Rule #2: What Works For You and You Alone.

RULE #2:  THE GOWN MUST FIT YOUR SHAPE AND COMFORT ZONE

Gowns, gowns gowns...they are everywhere.  So many and so beautiful.

But will every one look great on you?

The answer is a definite "NO WAY!" Unless you are a model, you will need to determine what looks the best.  Most likely you already have an idea of what would be your ideal wedding gown.  That image is burning in your head.  You have looked through bridal magazines, pulled out the pages and then your search begins.

I suggest starting out at a small bridal shop where you determine the right style for your shape. In a small shop, you don't get as overwhelmed by the selections.  Since most bridal shops work by appointment and usually give you an hour or an hour and a half, time does fly by and you want to make the best out of your appointment.

The style considerations for your gown are:  silhouette, material, weight, "bling," waistline, shape and on it goes.  Do you want a neckline which is strapeless, sweetheart, square, scoop, v-neck, high neck, halter...just to name a few?  For the silhouette there are A-line, tea length, ball gown, mermaid styles for starters. Then you move onto the waistline and straps and sleeves.

Gowns are coming into the stores in white, off white, ivory and even blush.  No longer is the white wedding gown the only way to go.

Lastly, the train.  The lengths vary and are referred to as sweeping, chapel, cathedral and so on.

If you put all these pieces of the puzzle together, you can surely limit your choices. 

And since you have already figured in your price point from RULE #1,  you won't have to try on hundreds of dresses.

Don't forget you still have the train to choose!

Rule #3: How Do You Know That You Have The Perfect Dress?

RULE #3:  Return to the Bridal Shop to Review Your Top Picks


By now you have your wedding gown choices down to a mere few.


Is there one you love the best?  Are you debating between two? Are you not sure that you love any you have tried on?


The decision to "Say Yes To The Dress" is not always easy as you can see if you have ever watched the show on TLC.


What we did was to go back to the bridal shop which had the dress we thought was the one.  When we made the appointment it was not only to re-try on what we liked but to see if anything new had come in which might be better.


And there were more gowns to try, especially when another trunk show happened to be there the day we arrived.


After all the new wedding gowns were modeled and there were some great choices, the one from the previous week was then tried on.  It was the dress! I cried again.  Everyone loved it and our terrific sales person at Kleinfeld confided to my husband that she loved it more than any other one.


They then matched a beautiful veil to the dress and it was done!  


The next time we return to Kleinfled will be for alterations!

Your Search for Your Wedding Gown May be Getting Closer: RULE # 2

RULE #2:  THE GOWN MUST FIT YOUR SHAPE AND COMFORT ZONE

Gowns, gowns gowns...they are everywhere.  So many and so beautiful.

But will every one look great on you?

The answer is a definite "NO WAY!" Unless you are a model, you will need to determine what looks the best.  Most likely you already have an idea of what would be your ideal wedding gown.  That image is burning in your head.  You have looked through bridal magazines, pulled out the pages and then your search begins.

I suggest starting out at a small bridal shop where you determine the right style for your shape. In a small shop, you don't get as overwhelmed by the selections.  Since most bridal shops work by appointment and usually give you an hour or an hour and a half, time does fly by and you want to make the best out of your appointment.

The style considerations for your gown are:  silhouette, material, weight, "bling," waistline, shape and on it goes.  Do you want a neckline which is strapeless, sweetheart, square, scoop, v-neck, high neck, halter...just to name a few?  For the silhouette there are A-line, tea length, ball gown, mermaid styles for starters. Then you move onto the waistline and straps and sleeves.

Gowns are coming into the stores in white, off white, ivory and even blush.  No longer is the white wedding gown the only way to go.

Lastly, the train.  The lengths vary and are referred to as sweeping, chapel, cathedral and so on.

If you put all these pieces of the puzzle together, you can surely limit your choices. 

And since you have already figured in your price point from RULE #1,  you won't have to try on hundreds of dresses.

Don't forget you still have to train to choose!

Buying a Wedding Gown? Rules To Live By When You Finally "Say Yes To The Dress!"

FIRST RULE:  ESTABLISH A PRICE POINT


I guess that you figured out that we were shopping for a wedding dress.  My daughter is getting married in October.


What an adventure!  It takes every ounce of emotion building up to the "this is THE DRESS" moment.


I thought about the way I would feel when I would see my daughter in a wedding gown for the first time and assumed I would cry.  And cry I certainly did.  Not a sobbing cry, just lots of tears in my eyes kind of cry.


That moment has many meanings attached to it.  As I looked at her in the wedding gown, I saw my daughter as a grown woman...starting a separate life with her husband.  Even though she has not lived at home for a long time, this felt different.


I would love to share some advice now that we have been through the "Say Yes To The Dress" experience, a term coined by Kleinfeld Bridal for their TV show on the TLC network entitled "Say Yes To The Dress."


Because wedding gown shopping can be both an endearing as well as stressful time, remove as many obstacles as you can to ease your way through.


I am not sure how many gowns were tried on, but because there are hundreds to choose from, you need to establish some structure.  I would suggest that the price point be the first rule of shopping.  If you don't abide by that, you could be looking at more dresses than reality dictates and then the bride-to-be has a false sense of what dress she can actually choose.


My first thought was to try on dresses you love and we can deal with the price later.  But what happens when the bride loves a dress that is just way beyond your budget and then feels every other dress pales in comparison?  Not a good idea.




FIRST RULE: ESTABLISH A PRICE POINT


More rules to follow so stay tuned.