They make it look so easy on television! While trying on dresses was fun, it was not as easy as the brides on Say Yes To The Dress make it look. I went all around Dallas trying on dresses at different bridal salons. I started looking at dresses with just my mom and dad to get an idea of what I liked and what our budget should be before bringing others along. We went to Bridal Boutique in Lewisville, LuLu’s in the design district, Nordstrom at NorthPark Center, and Patsy’s on Henderson. I narrowed down my search to a few dresses at Nordstrom and Patsy’s, then invited my grandmother and future mother-in-law to join. Below are the four things I learned about saying yes to the dress!
You don’t always just “know” which dress is the “one”. At least for me it was much more difficult to pick a dress than just “knowing”. I ended up really loving two very different dresses that were about the same price. I had very strict standards for the material of the dress, the cut, the details, and the price. When I found two dresses that fit all of my standards, it was almost impossible to choose between the two. While they were very different dresses, I went with the one that was slightly more comfortable. Ultimately, I knew I would have been happy wearing either dress on my big day.
Stand your ground, sales associates will try to push their style on you. Know what you do not like and tell them before you even begin trying on dresses. I knew that I did not want any rhinestones on my dress, nor a reveling or low-cut neckline. I started all of my appointments by politely letting the sales associate know that those where the two things I did not want to try on at all. You would not believe how many times a sales associate asked me to just try on a blinged out dress with a plunging neckline. Some do this without even realizing they are, so it is okay to tell them that you do not want to try on a dress if you know you will not be comfortable.
The fitting rooms can become very small. When you invite too many people along, there can easily be too many opinions in the room. This is why I looked at dresses with just my mom and my dad ahead of time. Once I had my own opinion about what I wanted, I was able to decide in the fitting room if I liked a dress before showing it to everyone else. This way I was only showing dresses that I liked, and didn’t risk everyone else liking the one dress I was not wild about. Luckily my grandmother and future mother-in-law were great about letting me make the decision, but I know this is not always the case.
Do not feel pressured to say yes to the dress. You will start hearing numbers about how long it will take to get the dress in, have it altered, and how you really should have placed your order last month. Don’t worry, there are so many designers and dresses out there, you will be able to get a dress you love on time. I do not like ongoing projects, so naturally I wanted to pick a dress the day I started looking. Luckily, I did not love any of the dresses at the first few salons, so I was forced to keep looking. It is possible to try on too many dresses, but I think it is important to know all of your options before saying yes to the dress! xoxo
