING DRESS WITH YOU

At our store, with the exception of our cash and carry gowns (more on those later), you will try on sample gowns until you find THE dress, after which we will take your measurements and order the appropriate size in the gown you select. With that in mind, we encourage you to bring any shapewear (i.e. spanx, a particular bra, etc.) that you plan to wear on your wedding day that may have an effect on your measurements (and don’t forget to wear underwear! ;)). This way we can obtain the most accurate measurements so we can order the best size. We also encourage you to bring the shoes you plan to wear under your dress, or at least ones that represent a similar height of shoe you plan to wear so that we can obtain the most accurate length of dress (which is particularly important with gowns that have a lot of detail on the train of the dress!). We try to make the process as smooth as possible, and this is a tip that will help us tremendously!

STAY OPEN-MINDED AND TRUST YOUR BRIDAL CONSULTANTS

We definitely encourage you to take a look through designs of dresses and see what interests you most (check out our Pinterest page!), but we also like to make a point to remind you to be open minded when you arrive to your appointment. We will definitely pull dresses that attract you the most according to your description when you arrive, but we may also throw some in there that may not fit your description of what you’re searching for. We all know the motto “you never know unless you try,” and that definitely applies to wedding dress shopping. If you don’t like it? No worries. We move on and no harm done. But there’s also the chance that you love the dress, and that’s why we like you to try ones you never would’ve thought of trying on ☺. Our bridal consultants know what they’re talking about, and all we ask for is a little faith!

 

COME WITH YOUR HAIR AND MAKEUP DONE-ISH

I know when I go shopping for clothes, I am way more successful with finding outfits I love when my hair and makeup are done to complete the look. Whenever I don’t make the effort, I end up hating almost anything I put on because I can’t envision how it would look once I actually put some effort into my appearance. Anyone else there with me? Well, we at Jessica’s also believe in this theory and encourage brides to come to their appointments all dolled up in order to allow you to really feel and see the complete look once you try on each dress. Not much of a hair and makeup person? No worries! Our point here is we want you to come to your appointment feeling like your best self like you would on your wedding day so you can complete the vision in your wedding dress.

 

MOST IMPORTANTLY: HAVE FUN AND ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE

We at Jessica’s on Main try our best to go above and beyond to make this experience one you won’t ever forget. We know that this is a day that most brides look forward to most besides the actual day of their wedding, and we want to be sure to make it fun, memorable, and easy to navigate. No stressing allowed! Let us take care of the logistics, take a minute to think about our tips and tricks above, and sit back and enjoy your experience at Jessica’s on Main!