Shopping for a wedding dress can be one of the most exciting, memorable, and albeit daunting task for the brides to be. Read the below tips on how to tackle wedding dress shopping and to be well prepared for the bridal suite appointment.

Bring photos & inspiration.

Bringing along inspiration with you helps create focus and direction from the very beginning of your appointment, so your consultant can help guide you toward your dream wedding dress. Your consultant has extensive knowledge of the dresses, so even pointing to a neckline or a fabric you like from a picture allows your consultant to immediately know the style versus trying to explain it. Visuals are the best!

Be open and honest.

Don’t be afraid to say ‘yes’ when you love the dress. Being honest and forthcoming with your consultant regarding what you love (and what you hate) makes the dress search easier and more fun!

Once you’ve tried on three dresses, eliminate one.

Treat dress shopping like the process of elimination. Pick the top 2 favorites and anything else has to beat out one of those two to stay in the running. You are slowly narrowing down as you go, making the final decision is much easier and less stressful.

Shop early

Shopping early is always a good thing when it comes to your dress. We recommend shopping 9-12 months before your wedding. Why? When you say "yes", youdress is specially ordered to your largest measurement from the designer and a lot of work (like hand sewing beads and lace) then goes into making your dress. From there, your dress is then shipped, and you'll still need ample time to alter your dress as well in which 9-12 months adds up quickly.

Come with an open mind.

A dress on a hanger can look completely different on a body. With that, come with inspiration and an idea of what you might be looking for, but most importantly, be flexible and keep an open mind while shopping. You never know what might surprise you - many brides end up saying "yes" to the exact opposite wedding dress than they envisioned.

Too many opinions can make it hard to make a decision.

While you may have dreamt about having your mom, grandma, maid of honor, bridesmaids, and best friends there with you, having a guest limit may not be such a bad thing. In fact, having just one or two guests with you will help to keep you focused and eliminate possible confusion and too many opinions. Less people = less opinions = easier to say ‘yes’!