Wedding dress shopping can be hard
The global wedding dress industry has been growing and expanding at a rapid pace the last couple of years. Back in the day a bridal brand would have one or two collections a year for bridal stores and brides alike to choose from. But we have been seeing a big shift in the market with bridal brands bringing out up to 8 collections a year. We cannot imagine how difficult it is for brides to choose just one wedding dress as we as bridal buyers are feeling overwhelmed with all the constant new options to choose from.
This is why you need to bring in the experts
Looking at wedding dresses on social media is a lot like looking at a bakery’s social media. They will tell how how delicious the cookie croissant is, they will take photos and videos of it from all angles to entice you. You can imagine how it tastes but are you tasting it? No. You need to drive to the bakery and go buy said cookie croissant, if it is even available in your town. I promise I have a point. Just as looking at cookie croissants will not get you closer to an actual cookie croissant, looking at wedding dresses will not help you find your wedding dress. You need to try them on. And I can tell you:
Most brides choose a completely different wedding dress than they thought they would
The biggest culprit here is Pinterest. We are all guilty of pinning away gorgeous Ellie Saab & Galia Lahav wedding dresses a select few in South Africa will be able to afford and making that the cornerstone of our wedding dress ‘Inspo”. Apart from the fact that if you could actually afford a Galia Lahav wedding dress you would not be able to purchase it here as no one stocks it. I feel we need to be realistic. Look at wedding dresses available at wedding boutiques in SA, that’s a good starting point. But then, you also need to book a fitting to actually try them on. It is good to have an ‘aesthetic’, a starting point of your wedding dress vibe. Information that you can give us as your bridal consultants. You love lace, but not the granny kind, the Chantilly kind - great, this is good information for us to work off of. You love a fitted mermaid and despise a ballgown. Fantastic, we’ll steer clear of the ballgowns. But the most important part of wedding dress shopping is:
You need to try on different styles, even the ones you think you won’t like
Nine times out of ten our brides choose wedding dresses we pulled for them during their wedding dress fittings. The reason for this is our consultants know and understand wedding dresses. We can read a bride without her having to say much, and pull the perfect wedding dresses for her to try on. We consider your body type, dress silhouettes, your wedding venue & aesthetic, and choose styles that will resonate with your authentic self.
We almost prefer that you come without any preconceived wedding dress ideas. Because the only way you will know if you actually like a wedding dress is by trying it on. I know everyone says this but it is true, a wedding dress on a hanger is a completely different thing to the dress on you. Most incredible dresses do not have any hanger appeal.
But there are a few things you need to get in place before we can do our magic:
Book your venue before you try on wedding dresses
We need to know when you are getting married, and we need to know where you are getting married. A wedding dress for a summer wedding in the winelands is going to look a lot different than a wedding dress in Bloemfontein in the winter. It’s also good to think ‘wedding vibes’. Are we talking tropical destination getaway or are we talking black tie city wedding. Is the decor colourful and playful or demure and classic. All of these answers already give us an idea of your wedding dress vibe.
Keep your bridal party small
Do not bring everyone you know and their babies to your wedding dress fittings. I could write a book on this subject (and I promise I will one day) but if there is one thing I wish brides could understand before they book their wedding dress fittings it is this - too many people at your wedding dress fittings ALWAYS end in a disaster. You are probably going to cry, trying on wedding dresses is an overwhelming experience in itself, add 10 guests and it becomes a nightmare. The amount of times I have seen a bride cry due to the inconsiderate actions of a big bridal party has forced me to bring the bridal party number of guests down to a maximum of 3. If I could have my own way I would make it 1.
I’m talking a mother of the bride and the mother in law meeting each other for the first time at a wedding dress fitting and having a little competition over who will choose the best dress for the bride. A mother in law who walks around looking at the wedding dresses asking if she can also try some on after the bride. Ten bridesmaids shouting over each other how horrible you look (in a dress they insisted you try on). A toddler running around, pulling at all the dresses, tearing at our books and then taking my phone and putting it in her mother’s hand bag…
But the most challenging guest is the bridesmaid who recently got married herself and went to about 3 wedding dress fittings in her life. I am not sure why this happens but in her mind she becomes expert number 1 on all things wedding related. She talks for the bride, she chooses the dresses and becomes the bridal consultant. She takes over the whole fitting and before you know it the bride is confused and overwhelmed, and needs to go shop at 100 more places before she can find her dress.
It’s exhausting.
Brides, choose one or two people who’s opinion you value, and let them go shopping with you. They are your Dress Squad and they will save you a lot of unnecessary anxiety and tears.