5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Wedding Dress Shopping

We have some awesome tips to help you avoid these 5 common mistakes brides make when they are wedding dress shopping! Take our advice and avoid shopping burn out, stress and so much more!

1. BOOKING TOO MANY APPOINTMENTS OR OVERSHOPPING: This quickly leads to dress burn out - everything starts to look the same, nothing feels special, it’s mentally and physically exhausting trying on wedding dresses and it’s just not fun anymore.
   
   HOW TO AVOID THIS: Do your research! Research each bridal shop you are interested in, check out their website & social media. Learn about their designers and what experience they provide. Then pick your top boutique to shop at that matches your wedding style and dress budget - the two most important indicators of if the boutique will be worth your time. At La Mariée, you will try on around 6 to 8 wedding dresses, and we promise this is more than enough to find your dream wedding dress.

2. SHOPPING TOO LATE - RUSH FEES ARE REAL: Don’t wait to shop. Rush fees are real and can be expensive. Depending on the designer rush fees can be generally add an additional 15% to 20% more to the price of your dress.
   
   HOW TO AVOID THIS: The ideal time to shop is 12 months out from your wedding day. This means that you can shop every dress or designer that you want. You will be able to shop completely stress free and you will absolutely avoid any rush fees.

3. NOT ESTABLISHING A BUDGET BEFORE SHOPPING: Establishing your budget before your go shopping is crucial. It means you know what you are willing to spend and your stylist can shop within your stated budget. If you don’t know what your budget is, it can become overwhelming and you may end up loving a dress that ends up being over budget, and that is heartbreaking.
   
   HOW TO AVOID THIS: Talk about budget with decision makers so everyone is on the same page. We have a great blog post about how to do this!

4. NOT BRINGING THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE MOST: Bringing the RIGHT people with you is so important to having a successful shopping experience. If you bring too many or not the right people with you to your appointment it can quickly become overwhelming and difficult for you to hear your own voice in the crowd.
   
   HOW TO AVOID THIS: Coordinate with the people that mean the most to you to pick a day & time that works for everyone so your appointment lines up perfectly and you can say yes to the dress with your amazing group!
   

5. BEING AFRAID TO SAY YES TO THE DRESS: We understand this is a big decision & committing to a dress can be scary. Sometimes you end up falling in love with something you didn’t expect which can also make things a little bit more challenging too.
   
   HOW TO AVOID THIS: Be confident in who you are and what you love. There will always be more dresses out there but when you feel amazing in a dress, that’s when you know it’s time to say yes to the dress! A lot of our brides say they feel like they never want to take the dress off, trust that feeling. There is a reason you feel that way, it’s because it is the perfect dress!

Hopefully these tips are helpful for you as you being to think about wedding dress shopping! We can’t wait to meet you and help you find your dream dress at La Mariée!