Sample #1

Shopping For Your Perfect Dress

Go shopping with your maid of honor and/or your friend whose fashion style you like the most. Your maid will know how to listen to you and how you feel. Your stylish friend will be of great advice to help you become a princess.

You should not go shopping with anybody else (a third person might be your mother, though I would recommend you only invite her on your second visit) in order to avoid any feeling of being judged.

The gown you will prefer may not be the same as the people you go shopping with. For they are definitely here to give you their advice, they should not so much contest your choice. In the end if they disagree with you, this is your wedding and your feelings. You will be the one wearing the gown, and the most important thing is that YOU love it.

Shopping preparation

First, you need to define what budget you plan for your dress. Depending on the importance of the gown for you compared to other items, state on the amount of money you will put in.

Make sure you visit bridal stores around one year before the wedding. You should aim at purchasing the dress at least 6 to 9 months before. The reason is once you’ve ordererd, you will be put on a list, then the dress will be made, it will arrive to the shop and then you will start tailoring adjustments.

By the way, two quick pre-shopping tips

- Do not wear make up for the trials. You want the tone and color of the dress to match your natural skin characteristics.

- Bring shoes that are about the same height than the ones you expect to wear at the wedding.

At the shop

Some people say not to try dresses that would be too expensive compared to the budget you planned. I consider that is ok as long as trying dresses allows you to really find out what specifities you want. Yet once you’ve identified these, you eventually should stick to your budget and look for cheaper gowns with these specific features.

Regarding size, the dress should fit your body shapes closely. Note that sizes for wedding dresses are different than usual dress sizes. In fact, they are usually a bit larger. So do not be surprised and trust the consultant.

One thing you should be careful though is there’s a difference between shaping your body and making it unable to move. As you will be moving a lot and dancing in the dress, you definitely want to feel comfortable in it.

(Continued in the book...)