Choosing A Wedding Dress

Photo by Jessica Mae Photography 

If you are a bride-to-be, or just curious about shopping for a wedding dress, I've compiled some thoughts for you to read through which may be of help. :)

1. THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE IN
Initially, I had my heart set on a mermaid silhouette. Some lace here and there, a chapel train, and maybe a bit of beadwork. I ended up with a ball gown; a style of dress I never thought I'd wear. 

I want to be clear: I genuinely loved my wedding dress. I loved it so much that I wore it countless times around my apartment, months after being married. But to this day, I don't know how I convinced myself that I would feel comfortable in a sleeveless dress. It sounds silly, but I felt less than confident walking around all day with my arms exposed, because it wasn't a style choice I would make on a normal day. Sleeveless wedding dresses have been a trend for a long time, and it doesn't look like they're going anywhere soon. I had seen other beautiful brides, friends of mine, get married in sleeveless dresses. It's so important to incorporate your own style into your wedding dress decision. What is trendy and what other brides feel amazing in may not be the best choice for you, especially if that style deviates from what you love to wear. 

2. LOOK FOR A DRESS ONLINE
A lot of my habits when it came to choosing a wedding dress were what I assumed to be the norm. I went to bridal boutiques because everyone else went to those. I had a designer dress because I thought they were the only route to take. Now that more of my friends have either been in weddings or gotten married, I can say that there are some really reliable sites where you can purchase a wedding dress. JJ's House, Etsy (my veil, pictured above, was bought off of Etsy), and Azazie are all popular online stores where you can order a dress with your exact measurements. You can also find more affordable dresses on these sites, too. 

3. IF POSSIBLE, TRY TO HAVE YOUR DRESS MADE TO YOUR EXACT MEASUREMENTS
Unless your wedding dress is bought off the rack, it'll most likely be made from scratch with your largest measurement being the dress size ordered. Bridal salons and boutiques which carry designer gowns go off size charts which run tiny in comparison to normal clothing. My dress had to be ordered in a size 10, even though in some areas I was a size 2. This made alterations complicated, and I ended up having to tape parts of my dress to myself because I couldn't fill it! This was not the fault of my seamstress; designer wedding dress size charts are a bit ridiculous. Had I known that before, I would have looked elsewhere for a dress. 

If the thought of this frustrates you, the good news is that many online stores let you include your own measurements with your order. Your best bets would be the websites I mentioned in my previous point (JJ's House, Etsy, and Azazie). That being said, there are many fraudulent websites which sell "wedding dresses". Be cautious and do your research before placing an order anywhere. 

4. CONSIDER BRIDAL SEPARATES
If you feel like you've tried on countless dresses and can't seem to find one you really love, bridal separates could be a good direction to go, since these give you the freedom to mix and match tops and skirts. They are also a great option for if you are bigger on the bottom than you are up top (and vice versa), because you'll be able to go with different sizes.