Today our Guest Blogger is the lovely Liz Wooton of the fabulous
Aliya Rose.
Here she gives you her Top Tips of how to be prepared for doing your Wedding Dress Shopping.
• "Go armed with an open mind. You may well have a type of dress in mind, and whilst sometimes instincts are spot on, sometimes when you try on what you think will be your dream dress, it turns out to be your dress nightmare!
Keep your mind open to trying new things – you might just find something you love that wasn’t at all what you thought you would like."
• "Make an appointment. If you’re going to be visiting a bridal shop with the intention of trying on, it’s very much advisable to phone ahead and book a time.
Some stores are appointment only. At Aliya Rose, browsers are very welcome any time, but if we already have an appointment going on, or if one is due in shortly, you may not be able to try anything on there and then.
Bear in mind that Saturdays are our busiest day, and they can book up well in advance, so book early to avoid disappointment!"
•"No question is too silly! Let’s face it, no one starts out as an experienced wedding-dress-shopper. Don’t feel like you should know it all before you start out. So never be afraid to ask questions, and if you want, phone the shop ahead to ask things you’re puzzled about before you even go in for your appointment."
•" If you’ve got a budget in mind, don’t be shy about letting the shop know.
YOU are the boss when it comes to spending, and if you WANT to try on something that’s over budget, then that’s fine, but it should be up to you, not up to the shop to decide if you get to stretch your budget or not.
If you have an unfavourable reaction from the shop when you tell them your budget, then you probably don’t want to be shopping there anyway – so don’t feel bad – you’ve done yourself a favour!"
• "Take the right people with you. You will want someone you really trust to help you choose the right dress FOR YOU, not for them!"
• "Wear big knickers. Getting into a wedding dress is ideally a two-person job.
Bridal gowns tend to be big and heavy, and you’ll never do up the back of them on your own!
So my advice is to let the staff help you in the changing room, and you’ll feel more comfortable doing this if you’ve got underwear on that you don’t mind being seen in. Believe me, we don’t care if your underwear matches, we don’t notice, I promise!!"
• "Don’t worry about the size. Wedding dress sizing can be totally off from what you’d expect. I could (and have!) written a whole blog article on this. But in short, do not under any circumstances get hung up on the sizes of the dresses.
It’s about the FIT, not the size. If you’re losing weight, then talk to the shop and ask their advice about ordering."
• "Make sure you are being listened to.
Every time I start an appointment, I begin by asking the bride what sort of thing she has in mind. That means every appointment will be different, because every bride will have slightly different criteria. You will benefit hugely from the product knowledge good bridal shop staff have – they will know what dresses look like on, they will know which dresses fit your criteria. But if they’re not listening to what you want, then you’re not going to get very far at all. Again, remember you’re the boss here!"
•"Be honest. If you don’t like a dress you’ve tried on, then don’t be afraid to say so. We won’t be offended, and knowing in more detail what you like and don’t like will help us with our job to find you the right dress for you."
•"You can try on too many dresses. It might seem hard to believe, but you actually can go too far with trying on dresses! The process should be enjoyable, so don’t let yourself get tired and frustrated with it by going to too many shops on the quest for something that might be more perfect than the perfect dress you’ve already found."
• "Order plenty of time in advance. Don’t leave it too late. Every shop’s delivery times will be different, but make sure you arm yourself with information. You don’t want to miss out because you’ve left it too late."
• "Above all, HAVE FUN!"
Thank you so much to Liz for giving such marvellous advice. Wedding Dress shopping can be such a worry for some Brides, but hopefully this will go some way to making your experience a much more pleasurable one.
If you are in the Fife area, and would like to visit
Aliya Rose Bridal -
18 Millgate
Cupar, Fife KY15 5EG
Phone: 01334 655303
Website:
http://www.aliyarose.co.uk/
For Previous Blog on Aliya Rose see
here
Images by
Martin Pettinger
