Dress Shopping Advice?

I wore a pair of flats, a strapless bra, and nude seamless underwear. The flats and bra were off during the appointment. For advice, go with your gut when making the final choice but be sure to try on different dresses. I ended up picking a dress in the style I wanted but did try on different dresses and was glad I did. Also, don’t go over your price range.

The best advice I can give you is to wear the dress you are seriously considering for at least 20 minutes. Walk around in it, see what it looks like as you walk, try on different veils, etc. This will show you how comfortable the dress REALLY is. I almost went with a spaghetti strap ballgown that ended up turning my skin red after 15 minutes because of the weight of the dress on the tiny straps. If I just tried it on for a few minutes, I would have never known!


I just wore white underwear and flats to my appointment.
Good luck!!

I honestly wish I brought fewer people dress shopping with me. I brought a total of four people with me, and it felt overwhelming at times to hear all of their opinions, and like I was trying to pick a dress that everyone else liked best instead of focusing on picking a dress that I liked best. Otherwise, I don't really have anything I wish I'd done differently! I strongly suggest trying on dresses of all different styles, even the ones you don't think you'll like. Take your time, and remember that YOUR opinion is most important! Don't be afraid to tell the consultant if you don't like a dress, and also be specific when telling them what you don't like. Ask if the dress can be customized if there's a part of it that you don't like. Happy dress shopping!

I would suggest wearing nude panties and strapless bra. Wear something that is comfortable and easy to take off quickly, including shoes. I just wore a pair of comfortable flats. (You don’t need to worry about the height of your shoe until alterations). I made sure to bring deodorant in my purse- putting on and taking off heavy gowns can make you sweat! I would also suggest doing your hair and make up. For my first appointment I didn’t do that, and I felt really blah and washed out in everything I tried on. My second appointment, I made sure to have my hair and make up done, and loved everything so much more! When you try on dresses, make sure you can easily sit down and dance in them. Finally, I would make sure to show whoever you are bringing with you how to take a good picture (ie, don’t take pictures sitting down at an upward angle like my mom did 🤦🏼‍♀️ I looked super short and fat in every picture she took!), and make sure they take lots of photos from different angles.

What pp said, but I didn’t take anyone with me because I want to decide on my dress base on what I feel, and not others opinions. Also, I didn’t buy right away. I sleep it over and decide the next day. I don’t want to feel the pressure some boutiques gave me, such as “If you buy today, we give you $150 off”. No. I need to feel sure and that could cost me more 😉

Make sure you can sit and walk in whatever you choose! Don't focus too much on the sizing, my consultant actually pulled me aside and told me this before we even started looking at gowns...a lot of girls don't realize that bridal sizing is smaller than street sizing, so if you're an 8, you're probably going to be a 12 in a bridal gown. Just ignore it completely and focus on what looks best on you! Try as many styles on as you can to see what different shapes look best on you. I wore my usual undergarments because I knew I wanted a dress with some structure and no bra, so I wanted it to look good with no bra. My consultant gave me things to wear underneath to enhance the look of the gown as well. For shoes just wear something comfy. And bring a bottle of water! Even if you can't bring it into the salon...you'll want it after because trying on gowns is tiring!

While I love my dress it was one I exchanged. I regret saying yes to a dress and not being patient and shopping around more. I wish I would have gone to more coutoure bridal salons. I dressed like normal but for my first fitting they let me try on a strapless bra but the second time was during COVID and while I could try on the dresses I did braless. I would say make sure your hair is decent for pics and no make up to avoid getting it on the dress. Along with someone else said in regards to comfort be sure you can sit comfortably in your dress like for your reception.

Take as few people as possible!! I cannot stress this enough

View Quoted Comment Thank you! Yes I have seen a lot of advice saying to stay open-minded to different styles, so that is my plan!

View Quoted Comment Oh my goodness, I’m glad you didn’t end up with that one. I will definitely be taking that price of advice, thank you!

View Quoted Comment Thank you for that advice! I tend to be more soft-spoken in person, so I will really have to get outside my comfort zone to get my opinion across.

Hi there! How exciting! I just said yes a week ago!! I wore a nude bra (wasn’t strapless but that wasn’t an issue) and a pair of nude spanx. I came in flats but I made sure to pack a pair of socks as my shoes were off for majority of the time. Also, I did my hair and makeup, to get the full picture.

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much for that advice! I’ve actually been going back and forth on whether or not to do makeup and hair, but it looks like I will be doing that!

View Quoted Comment I like that perspective, I have a feeling I’ll also need to sleep on it/think about it!

View Quoted Comment I was actually wondering if it was appropriate to go braless in this context, so thank you for sharing that! The styles I have been more drawn to would either need some kind of backless bra or no bra, so I may just do that!

View Quoted Comment My best friend actually told me she too wished she’d looked around more, so thank you for bringing that up! I’ll definitely be making sure I can sit down in the dress after these comments lol

View Quoted Comment Thank you for recommending this! I was on the fence for inviting 2 more people but after these comments I think I’ll just stick with who I have!

View Quoted Comment I didn’t think about bringing a pair of socks, I will definitely do that!

Definitely keep an open mind- I had ideas on what I thought I wanted but the dress I ended up with had none of them! Even when I found the one, I still wasn’t sure & had another appointment to go to. At the other appointment I tried on 5 different dresses & compared them all to that last dress- that’s when I knew that I had found my dress! I felt like a complete idiot when I called the 1st boutique back but they assured me that I wasn’t & was glad I went to the other appointment- you don’t want to have dress regret.
I wore flip flops, shorts & a loose T-shirt. Hair was pulled into a ponytail. I wish I hadn’t worn makeup because I ended up sweating it off.

View Quoted Comment Thank you for that advice, glad your patience paid off and you found the dress you love!