What happens after I order my wedding dress? Have you found your dream wedding dress and ordered it, but now you’re wondering what is next? You’re in the right spot if you’re getting married, going through the wedding dress shopping process and you're a little nervous or anxious about what happens after you're ordered your wedding dress. Today, we’re giving you all of the expert advice about what happens after you’ve found your dream wedding dress. If you’ve purchased your wedding gown and are wondering what happens next, you’re in for a treat. We’re talking about what the process looks like once the wedding gown you've purchased arrives in the bridal dress store and everything in between. And, like always, we're giving you expert advice from the best bridal stylists about how to deal with nerves and stress.
Ask Us Anything
This topic of what happens after a bride purchases her wedding dress came from one of our YouTube subscribers. Our YouTube channel is full of everything brides need to know about finding their wedding dress. A bride wrote us asking how to handle her first wedding dress fitting once she bought her bridal dress. She wanted advice on how the wedding dress fitting and alterations process works so that she knew what to expect.
If you have any questions or concerns about finding your dream wedding dress, we're here for you. At Lovella, we are committed to helping brides not only find the perfect wedding dress that makes them feel confident and beautiful but also to help them with the process. Brides have many questions and concerns about wedding dress shopping and finding their bridal style and we're here to help. We want to make this a stress-free experience and to give brides all of the tools and advice that they need to enjoy shopping for a wedding dress.
Video: What Happens When Your Wedding Dress Arrives In Store
We know that many of you prefer to get your wedding planning advice from video, so our Wedding Fashion Expert made a video for you about what happens after your wedding dress arrives in the store. She goes through the entire process of what brides can expect once their dress arrives...
It Feels Like A Long Time
That time between when you purchase your wedding dress and when your dress arrives in the store and you begin the alteration and fittings for your dress can feel uncomfortable and unsettling. It can feel like a long time, which sometimes causes concerns and second-guessing their choices by brides. Many brides purchase their wedding dress early on in their wedding planning process, many times a year before their wedding date.
If you need more information on when to purchase your wedding dress, be sure to check out our advice on when to start wedding dress shopping. Brides can also get our free wedding dress shopping appointment checklist. Brides might also like our advice on what brides can expect when dress shopping for the first time.
Many months go by for brides after they’ve purchased their dress and said “yes to the dress” leading up to the moment when they come back to the bridal store to see their wedding dress in person for the first time. Feeling anxious and nervous about the wedding dress ordering process is completely normal, especially with the long gap between ordering and when your dress arrives in the store. Your wedding dress is very special dress and one of the most important articles of clothing that brides will ever wear, so if brides are feeling scared or uncomfortable, it is very common.
Many brides worry that they made the wrong choice in their wedding dress or that they won’t love their dress as much as they did months ago when they ordered their dress. As bridal stylists, our best advice to brides who are worried about loving their wedding dress as much as they did back when they ordered it is to remember that you made your wedding dress decision based on the gown that made you feel the most beautiful and confident. You loved your wedding dress then and you will love it even more now that it has arrived.
Open-Hearted & Open-Minded
When you put your wedding dress on for the first time after it arrives in the bridal store, you will remember why you said “yes” to this dress. At Lovella, we often see brides who have a sigh of relief when they try on their dress knowing that they made the right wedding dress choice.
We also see brides who start to panic once they put on their unaltered wedding dress for the first time after it arrives in the bridal store. They are worried because their dress doesn’t fit right or they feel self-conscious about how they look in their dress at that moment. They dissect every single aspect of the dress and start to worry that they made the wrong choice in wedding dresses.
When brides try on their wedding dress for the first time - before it has been altered to fit - we encourage brides to be open-hearted and open-minded about their wedding dress. When the nitpicking starts, we recommend that our brides walk away from the mirror and close their eyes for a moment. Once they open their eyes back up from a farther distance, they are able to look at their dress objectively and remember why this wedding dress was the dress of their dreams.
Lastly, brides should remember that when their wedding dress arrives in the store and they try it on for the first time, the dress has not been through the alterations process yet. When you're selecting your wedding dress, before your purchase "the one" you are trying on sample dresses that remain in the store. Then, when you place your order, your gown designer will make your dress just for you in the size and style that you ordered.
Questions To Ask Your Seamstress
When you first try on your wedding dress, before it has been altered, it can be scary because it doesn’t fit your body perfectly. Your seamstress and the alterations department at your bridal store will tailor your dress and make your dress fit your body perfectly. You’ll also be able to make slight changes to the dress through the alterations process.
When you’re going through the alterations process there are a few questions that you should be sure to ask your seamstress. In addition to asking the questions to make sure that the dress fits you perfectly, be sure to ask your seamstress how to properly bustle your wedding dress, and how to properly zip up your dress.
If your bridal store does not offer steaming services, be sure to ask how to properly steam your wedding dress. If your dress is not steamed properly, it can ruin or damage your dress fabric.
For more advice, watch our video on how to properly steam your wedding dress and your bridal veil.
Speak up to your seamstress and make sure that you let them know if there are any issues or if there is anything about your dress that makes you uncomfortable. For example, maybe you feel that the neckline is too low or maybe the neckline it's too high. Or, maybe you want to add some sort of a strap or a sleeve to your wedding dress. During the alterations process is the time that these minor changes can be made to your dress.
There are additions and changes to your wedding dress that are possible through the tailoring and alternations process, but if you don’t let your seamstress know your preferences, those changes will never happen. Brides must clearly identify what it is that they like and what it is that they don't like about their wedding dress, so the seamstress can make you happy with your wedding dress on your wedding day.
Do Not Compromise On Alterations
The alterations process is not something that brides want to skimp or compromise on when it comes to wedding dress shopping. Many brides are worried or have anxiety because they don’t know exactly how their wedding dress is going to look until that final fitting. They are concerned because they do not know how their bridal style and wedding day will look will come together. Your final bridal style often doesn’t happen until about three or two weeks before their wedding day. With the wedding so close, it can be unsettling for many brides.
It is normal for brides to feel nervous about their wedding dress during the alternation process. For brides that are worried about their wedding dress, we always recommend that they work with an expert seamstress, so that they know they are in the trusted hands of a professional. It is so important that brides invest in a professional seamstress to ensure that their wedding dress is being altered perfectly.
Work With Professionals
Shopping for your dream wedding dress is a big process and we’re here to help make it a stress-free and enjoyable experience for all brides. Feeling scared or anxious during the time between when you order your wedding dress and when your dress arrives in the bridal store is completely normal. It is also normal to feel uncomfortable during the alterations process as your wedding dress is being tailored to fit you properly.
Our best advice for having a wonderful experience with your wedding dress is to work with the best professionals that you can and to shop at a bridal dress store that you trust. When brides have an amazing and trusting relationship with their wedding dress shop and their seamstress, it is a wonderful thing.
About Lovella
If you're shopping for your perfect wedding dress, come visit us at Lovella Bridal in Glendale, CA. We carry wedding dresses in all sizes and styles, including plus-size bridal gowns and a full selection of veils and accessories. Lovella Bridal is the premier, luxury bridal wedding dress shopping boutique located in Los Angeles, California. Lovella features couture, feminine, modern and chic bridal gowns in all sizes from the best wedding dress designers. Schedule an appointment to find the wedding dress of your dreams at Lovella Bridal. We can't wait to help you!
About Wedding Fashion Expert
Our wedding dress shopping tips and advice are from Nayri, Lovella's own, in-house wedding fashion expert. Nayri is truly the expert when it comes to bridal fashion and wedding style. As the Wedding Fashion Expert, Nayri is the top bridal fashion stylist and the best-selling author of the book "I'm Getting Married And I Have Nothing To Wear," the ultimate guide to helping brides find their wedding day style and their perfect wedding dress. You can subscribe to her YouTube channel or listen to her podcast for more helpful and practical advice on wedding dress shopping.
