Congratulations! You’re newly engaged and at the end of this amazing, crazy process you get to marry the love of your life! How amazing is that?!
My name is Autumn and I own One Fine Day Bridal and Gown Boutique in Fort Wayne. We’ve been open for over 6 years and after working with over 1,000 brides there are a few tips I hope to pass on so that when you shop for your wedding dress, this process isn’t so overwhelming!
Tip 1:
If you are nervous or intimidated about looking for your wedding dress, know that you are not alone! We are here to make this process as smooth and stress-free as possible. That means we will be communicating with you through every step of this process. We hope to ease some of your fears before you even walk in our door and then we will be with you during your shopping appointment to help you find your bridal voice and the dress you love. After you’ve found your dress, we’ll keep in contact so you know the ship date, when to start alterations, when to look for bridesmaid dresses and accessories and everything else surrounding your dress!
Tip 2:
Appointments are not required but they are recommended. Saturdays are, understandably, our busiest day and it’s not uncommon for us to be booked 2-3 weeks in advance. To ensure you have a dressing room and are able to work with one of our amazing consultants, it’s always nice to make an appointment! Through the week we are less busy so chances are if you walk in through the week, we will be able to try some dresses on you!
Tip 3:
There are a few things to keep in mind when preparing for your bridal appointment. The first is think about who you want at your shopping appointment! Really edit your list and only bring those who are on board with your vision. Too many opinions can be overwhelming when you’re shopping for your wedding dress so we recommend a “first reveal appointment”. A first reveal appointment happens after your dress comes in, in your size and color choice. It allows all your loved ones to feel involved without you being overwhelmed with opinions that might not be the most helpful! Look through Pinterest, our social media, magazines, etc to get inspiration about bridal looks you gravitate towards. Have some inspiration images but also keep an open mind! We love to surprise our brides and your consultant will show you some options that may just do that!
Tip 4:
Don’t worry about bringing any extra “things” to your appointment! Some brides will bring strapless bras and shoes but 95% of the time we end up taking the strapless bra off and walking around in socks!
Tip 5:
Bridal sizing is not street clothes sizing so don’t let the numbers freak you out! A good general rule of thumb is to take your street clothes size, add two sizes and that is your bridal size. Now, this is not a hard and fast rule but will give you a general idea.
Tip 6:
The cost of a wedding dress is also a huge question mark for most brides! The way we are set up is we have two sides to our boutique. Our special order side are dresses you order in brand new, in your size and in your color preference! These dresses start around $1,400 and go up from there. 95% of our store is under $2,500! We also have our sample side which are dresses you purchase off the rack, as-is at a discounted price! These dresses are almost all under $1,000!
Tip 7:
Even if you order your dress in your size, alterations are to be expected! Alterations are always a separate cost so it’s important to budget for those when you’re planning out your wedding expenses. We are the only bridal boutique in town that offers in-house alterations. We have 4 seamstresses on staff who are incredible at what they do and will work with you to ensure you are completely happy with the fit of your gown and look picture perfect on your wedding day!
Tip 8:
You don’t have to take a dress at face value – our alterations team can customize almost any dress for you! If you fall in love with a dress but its strapless and you really wanted long sleeves, they can be added! We customize dresses all the time whether that’s creating a long sleeve, making a bolero for the ceremony, constructing a removable train, adding a personalized fabric to the inside of the skirt; whatever your mind dreams up, we can do!
Just remember, at the end of this process, you get to marry the love of your life in a dress you feel beautiful in! Hopefully these tips will help you when you shop for your wedding dress and congratulations!!
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