Questions you should consider before you begin dress shopping
“Selecting a wedding dress is more than just a fitting… it’s a process - a memory in the making”
Congratulations on your engagement! We know you must be over the moon with excitement as you begin one of the most thrilling parts of wedding planning: searching for your dream dress. While the process of finding the perfect dress can be a lot of fun, it can also be overwhelming and challenging. That’s why we’ve put together a list of important questions to consider before you start booking your appointments. By taking the time to consider these questions, you can make your dress-shopping experience all the more enjoyable!
How do you set a budget for your wedding dress?
Setting a realistic budget before you start shopping for your wedding dress can be a great way to make the whole process easier and more enjoyable. It can help you avoid disappointment and stay on track with your financial goals. While it may seem like a daunting task at first, it's well worth the effort to take the time to set a budget that works for you and your partner. By doing so, you can focus on finding a dress that you love within your means and enjoy the excitement of dress shopping without worrying about overspending.
There are a variety of factors to consider when setting a budget for your wedding dress. You can start by considering the overall budget you and your partner have discussed for your wedding. In most cases, brides allocate about 10% of the overall budget for their dress, but this is not a strict rule and only a general guideline. The amount you choose to allocate is ultimately up to you and how important it is to you.
We recommend doing some research and finding designers that you particularly like. Inquiring about their price range will also help you set realistic expectations about the price points of the kind of gowns you like. With any gown, you will most likely need alterations, so don’t forget to factor that in as well! Once you have this information, your bridal consultant will be able to help you find a dress that you not only love but won’t break the bank!
What is the average price of a wedding dress?
The average price of a wedding dress largely differs depending on a range of factors, such as the style and design of the dress. Our Blanche gowns generally range from AU$3500 - AU$7800. We know that every bride has different needs and preferences, and our experienced consultants are always ready to help you find the perfect one for your special day.
When should you buy your dress?
We completely understand the excitement of wedding dress shopping and the desire to start as soon as you get engaged!
Whilst it’s natural to want to dive right in, we recommend beginning your dress shopping 1 year before your wedding date. Starting too early may mean you miss out on new designs being released, and starting too late may mean you need to pay a rush order to expedite the process.
How much weight can you lose for your wedding dress?
Before we get into it, please remember that the dress should fit you and not the other way around. It is far more important to focus on your overall health and well-being rather than aiming to lose or gain a certain amount of weight for your wedding dress. But of course, we understand that every bride is different and we will support you if weight loss or gain will help you feel more confident on your big day.
Ultimately, wedding gowns can be taken in as much as you need but there is less flexibility with upsizing, as there is usually limited seam allowance (maximum 8cm with our Blanche gowns), so we always recommend ordering the size that fits your current body. If you are planning to gain or lose a specific amount of weight before your big day, you can discuss this with your bridal consultant and they will suggest the best course of action.
Do you need a bra for wedding dresses?
This is one of the most common questions we hear as bridal consultants. For our Blanche gowns, you actually don’t need to wear a bra! Our dresses are constructed with a bustier bodice and in-built cups. Whilst they offer sufficient support, you can always use fashion tape to help hold your bust in place, use inserts to give you some extra push, or raise the backline through customizations to provide more support and offer a firmer fit.
How do I make my wedding dress shopping special?
Wedding dress shopping should be a fun and memorable experience, so here are our top tips to make the day you say Yes a celebratory moment!
Make sure you plan ahead by researching different styles of dresses and figuring out which boutiques and designers you are most interested in. It’s also essential to book an appointment in advance to secure your spot on the day. This will help avoid last-minute disappointment and allow you to plan out your day!
Start the day feeling well-rested and well-fed. Believe it or not, trying on dresses can be very tiring and overwhelming, especially when you try on too many. Ensuring you have sufficient energy and feeling your best is key to getting you through the day!
The bridal entourage you bring with you to your appointments can make or break your experience. Invite only your closest friends or family with you, the people whose opinions you trust and who will be respectful of your decisions. There’s nothing worse than bringing an overly judgemental family member or friend who doesn’t have your best interests at heart.
It can be super fun to try on dresses without considering the price tag, but we recommend sticking to your budget to avoid disappointment. Communicating this with your bridal consultant is important to ensure you don’t try on and fall in love with a gown that is way out of budget!
Start shopping 1 year in advance to avoid feeling rushed or pressured into making a decision. Leaving only a few months to find your gown can limit your options and incur additional costs from rush order fees.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what your Mum or best friend thinks. Remember that this is your special day and you should choose a dress that makes you feel confident, beautiful and happy. In 20 years, it will be you who looks back at your wedding photos and reminisces, you don’t want to regret your decision because of what someone else pressured you into.
And most importantly, enjoy the experience! This is a fun and exciting time! Take the opportunity to pamper yourself, whether that’s wearing bridal sashes with your entourage, or having a sneaky glass of champagne.
How do you know you picked the right dress?
For some people, they say “It’s a feeling! You just know!” but for the indecisive brides out there, it can be hard to know how to pick the right dress, especially when there are so many beautiful options. Here are a few signs that you may have found the one:
You feel beautiful and confident in it! If your face lights up and you can’t stop smiling, that is a good sign that it may be your dress!
You can envision yourself walking down the aisle in it. Imagine walking towards your partner in the gown, how does it make you feel? If it makes you feel all giddy inside, then it might be your gown!
You compare other gowns to this one and you can’t stop thinking about it. It’s always at the back of your mind.
If you don’t want to take the gown off at the end of your appointment, that is a big sign that it may be the one!
Not necessarily a sign that you picked the right one, but I’m here to debunk the myth that tears are a sign of finding the gown. Everyone is different and the emotions you feel are different from the emotions of another bride. Having been a bridal consultant for a few years, I would say that approximately only 5% of brides actually cry when they find the one! So don’t worry if the dress doesn’t bring tears to your eyes.
Is it normal to doubt your wedding dress choice?
We hope we can bring you peace of mind when we say that it’s actually quite common to doubt your decisions. It’s usually a few months between the day you said Yes and your first fitting, and it’s easy for your imagination to run wild worrying about the details of the dress. It definitely doesn’t help when designers are constantly releasing new designs that are “new and improved”.
Our tip to you? Once you’ve said Yes to your gown, get off social media. (Although we shouldn’t say this), unfollow all the wedding dress accounts. Remember how you felt when you said Yes to your gown. There will always be new designs and new collections that also fit your vision, but the key is to hold on to the FEELING this dress gave you in THAT moment. On that day, you felt something, try to recall that emotion and let it reassure you.
Can I show my fiance my dress?
It is entirely up to you whether or not you want to show your fiance your wedding dress. Some couples choose to keep the wedding dress a surprise, while others prefer to share the experience and show their partner the dress beforehand. Don’t let wedding superstitions prevent you from doing what you want and prefer. In some Asian and Middle-Eastern countries, it’s actually a social norm for the groom to be just as involved in the wedding dress search!