Are you wondering who should I bring with me wedding dress shopping? If you are a bride ready to begin shopping for your wedding dress, there are a few aspects to prepare and consider. You will need to determine your wedding dress budget, what stores you want to shop, and what bridal styles are most appealing to you. One aspect brides might not think needs a lot of attention is who to bring along to your wedding dress shopping appointments. Today, we’re taking a step back from bridal fashion advice and are going to discuss a more logistical aspect of wedding dress shopping.
In our experience, there are a few things to consider when deciding who should go wedding dress shopping with you. Dynamics between family and friends can be complicated, even more so when something stressful like wedding planning is added to the mix. Perhaps you have a large family that is very close, or you are still very close with friends from college and are planning on having a large bridal party, or maybe you just want to bring your mom or best friend along with you. There are so many different scenarios and ultimately you will need to choose what makes you feel the most comfortable. Follow our tips to help you be prepared to decide who to invite wedding dress shopping and how to make the most of your time together.
Video: Who Should You Bring Wedding Dress Shopping?
If you are bride who is ready to start making appointments to shop for your wedding dress, you might be wondering who to bring along with you and how to handle these guests when wedding dress shopping. Don't miss our advice video sharing all the expert considerations for who you should bring wedding dress shopping.
Contact Your Bridal Store
Planning a wedding brings a lot of emotions to the table. If you are already a person who get anxious or worries about other people’s feelings, it can be an added burden for you. Planning your wedding day should bring happiness as you begin celebrating your love, but it can be hard to keep everyone happy and feel inclusive. This can also be true for wedding dress shopping. You might envision bringing a full entourage with you as you try on gowns. We’ve all seen this in movies and on tv shows, but sometimes less is more.
Our first tip for deciding who to bring wedding dress shopping with you is to contact the store or stores you plan to visit. Every bridal store will have their own policy for the number of guests you can bring with you to your shopping appointment. Many stores will be seeing more than one bride at the same time, so space will be a factor in the number of people you can bring with you. For example, at Lovella, while we are a larger store, we do see a number of brides at any given time slot and so we allow three guests to accompany you. Many of our brides love the fact that we do this because it gives them an excuse as why they can’t invite an entire crew. This is an easy out for why you may have to exclude certain people from your wedding dress shopping experience and is the perfect excuse if you are worried about leaving someone out. You can use the store policy as your excuse.
Your Support System
In our many years of helping brides find their dream wedding dress, many have told us that they feel like it becomes a sort of domino effect when deciding who to bring with them. If they invite person A, then you have to invite person B and so on until you have a list of 10 to 15 people. It can easily get out of hand and then you’re overwhelmed with too many opinions.
When it comes time to selecting who you are going to take shopping with you, there are a couple of things to consider. Number one is obligation. Who are you obligated to invite? Number two, of the people that you really want to be there, who shares your same vision and knows your dress style? You want people with you that are going to make this experience a beautiful one and will not challenge and probe or try to take the spotlight and give their agenda and push what they think you should wear.
Probably our most important tip for deciding on who to bring wedding dress shopping is to bring people who are going to be extremely supportive of this process. You don't want to create an environment that there's going to be friction because wedding dress shopping can already be an overwhelming and emotional process without the added stress of overly opinionated guests.
Shop Alone First
You know your people better than anyone. If you have someone that you are obligated to invite, whether it be your aunt or future mother in law or even a sister, but you know you are going to have differing opinions, perhaps you need a solo shopping trip first. At Lovella, we do this all the time with brides. They come in alone to shop for their wedding dress so they can have a clear head and really see what they are drawn to without having other opinions thrown out at them.
If you know that the people you are obligated to bring are going to throw you off balance a bit, a solo shopping trip might be a good option for you. You can take the time to go through the entire process and find what styles of wedding gowns you like. Maybe you even find “the one” on that solo trip. Then you can plan a trip with the people you have to include and perhaps you can even have them choose some dresses based on the store’s online inventory for you to try on so they feel included in the process, but you know that you’ve already found what you like.
Avoid Buyer’s Remorse
The most common reason a bride regrets her wedding dress decision is because she bought a dress based on price and not the one she loved most when stuck between two dresses. But the second most common reason for wedding dress buyer’s remorse is because the bride was pushed or encouraged to buy a certain dress by one of the guests that came shopping with them. If you have a lot of differing opinions being told to you as you try on wedding dresses, it can be hard to determine what you actually feel about a certain dress. You want to buy the dress that you feel the most beautiful and confident in, but it can be hard to hear your own voice if you have very opinionated guests with you.
You know your loved ones best so just be prepared for how that dynamic can play out. They obviously want to share in this once in a lifetime experience with you, but be prepared for how you will handle their feedback. As we mentioned earlier, a solo shopping trip either before or after shopping with guests may be the best option for you if you need to clear your head. Another option might be to include certain people in the shopping appointment and then invite others to your dress fittings or gown inspection appointment after your order arrives in store.
All in all, we want you to be super strategic and be mindful off your situation. Talk to your bridal store and talk to your stylist. Explain the dynamics and explain if there's any awkward moments or situations to be aware of so that your stylist can help facilitate everything running smoothly. We are experts at navigating all different types of situations, we’ve seen it all, and want this to be a beautiful and memorable experience for all of our brides.
More Helpful Wedding Dress Shopping Advice
We hope you have found this advice helpful when it comes to deciding who to bring with you for your wedding dress shopping appointments. For even more helpful advice when it comes to shopping for your dream wedding dress and finding your bridal style, be sure to check out our past posts:
- How To Set Boundaries When Wedding Dress Shopping With Guests
- PART 2: How to Set Boundaries When Wedding Dress Shopping with Guests - What is the Bride's Secret?
- Tips For Wedding Dress Shopping With Opinionated Family & Friends
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.
