Things to Think About When Choosing The Perfect Wedding Dress

One of the most magical days of your "Bride Era" is the day you go shop for your dream wedding dress (or two!) Some Brides dream of this day for years and years and have an exact idea of the type of dress they are looking for! Other Brides go in without expectations or a Pinterest Board and try on a little bit of every style until they find THE dress.

Here are some things to think about before choosing your dream dress!

Disclaimer: Of course there are NO rules when choosing a dress to wear on your wedding day

1. Your Venue

Your venue plays a big part of your overall theme, vibe, and style of your wedding! It's important to think about the venue when choosing a dress if you want the dress to reflect the vibe of the wedding day!

Is your venue more on the moody, romantic, intimate side? Maybe an all lace dress would fit that vibe! Or is your venue an upscale ballroom? Maybe a ball gown or something more formal would be great! Or getting married on a beach?! Something more flowy and casual would look stunning!

Keep in mind your wedding vibe and venue and if its important to you, try and choose something that will look great in photos at the venue!

Photo: Martina Micko

Bozena Voytko Photography

Photo: Bozena Voytko Photography

2. Your Budget + Alterations

Budget is an important thing to keep in mind especially when it comes to wedding dresses because they can get expensive FAST! Cost of the dress, alterations, a veil, a rush fee, any additions or customizations of the dress, adding a bustle, ordering fees, etc can quickly add up.

Have an idea of your total budget that includes all these factors and then work with your bridal shop to determine the best budget for just the dress alone so you can only try on dresses within the budget! If you have a total of $5,000 for "wedding dress" in your budget plan but are trying on dresses $4,500-$5,000, the total cost of the dress with alterations, veil, and everything needed might cost you upwards of $6,000+!

Photo: Essence of Australia

Photo: TANIA MARAS

3. Time

Probably the most important thing to discuss with your bridal shop expert is your wedding date! If you have 9+ months until your day, you should be able to reasonably order any dress without an issue. I always recommend ordering your dress at least 8 months prior to ensure there are no delays.

If you are shopping with less than 6 months until your day, let your bridal shop know and they might be able to sell you a dress off the floor or might charge you a hefty rush fee to get your dress made on-time.

Also keep in mind the alterations schedule for your dress. Typically, the bridal shop or alterations will do a dress fitting 8-12 weeks before the wedding. Keep in mind any weight changes leading up to your fitting which might require any additional alterations to be made to the dress.

Photo: Alessandra Vitozzi Photography

Photo: Vouge Magazine

4. Dress Change

Are you planning on having changing into a different dress after the Ceremony?! Maybe a sleeker more sexier dress for after dinner? Or maybe a short fun dress for the party?! If you are thinking of an outfit change, ensure your bridal shop experts are aware and help you find the perfect dress(es) for your day!

Photo: Shannon Montgomery

Photo: Green Wedding Shoes

Finding your perfect wedding dress might only take 1 day and 1 shop or might take several months and dozens of dresses to find the one! Enjoy the process, have fun, and soak in this "right of passage" in your wedding planning journey! It truly is one of the most fun and exciting things you'll do as Bride!

Happy Planning!

Hannah