Tips for Shopping for Wedding Gowns (Philadelphia, New Jersey Event Planner)
Posted: January 6th, 2010 | Tags: Bridesmaid Gowns, Budget, Event Professionals, Events by Monroe, Events by Monroe Office, Philadelphia Event Planner, wedding dress | No Comments »
As women, most of us love to shop. Shopping for your wedding gown is one of the very exciting items on your wedding to-do list, but it can also become stressful. One of the main problems that I see in wedding planning today is not the issue of being able to find ideas and information, it is information overload. You can type “wedding gowns” into your web browser and come up with enough results to be searching through them for weeks, and become so overwhelmed that you feel like you are right back where you started. A current Events by Monroe client has been facing some stress in finding a dress, so she is our inspiration behind putting this article together for our readers 
Read these tips, and complete these tasks BEFORE you go shopping, and it will save you time, stress, and aggrivation.
- Consider the style and tone of your event. Is it a beach wedding? A black tie affair? A reception in a restored barn with an outdoor cocktail hour? This is the first thing to consider. You may have had a vision in your head of what your dream wedding dress would look like since you were 5 years old, but will it match the look you are going for. If your wedding is on the less formal side, a knee length dress would be appropriate. If you are holding a black tie wedding go for a beautiful formal gown. If you are holding your reception in a restored barn, maybe you are going for a vintage look. Whatever the style of your wedding, your dress should reflect that.
- Consider your timeframe. You will want to order your wedding dress approximately six months prior to the wedding, so nine months in advance can be a good time to begin shopping. If you are doing a last minute wedding, or are already beyond this time don’t panic! You can still get your dress in time, there just may be a few additional charges for the faster service.
- Make sure you are comfortable. Although a dress may look phenomenal on you, if it is not comfortable it will affect the fun of your day. If you love to dance and plan on moving around a lot make sure your dress can handle that when you are trying it on. You dont want to have to be tugging your dress up all day, or adjusting it so the zipper will stop poking you in the side.
- Consider your shape. Men have the luxury of knowing what size they are, going into a store for jeans, picking up a 34×34, continuing to the register and out the door, without even a glimpse of worry over whether they are going to fit. Infortunately, us ladies don’t have that luxury. Every designer is different in sizing/styles as well as what shapes their clothes will fit. Pull out your photo ablbums and start looking through formal events you have gone to in the past. See if there is a pattern in the style of dress you usually buy. As you are looking through the photos consider which of these dresses you felt the most confidant and beautiful in. After this exercise you should have a guideline of the type of dress you would like to look for. You can also look through the bridal magazines and websites for advice on what shapes look good in what types of dresses.
- If you have a day you can take off of work, or a day your office is closed during the week try to shop then. It is easier to have a salespersons full attention during the week, rather then a Saturday when the store is busy.
- Money Saving Tips. There are many ways to save on your bridal gown. You do NOT have to spend thousands of dollars if you can’t afford to. You can look for sample sales or floor models that are being discounted. There are often one day trunk sales that travel around who often have sales. Although it may seem odd many designers will try to sell their dresses on ebay for a great discount. You can find some hidden treasures in consignment shops. You can also find bridesmaids dresses in white or an off white shade that you may love (nobody has to know).
- Sizing. Wedding gowns run small so don’t be alarmed if your gown is larger then your normal size. Also every designer is different. Sales people at the stores should know how each designers dress will fit.
Here are just a few tips. All wedding websites also have a plethora of information for you to read about gown shopping. Feel free to contact us with your specific questions we can advise you on. Happy Shopping!
I have recently become more acquainted with Wedding Wire, a great resource that I am now using on a daily basis. It is a great site that you can use to search for various types of professionals to assist you with your event. It also has a multitude of useful tools to help you stay organized and on track with all the planning for your event. They are very interactive on Facebook and Twitter, where they keep you posted on all their latest tips and advice. You can now find Events by Monroe, LLC as a listed event professional on Wedding Wire, as well as Best Philadelphia Weddings, and Martha Stewart Weddings. We are very excited to be expanding. I hope you get some use out of these sites and the great tools that they offer!
