So you are ready to think about shopping for your wedding dress and naturally the first place you head to is Pinterest, Instagram, Google, etc… And these are great places for inspiration and research, but can become more confusing than helpful. So here are top tips from Vicki’s Bridal Boutique to make sure you get the most out of your time scrolling!
1. Don’t confuse browsing online with actually shopping.
You may have started your scrolling 18 months before your wedding, but remember that is not the same as physically shopping, so don’t leave it too late. Wedding dresses can take anything from 8 weeks to 6 months to come, depending on designer. So allow yourself the time, we recommend shopping a minimum of a year before your Big Day.
2. Dresses look very different in person.
There are so many stunning pictures of dresses online on beautiful models and gorgeous settings, but these are promo pictures, so they are there to pull you in. So don’t be shocked if in person they are not quite what you expected.
3. Find out the Designer.
So you have a wedding dress that is saved on all your platforms, all your Pinterest boards and is etched in your brain! Before you go shopping, look up the designer and find a stockist, consider if you love it that much that you need to explore it before booking yourself into other boutiques that don’t stock this dress, to rule it in or out of your shortlist. This will also stop you from shopping for the sake of shopping.
4. Remember, different dress shapes suit different bodies.
Of course, the 6ft model strategically posed with a sun set backdrop is always going to look stunning in any dress. So a good tip to see if you can find some Real Bride photos either on the designers platforms or on stockist pages. This way, you can see the dress in more natural photos on different body shapes.
5. Don’t stress if you end up with something completely different.
Sometimes the dress you have in mind and the dress you end up with can be very different. But this is okay!! Taking points 2 and 4 into consideration, the reality can be very different to our online vision. This is where trying the wedding dress or similar style you have initially found can help to make a confident decision without any ‘what ifs?’
Social Media and online are amazing tools for collecting inspirations and helping see what sort of wedding style you want. You just have to make sure that you keep your expectation in check. Keeping these tips in mind, you will be able to use your scrolling to help rather than hinder. And finally when scrolling don’t forget to check us out @vickisbride!
Once you have done all your online research the next big question is Who should I bring shopping