All photos by Yasmine Carmen Photography
When it comes to shopping for your dress, if anyone can give great advice it's Andrea! She's worked in bridal for over 6 years - from a bridal stylist to bridal shop manager, and a bride herself. She is the manager of Adore Bridal Arizona, and moonlights as a bridal stylist whenever possible.
Here are Andrea’s top 5 tips!
1. Try not to fill your day with back to back bridal appointments
In just one bridal appointment you could be trying on upwards of 20 dresses! Although 3 appointments may not sound like a lot that's changing in and out of possibly 60 dresses, maybe more! That could lead to an exhausting day, when it should be a magical one. Plus, that's a lot of decisions to make in one day and may lead to decision fatigue, forgetting about dresses or having a difficult time remembering what you liked or disliked about each dress. If you are set on visiting multiple bridal shops, be sure to space them out and schedule on different days.
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2. Your couch crew is important
At Adore, we refer to your “couch crew” as whoever you are bringing along to the appointment. We know they are important to you, and why we include them in the appointment process and have these *super* comfy couches for them to enjoy! Our advice on this is: Don’t bring everyone you know, just the important few! (We know it can be hard to determine who should tag along; refer to our blog here if you’re needing help)
For the brides feeling like they would be overwhelmed by having family & friends join, there is nothing wrong with coming alone! We recommend whichever route you feel would be best for you and your decision making process.
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3. Determine your price point first
Determining your price point first is incredibly important! The last thing any bridal stylist wants to do is put a bride in a dress that’s way over her price point; this causes confusion for the bride and can take the magic right out of dress shopping! After booking your bridal appointment, we will ask you a few questions (one of them is your price point!) - this helps our stylists pull dresses that are both your bridal style, and in the range you are comfortable spending! Before dress shopping, determine who is planning to purchase your dress; it may be you, a family member or a shared responsibility. As “awkward” as this can be, I promise it’s much more awkward discussing this in the middle of your bridal appointment or while standing at the front desk after you’ve said yes!
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4. Know what to wear
We recommend wearing…
- Nude seamless undies: They won’t show under any dress! If you have a different preference, or don’t own any nude seamless, any underwear is fine. Note: We do require that you wear underwear (If you’re thinking that this seems obvious…trust me. We have seen it all)
- Nude sticky bra or pasties; (or preferably no bra, if you are comfortable) bridal gowns come with built-in cups! Having additional bra padding under of the padding built into the dress will alter the way the dress is supposed to fit your body.
You do not need to wear shape wear, but you definitely can if it will make you feel more comfortable. If you do, we suggest wearing nude colored shapewear. (Just remember that you are beautiful just the way you are!)
We recommend not wearing shoes during your bridal appointment. Because you will be trying on many dresses during your appointment, and they tend to get caught on the dresses, shoes will make it harder & slower during the changing process. Wearing some cute, neutral colored socks will be perfect!
Check out this blog for more info!
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5. Trust the process
Trust your own instincts, our pre-appointment dress discovery process, and your stylist! And don’t forget to keep an open mind! Our bridal appointment process takes the stress out of finding your dream dress.
If you have an idea of the style dress you’re looking for, be sure to communicate that to us. If you aren’t even sure what direction to go in - no worries! We will try on a different styles, silhouettes and fits to help you find your bridal vibe!
It can be so important for a bride to have a ‘don't knock it ‘til you try it’ mentality when it comes to dress shopping. You never know how you'll feel in something until you have it on. We see it all the time!
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Read more on this here…and finally a BONUS TIP!
6. Eat food and drink water!
This may go without saying, but be sure to take care of yourself! We want you to come in hydrated, full & ready to find the dress you Adore! I mean, who can make a decision when they’re hungry?!
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