We at Lilac Rose Bridal work with hundreds of brides every year and from that we have picked up 1, or in this case 6, fundamental things that we would advise all those lovely brides looking to make their wedding dress shopping effective, beneficial and most of all the fantastic experience it ought to be…Here it goes:
1. Know your wedding venue
Knowing your wedding venue is a first before you even consider choosing your wedding gown. It is not that your dress should be determined by your venue but it is most definitely a factor to be considered. A multi-layered duchess satin ballgown with long lace sleeves may not be the perfect match for a beautiful Summer wedding under the gorgeous hot Sardinian sun. It is not that a ballgown cannot be worn in such a climate but perhaps a more lightweight fabric in the silhouette of a ballgown would work so much better.
2. Research Your Bridal Boutiques
A bride’s time is precious. You will save yourself a lot of time, heartache and distress by doing your research on the various and wonderful bridal boutiques around the country. Not all bridal boutiques are the same. They range from traditional to offbeat and how great is that?! We are not all the same, we all have different likes so be sure to choose the stores who you think are on your wavelength, stylistically speaking! While the styles offered by the store are important, the customer service offered by stores is of equal importance. Our brides tell us this all the time. The right or wrong bridal consultant can make or break how well your appointment goes. It is our job to listen to you and to guide you based on that and to offer our opinion based on our expertise. Body shaming is not an opinion and most definitely something that every woman, bride or not, can go without!
3. Choose Your Party Well
Choose people to bring to your appointment who know you and your style well, whose opinion you value and who will allow you ultimately to make your own decisions. We at Lilac Rose Bridal always recommend that a bride brings a maximum of 2 people along with her to her appointment. This allows the bride to take on board what her guests think but most importantly allows her to hear her own inner voice as to what she herself thinks. It is you, after all, who will walk down the aisle in your dress. Let it be a dress of your choice. Don’t get me wrong, we love to have guests in the store with a bride. We have just met you, these are maybe people who know you your whole life and know that particular smile you might give when you, unknowingly have found ‘The One’.
4. Know Your Limit
When it comes to the cost of wedding dresses the sky’s the limit and for that reason I say know YOUR limit. You have most probably drafted up a budget for your entire wedding and included in that will be your wedding dress. Back to point number 3, every store will have an average price. Find out what that is before visiting the store rather than placing yourself into a gown that you have fallen for head over heels before realising it is 5 times your budget. EEK! It will only leave you feeling deflated, hankering for that unattainable dress and sabotaging future appointments on the premise that nothing in your mind will ever compare to ‘that’ dress. There is a dress for every budget. If you are wondering what to set your budget at, the quality of fabric, beading, designer label and of course the place of manufacture will all influence the price.
5. Bring Appropriate Underwear
The reason for this is two-fold. Firstly, we always advise our brides to bring underwear that is going to give them support. Store sample dresses vary in size and are very rarely going to fit any bride absolutely perfectly before the necessary tweaks are done at the alterations stage. It is important therefore to bring along a good supportive bra to give you a better idea of the dress when it is fitted to your size. Again, us women come in all beautiful shapes and sizes, it is just about finding the right dress for your shape. However, if it is a thing that you do feel more comfortable wearing supportive underwear then of course bring those along to your appointment too. Secondly, be aware that in most bridal stores you are most probably going to be helped into the dresses by your consultant. Therefore if you would rather not have someone see you in a certain pair of smalls then this is something to bear in mind when dressing that morning. Saying that our job is akin to that of a doctor, beautician, nurse, whatever, we see scantily clad bodies all the time. I use the word ‘see’ freely. We are so focused in getting you into the dress that we do not notice if you are wearing a tri-colour pair of undies, this I can assure you.
6. Be Confident In Your Decision
Many brides become their own worst enemies when it comes to choosing their dress. You feel beautiful in the dress, you feel confident in the dress, you cannot wait to wear the dress, you have not stopped thinking about this dress, so why can’t I Say Yes To The Dress?! I too was one of those brides so I feel you! It is not an easy decision but the secret is not to make it any harder on yourself than it ought to be. Many of our brides who have found themselves in this position have always said that it is like an enormous weight has been lifted once that decision is made. Be confident in your decision, park the self-doubting and go with your gut!
When it comes to dress shopping we at Lilac Rose Bridal want nothing more for our brides than for them to feel absolutely amazing on their big day and we hope that the dress that we have helped them to choose has in part contributed to that wonderful feeling.
Lilac Rose Bridal is a beautiful luxurious bridal boutique situated in the heart of Limerick City. They stock some of the most beautiful bridal gowns and accessories. Donna, the store owner is a regular contributor on radio, print media and digital media on all things wedding related. Donna and her team have gained a reputation as one of the loveliest, friendliest boutiques in the country with the most amazing dress to boot. To make your appointment you can reach them here or call 061 419 338.
Take a look at the Lilac Rose Mrs2Be page right here.
