Movies really romanticize the entire dress shopping process. In reality, it will suck the life out of you…if you let it. The stress of dieting ahead of time, choosing who will go with you, making appointments, budgeting, etc. Here are some lessons learned by an average girl on a budget who did not fly to a destination bridal shop.

Do:

  • Try on EVERYTHING, even if you think you won’t like it, they all look completely different once they’re on.
  • Bring: heels, hair ties, and a sticky bra.
  • Wear nude underwear.
  • Bring champagne and drinkware! Unless you’re on Say Yes To The Dress (if so, idk why you’re reading this) bridal shops typically don’t offer champs. After an hour of my Grandma’s commentary, I think we all needed something stronger than champagne. We didn’t run into any issues, the shops benefit from a champagne-influenced budget.
  • Make time for lunch….somewhere with Margaritas.
  • Be prepared for additional costs not on the price tag. If your dress is $2k, you’re paying $2.3k with sales tax + ~$300 for basic alterations.
  • Bring friends with different personal styles. It’s so easy to get caught up in majority vote and think you love a dress as much as they love it. Having a friend that will speak up against the group will help you evaluate how YOU really feel about the dress. Shout out to Nicole for saving me from a ballgown and Isabelle for saving me from a skin-tight mermaid.

Don’t:

  • Wear Spanx. Wedding dresses are surprisingly flattering and suck it all in for you! Most of them have a low back or a sheer bodice and you really don’t get the full effect when your spanks are showing! When I finally found my dress I took off my Spanx for the full look and felt real weird going commando in a sample dress.
  • Overbook appointments. You’re a psychopath if you book more than 3 appointments in one day. It’s truly exhausting and you’ll be even more over trying on dresses than your group will be over sitting there watching you ALL.DAY.LONG.
  • Waste time showing your group a dress that you hate, just move on to the next.
  • Feel obligated to put a dress on hold or make promises that you’ll be back after you think about it. Dress consultants know the drill, if you’re leaving without a dress that means the dress wasn’t for you! Keep it moving.
  • Be uncomfortable getting undressed in front of the consultant…she has seen every shape, size, lump and bump. Just get naked and get on with it.
  • Freak out at your dress size…..I almost had a heart attack when my size 2 pant translated into a size 8 wedding dress. I really don’t understand the discrepancy, but just know that you didn’t gain 6 sizes overnight.

Some brides are really secretive about their dress, I would show Nick mine if he let me! After the wedding, I plan to  wear it around the house whenever I have a bad day and want to feel pretty.