Shopping Tips!

Congratulations! You’re newly engaged and have begun the exciting new chapter in your life. Your wedding day will be filled with happiness, laughter, tears of joy, a lot of dancing, and tons of photos. This is the day you want to look and feel your best. What’s the biggest statement you can make? Your dress!! Have you always dreamt of wearing that fairytale princess gown or maybe a more boho chic approach – timeless or trendy – all white or maybe a little off beat and have a bright colored dress. You can spend hours and days trying on dresses, flipping through magazines, pinning hundreds of gowns on your “I Do” Pinterest page! In order to keep your head from spinning, Jennifer from I Do Bridal is here to help steer you in the right direction to keep the selection process smooth, fun, and realistic.

What new bridal gown trends are you seeing hit the racks for 2015?

We are seeing several trends for 2015 weddings.  We are anticipating the arrival of long sleeves as well as off shoulder and illusion back/necklines styles.  Fun skirts with ruffles are also styles that are becoming more and more popular.

It is becoming more popular to have bridesmaids in an array of colors – do you see this as a trend that will stay for a long time?

Continuing on from last season, we are still seeing lots of beige’s, ivory’s, golds, and blushes for bridesmaids.  Brides are mixing and matching cohesive styles for their bridesmaids. We are also seeing long bridesmaids making a come back.  Past seasons have all been about tea length.

How far out in advance do you suggest for brides to start looking for a gown? 

We recommend brides start shopping about a year in advance.  We estimate a gown taking up to 5-6months for arrival, then you must factor in alterations which can take up to 8 weeks.  Picking your wedding gown in advance also helps you decide on the concept of the entire wedding from colors to decor. 

Every bride wants to look their best on the big day – and of course she will look gorgeous! Do you have any tips on how to choose a size and stay fit in order to have the gown look flawless?

We always recommend choosing a size that will fit today, as gowns can always be taken in.  Its is a much more difficult alteration to have a gown let out and it is costly as well. 

There are so many types of wedding gowns to choose from! What is your expert advice and tips on how to choose the right wedding dress?

Keeping an open mind when shopping for gowns is key.  It is not everyday that you wear wedding gowns as you may not be aware of what style works best with your figure.  Our bridal stylist are knowledgable about what will best work with your figure and make you look fabulous.  It also helps if you bring a concept or idea of what styles you’re drawn to.

Is there a rule of thumb in the number of dresses you should try on?

I feel as though a lot of brides go through what we call “The white out syndrome”, where they have over exhausted their minds and bodies with too many dresses. We often see this when we are the last stop of there 5 other shops they’ve visited in one day. 

Everyone wants to be involved in helping you choose a gown. How many people in a bride’s entourage do you recommend bringing and how do you decide who comes?

Its also helpful if you are able to find what you’re most interested in before bringing the entourage of guests with their opinions. Too many opinions can confuse what your own thoughts are when choosing your wedding gown.  There is not an exact number we can pinpoint to have a successful day of shopping, but we recommend bringing guests who’s opinions matter the most to you.

It’s the dress you’ll only wear once, but then what? How are you seeing brides preserve their gowns?

We often have brides bring their gowns back to have them cleaned and preserved after the wedding.  We offer this service which takes about 10-12 weeks for delivery. The gown is treated organic preserving agents and then sealed in a viewing box.  

I do bridal opened a new flagship store! In addition to their Wallingford outlet store, we are excited to announce that Greenwood has a new neighbor on the block! Be sure to give them a call or shoot them an e-mail to set up an appointment with their experts to help you select the gown for you! Happy shopping!!

Photo credit: Carol Harrold Photography

Be happy,

Bridget