12 Wedding Dress Shopping Tips

Before you go anywhere to shop for your wedding dress, look through the pages of bridal magazines. These publications are virtual catalogues of wedding attire available in the marketplace today. Manufacturers' ads will give you an idea of "the look" each house is known for and will almost always identify the retail stores in your area that carry their lines. Fashion editorial pages will focus on design details and quote prices, as well as identify the designers and manufacturers.

Studying magazines is the best way to familiarise yourself with what is being shown, and to develop a sense for coordinating accessories, attendants' attire, and the style of the wedding. You should also take the time to attend bridal fashion shows held by retailers in your area, usually in the spring and fall when the new lines have been introduced. While refining your tastes and developing an image of "the look" you'd like to achieve, you'll also gain a realistic perspective on what you are likely to have to spend.

Even if you don't find the one dress you love, take notes and set aside pictures of those with features that appeal to you, whether it's a neckline, waistline, sleeve, or a fabric. As you begin to compare the notes and pictures in your collection, a pattern of preferences will emerge. This pattern will give direction to an experienced salesperson, so be sure to take them with you when you shop.

You should know that good bridal stores put their staff through rigorous training programs. A sales consultant in a reputable salon will know her lines, know what can be done to customise a particular dress, and understand the psychology and emotion involved in this all-important purchase. Her knowledge and experience should enable her to be both sensitive to your needs and objective in her advice. If you do not find that, go somewhere else.

Besides the quality and workmanship of the wedding dress, much of what you are paying for in a full retail establishment is service. Bridal attire is about the last apparel industry left in which customised, made-to-order garments are still routine, and the profit margin on such individualised service is a lot slimmer than you might think given the cost of the dresses. Proper measurements must be taken, expert alterations made, and a perfect fit achieved. If anything goes wrong in quality, fitting, or delivery, a reputable retailer will stand by the customer and make it right.

In any marketplace: when you deal with people of integrity who value their own reputations, you do get what you pay for. When you do not, you shop at your own risk. In a free-market economy, the choice is always up to you.

12 Wedding Dress Shopping Tips:

1. Take only one person with you when you shop. That person may be your mother, a friend, or your fiancé, but whoever it is, be sure she or he can be objective.

2. Label magazine pictures with page number, name of magazine, and date of issue. Bring along the pictures of wedding dresses that you like, as well as any special accessories that you plan to wear with your dress.

3. Be ready to explain the style and type of wedding you are having to the sales consultant: size, theme, time of day, location of ceremony, and reception.

4. Wear suitable undergarments, shoes, and heels of the approximate height you are likely to choose for the wedding. Also, do your hair and makeup so that you look like your "better" self. All of this will add to your total impression of the dresses.

5. Be honest about your price range. Tell the salesperson what you would ideally like to spend, and what your outside limits are. Be firm, and bear in mind that the dress itself is not the only expense for your total wedding attire.

6. Make an appointment; give yourself plenty of time, and expect to try on at least six to eight different dresses in each salon you visit. Brides in larger cities with many retail establishments to choose from often shop around for three weeks or so before making their final selection.

7. If you are not comfortable in the shop, or do not feel a certain confidence in the consultant there, go elsewhere.

8. Do not get sidetracked by accessories and attendants' attire. You can shop for those things later, after you've chosen your own wedding dress.

9. Inquire about alterations and fitting fees. Every dress will have some. Make sure seamstresses are experienced with the intricacy of bridal work.

10. Tell the salon when you'll need the dress (for coordination of other elements or for the bridal portrait) and ask about delivery and fitting schedules.

11. Be sure you understand all terms, guarantees, and refund policies before you put down a deposit on a dress. (Usually, the deposit is a non-refundable 50% when you order, and the balance is payable when the dress comes in before it is fitted. Alterations, even minor ones, are almost always extra.)

12. Start shopping early; six to eight months is recommended, much earlier if you have special fitting needs or an unusually large bridal party to plan for. And never put down a deposit on a wedding dress that you have not tried on, no matter what your size or fitting needs.

Find wedding dress makers and wedding dress retailers in the Surrey area.

Article by Roger Mayne of Surrey Weddings wedding directory