Dress Types

How does a bridal gown fitting appointment at a bridal boutique work?

I'm setting up an appointment at a local bridal gown boutique, but I am not sure how the appointment is going to work. Should I bring anything? Should I be prepared to buy a dress from this store on the day of the appointment? Should I wear a certain kind of underwear? And I have no idea what kind of dress would look good on me I'm flying blind, is this going to be a complete failure because I don't know what I want? Just tell me how everything is supposed to go from start to finish.

Public Comments

1. call the store and ask them. just say you want to be prepared and without stress. they will be happy to asisst you. each place may be different. but a strapless bra is usually the only constant and no bright or printed panties.
2. I would suggest you wear your hair similar to how you will on your wedding day (updo, curly, etc.). Play around on some sites and see what you like, but it's okay to just not know yet. I would at least wear a strapless bra... I'm not sure if they provide that kind of thing or not.
3. you will be surprised at how pleasant this whole experience really is. go into the shop and tell the sales person who is going to help you about what your budget is to start you off. don't tell her that you have no idea what you want...because she might try to steer you to what she wants to sell...but just ask her to show you the items in that price range you have in whatever size you are. for your first trip, you won't really know what kind of undergarments you will need until you choose the style of gown, but it is a pretty sure bet you will need at least a strapless bra considering the current styles....so take a good one that fits you well. if you already know how high of a heel you want to wear, take a shoe that is that height as well. just start looking through the gowns in your price range and set aside the ones which appeal to you to try on. you are going to need to plan to spend several hours at this so don't be in a rush. once you have a few picked out, start trying them on. it is helpful if you take someone with you...mother or maid of honor or sister or someone whose opinion you trust. if the gowns in what you think are your normal size don't fit, go to the next larger size and let them take them in for you. never buy a wedding gown that is tight thinking you are going to loose a few pounds to make it fit. that never ever works and they can take any gown in, but few can be let out. choose based on what feels and looks good on you. look at all the angles...the salon will have you step up on a pedastal that has mirrors around three sides so you can see the whole thing. if you don't find what you want in the price range you have, go a little lower or higher but really try to put a cap on what you spend because there are still shoes, jewelry, headpiece, and undergarments to get. if you don't find what you want right away, don't worry. go to another salon until you do. remember that these sales people work on commissions so don't tie them up too much until you are pretty sure you have found the dress of your dreams. it's really better to go gown shopping with very little preconceived idea of what you want because many times brides end up with something entirely different than what they thought they wanted to start with. once you have chosen your gown, they will measure it for proper length and fit. you will go back for at least one fitting prior to the wedding so by then you will have to have the exact undergarments you intend to wear with the gown on so they can be sure it still fits perfectly. most salons have on premisis seamstresses who sew the gowns to fit and hem them to length so you don't have to do anything except pick it up after the final fitting. be sure to have someone take pictures and enjoy yourself and have fun. this really is a great part of the wedding experience.
4. Some good items to have on hand for trying on wedding dresses would be: pair of high heeled shoes, so you could see what the dress would look like if you were in heals; a hair tie, that way you see how it would look with your hair up; a bottle of water, because trying on wedding dresses is very tiring; and tissues, because no matter how much you try to fight it, someone will be shedding a few tears. You shouldn't feel pressured to by the dress the day of the appointment. Heck, it took me 3 different appointments to find my dress. The sales women are usually very understanding on this point. If you feel pressured to by something, then end the appointment and try somewhere or someone else. As far as underwear goes, just what you usually wear will be fine. Wedding dress shops will provide you with any necessary undergarments such as; slips, corsets, etc. You would probably do well with some online research just to get ideas as to what you like. If you know what shape you are too (hourglass, inverted triangle, etc) check out www.davidsbridal.com, they have a "fit guide" on there website that shoes you what dresses they have in stock that would flatter your figure.
5. You wear whatever undergarments you might like to wear with a gown. If you think there is any possiblity of trying a strapless gown, it wouldn't hurt to bring along or wear a strapless bra...this is just for ideas, and this will likely not be the exact bra you'd be wearing, it just gives you a better overall feel for how it's going to look. You tell the consultant when you're marrying and the type of wedding you're going for, and ask for suggestions. You can tell her you'd like something with a short sleeve or something in chiffon or you like a certain style, or whatever, and she'll pull dresses that fit your criteria. Keep in mind, many dresses look so different on than they do on the hanger, keep an open mind and don't dismiss anything she suggests. After all, it's just trying something on. If you find the dress you truly love, great. More likely than not, they're expecting you to find something, then come back at a later time once you've had the opportunity to look around at a few places. If you adore one dress, great, you can buy it, but that really isn't something required. They do understand you'll be going to more than 1 place to look.
6. This is pretty simple. You will have a bridal consultant assigned to you to bring you dresses to try on and to help you get the dresses on your body. They use these huge clamps to get the dress to fit you if the dress is too big and if the dress is too small they put a piece of fabric in the back of the dress and clamp it so you can see how it looks. It is best to call and ask which designer labels they carry. then, you can go on the internet and see which ones you like, write the numbers down and request to try those on first. This gives the bridal shop an idea what you like. Here is where you will find which styles look good on you. Do not feel pressured to put money down on a dress. Leave NO deposits on anything. Some shops do not refund deposits, they give you a store credit instead. This assures that you are stuck buying something from that shop.KNOW YOUR BUDGET BEFORE you step foot into the shop. And, that includes undergarments, shoes and veils they will want to sell you. Those things add up to hundreds in add ons. Go shopping with only ONE person at this stage. Your Mom? Too many people there with you will cause you confusion. More people means more opinions. Do not do that as you will get frustrated. You may find some favorites you can come back and try on another day with friends and go through the process of elimination. You will show up after showering and will wear no jewelry, no make up and no perfume or lotion.. Wear your hair so it is out of the way If you plan on wearing a strapless gown, wear a strapless bra and a pair of undies. That's all there is to it.