Leading up to your big day, you’re going to be second guessing yourself – a lot. Something I get asked all the time is, “how do I know this is the one for me?”. No, the brides-to-be aren’t questioning their decision to take the plunge, but rather, and more importantly, how, and when do they know they’ve found the perfect dress. Luckily over the years, I have discovered a few, tell-tale signs which I’m going to share with you.
Even though I had my dress made, when I designed it, I just knew that I was going to feel like a princess. That feeling never left, but instead, it grew and grew with each fitting, manifesting into such excitement to finally see my dream dress in real life. I just knew this dress was for me because I did not want to take it off. I wanted to wear it watching TV, to go to the shops, to sleep in!
Now as I already have a qualification in fashion and garment construction, I had a good idea of what it would look like. If you’re getting your dress designed, I know not all of you are able to always picture what the dress will look like on your wedding day and that’s okay!
(Well let me whisper in your ear,) I have found a solution to this problem without giving too much away, let me tell you what a client said after having this unique fitting experience, “I can’t believe everyone is not fitting this way, it makes totally sense and I can now picture what my dress will look like and I know this is the right dress for me”. Book a fitting if you want your dream gown made and let us surprise you with helping you visualize your dream wedding dress before it is made.
So, you’ve found a few boutiques to go and fit at, now what? It’s time to get all your vision boards and Pinterest Pins together so that you can show the professionals at the wedding dress boutiques / studios what YOU love. This really helps give a bit of direction for the stylist to know what you want. It is, after all, your dress and you want to feel like it’s perfect for you.
Rule one, keep an open mind! I know you’re rolling your eyes as you’re reading this thinking, “I know what I want dammit!”, but trust me, stepping outside of your comfort zone is sometimes worth it. Remember, a wedding dress is not like any other clothing item you have tried on before, you might think that a fit-and-flare or mermaid dress will not look good on you, but just give it a go (like I said, trust me). There is no harm in trying it on, you never know, you might just love it! The same goes for a larger ball gown dress, this is your moment to put on that princess dress and feel like a you just stepped out of a Disney movie – think of Cinderella on the steps of the castle.
Going wedding dress fitting should not only be about the experience and knowledge you learn from the stylist, placing an order and waiting; it must be fun. This is likely (and hopefully!) going to be the only time you buy a wedding dress, so make the most of it. Ask all the questions and be open and honest about what you want, you are not going to hurt the stylist feelings if you are not feeling the dress, they put you in, it’s YOUR dress and you need to LOVE it.
Try on dresses you love but also trust your stylist, most have been fitting brides for wedding dresses for a long time and know what will look good on your body shape and your skin tone, here’s where I’m asking you to be open-minded again.
With programs like “Say Yes to the Dress” and other similar shows topped with everything we see on social media, it’s so difficult not to want that magical moment of finding your perfect gown and saying yes on the spot. Many of us have dreamed about our wedding dress since we were little girls. But how do you know when you have found the dress of your dreams? Despite what you see on TV, not every dress will make you cry (but many do) and after trying on dress, after dress, after dress and just not getting that feeling you have heard about, you might find yourself overwhelmed and defeated. This is a very good reason to not fit at too many boutiques (check out my previous post on this!).
Many brides have said that they did not know what dress they wanted, but once they put it on, they knew it was *cue dramatic music* THE ONE. So, with that said, these are some of the signs that you should look out for when wedding dress shopping to know that you have found THE DRESS.
Someone in your entourage is crying or tearing up
It might not be you that has tears in their eyes or rolling down their cheeks, it could be your mom or a bridesmaid. An old piece of wedding lore says that you’ll know you have found THE ONE because your mother will cry but trust me, the group that is shopping with you has been equally overwhelmed, inspired and dazzled by the number of dresses you have tried on. When you bring one or more to tears, that dress is a showstopper for sure, and could possibly be THE ONE.
But that being said if you tear up when you see yourself in the mirror and can’t help but burst into tears, it is a sure sign that you have found your perfect gown. Everyone should have this moment when you either cry or can’t wipe the grin off your face, keep searching for that feeling, you will know when it arrives!
You are GLOWING and you get a tingle…
The right wedding dress will make your whole face light up, you will feel joy and LOVE, happiness and all those amazing feelings, just like when you are falling in love. Some will succumb to tears while others might just get a tingle, a rush of excitement that will make you light up from the inside, and makes you more excited for the big day to come.
You want to wear it ALL the time
After you put THE DRESS on you just don’t want to take if off. I have often worked with brides that once they have put the dress for them on, they just don’t want to take it off. We all know that the dress must be saved for the big day, but if you love it that much you will want to wear it just sitting at home watching TV.
Nothing else can even compare
You might have been trying on a lot of dresses and you have tried on dresses that are beautiful, but you are still just not sure. The dresses have had gorgeous fabric and hand-stitched lace, on paper they are stunning, and you feel beautiful in a lot them, but when you fit that perfect gown, the rest will seem ever so slightly, well, ordinary. Nothing will measure up to this dress.
You can’t stop thinking about it
You have fitted a bunch of dresses and you liked a few, but one keeps nagging at you. You keep wanting to look at the photo you took of yourself wearing the dress. You keep wondering did you make a mistake and not buy the dress right then and there. You can still remember what you looked like but keep having to look again. If you have this nagging feeling and can’t stop thinking about the dress, then you have probably found THE ONE.
No one else’s opinion matters
You have spent the day getting yay’s and nays from your inner circle of peeps, but when you put this dress on, you don’t care at all what they have to say. When you are that certain that you love something, you don’t need anyone else to tell you otherwise, the look on your face will say it all. Like with your partner – the heart wants what the heart wants
You have never looked more beautiful, and you aren’t thinking about your flaws
When you put the right dress on, you will feel beautiful, it will flatter your body the way no other garment does or could ever. You feel more beautiful than you ever have before. For the first time you are starting at yourself in the mirror and not thinking about your personal insecurities. There is no thought of, “look how big my hips look, why is my tummy sticking out like that, is this what my arms look like?” When you find the perfect dress, you feel 100% perfect, the dress should make you feel your very best, you should be feeling that your body has never looked better. When you feel like this, you’ll know you have found THE ONE.
You can picture yourself walking down the aisle
When you put on your perfect dress, you will be able to see yourself walk down the aisle, you can picture your fiancé’s reaction and see him or her crying (just want you want, mission accomplished). You can hear the whispers of praise from the guests. This is when you know you have found your red-carpet moment.
You don’t want to try on any other dress
There are so many dresses to get through and so many bridal shops to go to. Once you put on your dream gown you will not want to go to any more boutiques. You will have no desire to shop anymore, you might still have other bookings but if you want to rather cancel them than go, then you know, you have found your dream dress.
And LASTLY…You want to try on the veil
Do not put on a veil with just any dress you are trying on. Save the veil for a dress that you really love and have a special feeling about. Once you are ready to try on the veil you will know that you have found a dress that has potential.
If you’re not getting any of these vibes and you’re still not feeling it, keep shopping!
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