Who to Bring and Who Not to Bring Wedding Dress Shopping
So, you’re on the journey to find the dress that will “take your breath away.”
For every soon-to-be bride, wedding dress shopping is the most important task on their wedding checklist. Not surprisingly, you want the help of your closest friends and family members to accompany you on this adventure.
In this article, we lay out the answers to questions like: “What to consider when inviting people for your wedding dress shopping?”, “Who to bring to your wedding dress shopping?”, “Who not to bring?”, and “How to go about the process if you choose to go alone?”
First, Let’s Look at the Considerations
Those you choose to bring along for your wedding dress shopping can make or break the overall experience. To help you avoid getting overwhelmed, we’ve listed out three golden rules for making this big decision:
The Bride Comes First
Remember, your wedding gown shopping is only about you. So, choose only the comrades who will support you at any given point. Sure, the only reason you’re sending out an invite is to consider a mix of opinions. But don’t invite opinions that will bring down your morale or make you feel terrible about what you love.
Study the Personalities of those You’ve Shortlisted
When inviting someone for this special experience, ask yourself, “what is their personality like?”
Is your best friend a fashion diva? Is your cousin particularly difficult to get along with and has an overwhelmingly outspoken nature?
Say yes to a good mix of supportive opinions and turn down people who might push your buttons. A bad listener, for example, may not be a great pick. Whereas someone who respects your choices and has only positive opinions to offer is a perfect pick.
Don’t “Overdo” It
Many bridal stores have guest limits, and such a fact may work well in your favor. Consider inviting three to four people instead of bringing in a massive army. In addition, make sure the people you invite get along well with each other.
Whom to Invite
Your wedding dress shopping is a sacred experience. For this, you only want to invite those who are supportive, have great taste in fashion, and don’t end up upsetting you.
Supportive Family Members
Let’s face it: we all have that one family member who gets on our nerves. When inviting a family member, go for someone who would be honest with you but in a loving manner. Your mom, dad, siblings, and grandparents can be some of your most important considerations.
Planning to bring your mother-in-law along? Try running it by your mother first. She may not mention it, but your wedding dress shopping is a very special time for her as well. You can even include more than one family member. The goal here is to bring folks who will help fasten your buttons, not necessarily push them.
Who NOT to Invite
Who NOT to bring is as important as who to bring to your wedding dress shopping. Anyone who is not 100000% supportive is unwelcome.
Buying the dress of your dreams is not the time when you get your feelings hurt or be judged for the way your dress fits and looks. Moreover, you absolutely don’t want someone who would stress you out or over-complicate the experience.
Your dress-shopping adventure is supposed to be a fun ride where you try on different silhouettes, lengths, styles, and cuts of gowns. So, go for positive allies, not negative nellies.
To be more specific, strike out the negative Nancys, judgey Judys, opinionated Olivias, and confused Claires from your invites list.
A Word of Advice for those Flying Solo
If you don’t like the idea of taking this adventure with others and feel confident about your choices, here’s a quick roadmap to help you ace your shopping:
- Plan in advance. Sketch an appropriate wedding dress budget and head over to Pinterest to let your ideas brew. You can also consult your bridal stylist to narrow down on dress types that would flatter your body type and skin tone.
- Broaden your spectrum. You may have your heart set on a specific wedding dress type. But have you considered other styles that might look even more breathtaking on you? Having an open mind is vital when you’re shopping for a wedding dress. Make sure you try out several gowns before making the final decision.
- Be an early bird. Shopping for a wedding dress is not as easy as checking off your grocery list. Brides typically order their dresses month in advance at most boutique salons. Leaving the shopping until the last minute will stress you out while you wait for it to arrive. What’s more, it won’t leave enough time for alterations.
Your Dress Wants to Find you as Much as You Want to Find It
This is a secret nobody would tell you. Your wedding dress is looking for you as much as you’re looking for it. Regardless of how bumpy or overwhelming the journey gets, know that you’re only getting closer to finding the dress of your dreams!
Jonah Levine is the Creative Director of NewYorkDress.com. NewYorkDress.com, established in 2008, is the #1 online source for Evening and Prom dresses worldwide. As Creative Director, Jonah works to create the ultimate online and in store luxury shopping experience with a focus on service and personalization.
