Who’s that Pretty Girl in that Mirror There?
It’s in all the movies and the TV shows. That look of awe that comes over the face of the
mother of the bride, and the bridal party that came along for the picking out of the dress.
Not just any dress – THE dress. The dress that will leave your attendants breathless at your
beauty. The dress that will have people confused if it’s your wedding photos, or a spread from
that season’s Bride Magazine. The dress that will bring tears of joy to whoever is waiting at the altar for you. Yes, the finding of the perfect dress that makes you feel perfect is very
important, but it should not be an experience that is anything less than enjoyable.
If you go into any store and tell them your budget, make sure they only bring you dresses
within that budget. Don’t let them try to bring you something “a little over, but will look just
gorgeous on you” or “maybe you would just like to see this on, even if you’re not interested in
the price.” That isn’t fair to you. As soon as someone tries to bring one over, thank them but
remind them that only dresses in your price range will be tried on, or considered for purchase.
Don’t fall into the trap of “I think you’ll look beautiful in this!”, because you will find a dress in your budget that you will look beautiful in, and it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. The salespeople should be able to keep in mind your price range and be able to respect your wishes and requests. After all, a sale within your budget is better than you walking out and going somewhere else.
Be cautious of sales that sound too good to be true – because they usually are. A dress
that is specially marked down hundreds of dollars will usually have a catch to it. I recently
hemmed and altered a bridesmaid dress for a friend that was advertised as “originally $700 but now was $99!!!” This appeared to be a great deal…until she was informed that it would cost close to $400 to have it altered (plus an extra $75 for a “rush service” since the wedding was in two weeks) to fit her properly, and hemmed to the proper length. A lot of times stores and boutiques will rely on the fact that people will just fold and accept this due to the fact that it’s all done in one spot. They also rely on the concept of getting “such a great deal” in the first place, and that whether it’s the bride or someone in the party, that person won’t want to make waves and add stress to what is supposed to be a fun shopping experience. As a seamstress, I was able to alter and do an additional fitting to make sure it fit properly before charging my friend... My cost for altering the dress? $100 and I had it done by the end of the weekend.
It is not very common for the dress you absolutely adore to fit you on the first try. Do not
get hard on yourself or upset if you need to go a size up or down. Different things factor in to
how dresses will fit – bra size, torso length, how the designer or company has patterned the dress (Is it based on an American size? European?), if you’re petite or taller…there are so many things that will influence how a dress fits and falls. So with all of this in mind, grab the shoes you will be wearing with the dress (very important to know where the dress will come down to), your favorite people to shop with, and the confidence that no matter what dress you pick. You will be the most beautiful person at your wedding without a doubt.
