I can’t tell you how many times brides are in shock that finding your wedding dress could be easily the first dress they try on or how can they find it so quickly at their first bridal shop.

I’m nervous to write this because this is a peek behind the curtain that comes with the risk of demystifying some of the magic inherent in the process of finding your dream dress. It can be magical, like a fairy godmother sprinkling that dress magic into each consultation.

That’s just it, though – there exists a process!

I’m about to reveal the way I guide brides toward their dream wedding dress and it will all make sense.  After nine years in bridal, I finally heard the thousandth (maybe) Mom/sister/bride exclaim,

“It’s my first time shopping! It can’t be that easy!”

And it’s always said with skepticism and awe at how the stars could have possibly aligned in such a manner so as to have resulted in this way. I remind them that they did their research in choosing my shop, looking at my website, designers, and IG page to make sure I connected with their personal taste.

Plus, when you and I end up in a bridal dressing room together, with a handful of gorgeous wedding dress options, the first seemingly innocent suggestion (loaded with strategic intent) is, to begin with, the gown with which you’re the most curious or most excited.  It’s just a question of where to start.  We haven’t tried on anything yet.  Nobody’s in decision-making mode.  The magic?  It’s in forcing even the most indecisive bride to rely on instinct when the stakes are practically nonexistent.

Why not save the best for last?  I’ll tell you why.  That’s exhausting and your thoughts will get clouded with each dress you try.  The easiest way to make any decision is to determine where the bar is set.  Then everything that doesn’t measure up is an easy elimination. I always say you can have maybe 2 favorites but not more!

Honestly, I think it ends up being the very first dress or with me being the very first bridal shop, probably 50% of the time.  (I should start keeping this stat, just for my own curiosity.  lol)  And no, there are no regrets.  I make sure that you feel confident that we explored and took a journey of your best options. Making the process itself easy is part of what I do!

Inevitably, though, there comes this moment of understandable cynicism, and doubt, because it seems hasty to commit to being your first-time wedding dress shopping!?!?  Sometimes the bride is actually perfectly confident, and it’s Grandma or Mom that gets stuck in disbelief or feels like the bride needs to sleep on it as it’s “such a big decision.”  And I’ll say that it’s fair, but the big decision already happened, you found your person.  There are so many options out there, but the more you try on, the more the magic is lost and you can get overwhelmed and possibly end up with dress regret. I blame TV shows and social media. So much is thrown at you that brides lose sight sometimes.

You think to yourself, “I should be excited about this, but it feels too easy.”  And I generally advise brides not to shop until they’re ready to buy, in anticipation of this, among other reasons.  Especially as a small business, the overhead cost of running an appointment would blow your mind.

See, the thing is, with special ordering a gown from a sample, especially, a bride and the store are going to have a months-long relationship.  There is no reason to feel pressure to buy as I would rather you have peace of mind since we both need to enjoy one another’s company for months to come.  And I always want you to love your dress.

Let’s imagine an example of a smooth and lovely experience.  Say you’re standing in the mirror, absolutely happy in the world’s most perfect dress.  Generally, before I’d send you home confident that you won’t be second-guessing, I’ll have tried to answer two questions:

1) Are you sure this is the general style you want?

2) Are you sure this is the specific style you want?

To answer #1, I would suggest you try a wild card or two.  If you are pretty confident you want a V-neck, try strapless just to be sure.  Not three, but yeah, maybe one.  If you are pretty confident you want a ballgown, try a mermaid just to boost your certainty.

To answer #2, once you’ve zeroed in by experimenting in broad strokes, I’ll help you take note of some of the details that might differentiate really similar gowns.  Does one have a texture, while the other is plain?  Does one have an inner corset?

When you’ve answered both those questions, there are honestly only two possible outcomes:
1) You’re hopelessly torn between two DRASTICALLY different style directions
or
2) You found the dress.

Sometimes end up stuck between drastically different possibilities because they haven’t booked a venue, and thus haven’t formed a concrete creative vision for the event as a whole.  That’s fair enough, though, many times, one gown will be perfect for a number of different event vibes, too.

So prime yourself for the distinct possibility that a seasoned bridal expert will be able to guide you toward your perfect statement in the form of bridal fashion.  Yes, there’s magic, but when in good hands, they’re running a tried and true process crafted to make your experience personal, lovely….and easier than anticipated.

I hope this trade secret brings you peace of mind and answers why it is SO OFTEN that very first dress or bridal shop.  It’s no coincidence!  Just a good signal that you were probably working with a bridal stylist worth their weight in gold.

Congrats and happy planning!
Malinda