Ah, the glorious experience of wedding dress shopping. For many brides, the act of dress shopping is almost more exciting than the wedding day itself. Think about it, instead of one trip down the aisle you’ll get to model not one, but maybe as many as six fabulous gowns in front of your loved ones. However, some brides inadvertently sabotage themselves before they even set foot into the store. Seeing your reflection in the mirror as you sashay past in a gorgeously fashionable work of art can truly be the whimsical experience you crave, provided you bring along the right people, in the right way, that is.
Do:
Keep your numbers low. The more people you bring, the more conflicting opinions you are going to have to deal with, which inevitably takes the focus off of you and makes the appointment more of a competition between members of your entourage. Bring only those absolutely crucial to your decision making process.
Bring your parents/grandparents/whoever raised you. Many mother’s dream of the day their daughter gets married, and many brides consider themselves “Daddy’s Little Girl.” Seeing their little girl in a dress for the first time can often prove to be quite a bonding experience.
Bring your closest fashion confidant. Even if you yourself are quite the style-savvy fashionista, the fashion world is one better traveled with a friend. Your parents, as mentioned above, are most likely going to think you look beautiful in anything. You could wear a brown paper bag down the aisle and they will still be crying tears of joy. Bring someone who’s best interest is more grounded in making sure you don’t look back on your photos saying to yourself, “What on earth was I thinking…”
Don’t:
Bring the entire bridal party. As mentioned above, you want to keep your numbers small. Perhaps your Maid of Honor has been your childhood friend since kindergarten, and in that case by all means bring her along. But the fifth bridesmaid you don’t really get along with but you added to the wedding party because she’s your fiancé’s sister and you had to even out the groomsmen? Is her opinion really important in your final decision? Most likely, it isn’t. Leave her home; she’d probably prefer it that way anyway.
Bring children. I know, I know, you want to include them, but look at it from their point of view. You’ve just brought them into a place where they have to sit still, be quiet, not touch anything, pay attention to someone other than themselves, and manage all of this for a couple of hours (or longer); talk about a long appointment. Additionally, a child’s opinion of your wedding dress is often incredibly skewed. If it were up to your four year old daughter, you would probably be wearing something bright pink with blue rhinestones. Not only will they probably be thoroughly unimpressed with anything classic and white, but their expressed opinions of “I don’t like it” could potentially crush the appointment.
Better yet, bring them to the final fitting instead. They get to see you in the finished product, looking as gorgeous and radiant as planned, and they only have to control themselves for 15-30 minutes. Win-win for everyone.
Forget that, in the end, you are the one that will be wearing the dress. Regardless of the many opinions that will be thrown about, be sure to remember that it’s your wedding, it’s your dress, and it’s your day. Wear what you want. You may feel obligated to please everyone, but in the end, you’re the bride, and the bride should always get what she wants.
