How to choose the wedding dress

You’re getting married! And now comes one of the most exciting moments for many… choosing the wedding dress! It’s one of the most important steps in organizing a wedding and should be done early on, right after setting the date and venue.

To help you in this process, we outline the steps to finding your perfect wedding dress and offer some tips on choosing the ideal one for you.

When to start looking for your wedding dress

If you’ve always dreamed of getting married, you probably already have an idea of what you’d like your wedding dress to look like. You might even have photos or saved ideas of your ideal dress on your phone or on a Pinterest board. You can do this and start whenever you want.

However, once you and your partner are engaged and have set the date and venue for your wedding, it’s time to begin the search for your wedding dress: browse through the websites of bridal dress designers, book appointments at different boutiques, and start trying on dresses!

It’s recommended to start searching for your wedding dress between 12 to 6 months before the wedding. Bridal shops usually work with samples or prototypes, and once you select a model, your dress is custom-made. This is why it requires such a long lead time.

It’s important to begin the search after you have your date and venue because you likely wouldn’t choose the same dress for a summer beach wedding as you would for a winter mountain wedding.

If you haven’t chosen a wedding venue yet, check out our blog article: How to choose your perfect wedding venue

Steps to finding your perfect wedding dress

To start your wedding dress search, we recommend following these steps:

1. Look for inspiration

Before visiting different stores, we suggest looking for inspiration and ideas on how you would like your wedding dress to look, especially to figure out what style or shape you prefer.

There are many types of wedding dresses: romantic style, boho, classic, mermaid cut, empire cut, A-line, lace, short dress, pant suit, with or without a veil, etc.

2. Online search

Once you have a general idea of the type of dress you’d like, we recommend doing an initial online search to see which stores and brands might suit your style and budget. You can make a shortlist from there and start booking appointments.

3. Book appointments

With your list of stores and brands, it’s time to start booking appointments to view and try on different models in person. We suggest booking between 2 and 5 stores.

4. Try on dresses

Now it’s time to try on different models and see which cut, style, and fabric suits you best. We encourage you to keep an open mind and take advice, as sometimes you might have a very clear idea of what you want, but then you try on a completely different style or cut and love it even more. It’s all part of the fun!

5. Choose your dress!

From all the ones you try on, there will be one that is the dress. You’ll know as soon as you put it on and think… “This is it!” Keep in mind that it may need some small changes or adjustments. Typically, the store has the prototype, and after a few months, they deliver your made-to-measure dress, which you’ll need to try on again to fine-tune all the adjustments.

Once you have the dress, you can also choose your shoes, accessories, and decide on your hairstyle and makeup.

Tips for choosing the ideal wedding dress:

Lastly, here are our tips for choosing your wedding dress:

• Define a style or shape you like, but be flexible: Having an idea of the type of dress you want is key to starting your search. However, it’s important to be flexible, keep an open mind, and perhaps try on a different style—you might be pleasantly surprised!
• Choose a dress that makes you feel comfortable and like yourself: This is probably the most important tip. When you try on the dress, you need to feel comfortable and like yourself. Of course, it won’t be as comfortable as your everyday clothes, but remember that it’s a dress you’ll wear for many hours, and you need to feel good in it. Consider whether it’s a dress where the train can be bustled or modified during the reception to be more comfortable and practical. You could also consider changing into a different dress for the dancing to surprise all your guests with a new look.
• Choose a dress that fits the season and venue of your wedding: This is crucial. We recommend selecting your wedding dress after you have the date and venue because the type of dress will vary greatly depending on the time of year, location, and overall style of the wedding.
• Choose a dress that fits your budget: The wedding dress can take up a significant portion of your overall wedding budget. Although you might fall in love with a dress outside of your budget, try to stay within your price range and look at stores that fit this budget.
• Choose accessories that match your dress: Once you have the dress, you can choose accessories: veil, shoes, hair accessories, earrings, etc. These will give your look the final personal touch.
• Take advice: From the experts in wedding dresses you’ll find in the stores, as well as from your family or friends who accompany you in your search. Even so, your opinion is always the most important.

Cover image by North Miles