I am no bridal expert nor am I a wedding planner, but I do have some tips and tricks I would like to share. All of this has been at the foremost of my mind lately since I went back to work after 14 years of being a SAHM, I found a job as a bridal consultant at a local small bridal store. I found my job as I went to buy my daughters' their bridesmaids dresses for my son's wedding. After the wedding, I was like "I could help others with some tips". Again, these are tips I've come across, have found out through my job as a Bridal consultant or from going through them as a bride and Mother of the Groom. I do not have my tips in any particular order of importance.
Highly recommend buying/ordering your dress at least 9 months in advance!! yes, really. You have to remember you want a dress in your size, so that does take quite some time to make.
Research different Bridal shops/salons, find one that works best for you. Example: hours of operation, appointment fee (yes, some charge for an appointment), sizes and budget.
Alterations, are usually done 1-2 months before the wedding.
Its ok to workout in the time before your wedding. However you must be careful on what exercises you are doing. You could build muscle in your back, arms, and shoulders- then your dress will fit differently than when you ordered and were measured.
When dress shopping, do not bring too many people with you. Too many opinions could really mess up your thinking and you could end up with a dress that you don't really like. Or you could get confused, discouraged, overwhelmed.
If you like even something about a dress, give it a shot. Try it on. You never know. Dresses look different on than they do hanging.
Sometimes, you just know that's your dress. Sometimes you have it narrowed down to 2-3 dresses, each one a different style. Take pictures of you in the dress, go put your regular clothes on and look at the pictures. This does help.
Keep in Mind that wedding dress sizes are not the same as street clothes sizes!! This is a big one, some ladies get upset when they see the size on the wedding dress. Also, some designers will charge for plus size gowns.
Its ok not to buy a dress on the first trip. But have the consultant write down your favorites, they will file that information for when you return.
Contrary to what people say, when shopping for your dress, you don't need to bring heels (or similar shoes) to your appointment. You need your actual wedding shoes when you go for alterations but not for shopping. You can take them, but you don't Have to.
Planning
Get a dedicated wedding email address. Keep correspondence for all your vendors and such here. Use this to sign up for free stuff, newsletters, etc. without overloading your personal email.
Make a binder/planner!!!!
-keep track of your payments and due dates
-Set and keep a budget.
Talk with your fiancé and discuss what the 3 most important things are for YOUR wedding day.
This is a wedding, not a family reunion. Or a High School reunion. If you haven't seen or spoken to someone in more than 5 years, you probably don't need to invite them.
Stay tuned for more wedding tips. Next up, Bridesmaids then Wedding Day. Again, I am NOT an expert on this subject. This post is just from experience and opinion. This post does contain affiliate links. Please comment with any tips you may have as well!
No comments:
Post a Comment