Wedding Dress Shopping 101

One of the most exciting (if not THE most exciting) activity in your wedding planning is wedding dress shopping. Here you get to try on various breathtaking dresses that will make you feel like a bride and dream about walking down the aisle.

Bride's to be, however, don't always know what to expect when shopping for the first time. To help, we have compiled a list of what to expect and have ready when searching for your dream dress. Our own wedding dress shopping 101:

[1] Questions to ask when booking

You need to make sure that the specific wedding dress boutique will be able to fulfill your dress and shopping experience needs. Ask the following questions before making your booking:

- What is the price range of the dresses (to ensure they have something in your budget).

- What is the lead time when ordering a dress (a lot of boutiques order from overseas or have to make a new dress. This requires time. Ensure that the lead time matches up with your wedding date).

- How many guests can you invite to the appointment?

- Will a fitting fee apply?

- What is your largest sample size (most boutiques will only have dresses to fit up to a specific size).

[2] Who to invite

This is your once in a lifetime experience, and you get to decide who you want there. There are no SHOULDS or expectations. Don't feel obligated to invite certain individuals. It is important to invite people who are positive, will boost your confidence and will feel special to share the day with. Also keep in mind that everyone has a different style. What you love might not be something a guest likes, and that's okay. The right type of guest, however, will notice how you feel and look in a dress, and deliver an opinion based on that instead of their personal preference.

[3] Appointment day

A few tips to remember on your dress shopping day:

- Underwear: the best type of underwear for dress shopping is nude in colour and seamless (whether it be a g-string or panty, bridal consultants are used to everything). Don't worry about a bra. It is best to take it off completely during your appointment as this is how you will wear the dress on the day, and is therefore the best way to see if a dress will supply enough lift or support.

- Makeup: stay away from dark lipstick, or better yet, don't wear any lipstick. Also apply your base/concealer lightly. This will ensure that the dresses aren't damaged when you fit them.

- Know what you want, but be open-minded. Sometimes a dress style might surprise you, or the dress style you want might not suit you at all. Therefore be clear about what you want, but also fit a dress or two in a different style you might consider.

- A dress should be like a man: you should stop searching when you have found the right one! Otherwise you will get confused and never be truly satisfied. When you have found the one, stop looking at and fitting other dresses.

[4] Negotiate

We can't stress this enough! Markups on wedding dresses are huge. They also usually work from your budget, and not the actual dress price. This means that a dress that retails for R15 000 might be charged out at R20 000 to you due to your budget being R22 000. Always negotiate for a better price, it can't do any harm.

[5] Celebrate

When you have found your dream dress, celebrate! Go out for lunch and champagne with your shopping guests and celebrate this milestone. Be happy. Enjoy the moment. Life is short, and every small victory should be enjoyed to the fullest.