The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Dress Shopping
This guide will take you through the process of shopping and purchasing your wedding dress. From the size of your party to the size of your dress - we are unveiling it all! Did you catch that fun, bridal pun? Let’s get into it!
Where to Start…
ESTABLISH A BUDGET
One of the very first details you will need to figure out before you even start looking at bridal shops is your gown budget. Spend some time reviewing the numbers determine what your budget is. If someone else is purchasing your gown for you or contributing to the cost, have a conversation with them to ensure you know what is realistic. While it can be fun to try on beautiful gowns, you don’t want to try on ones that are outside of your budget. In addition, this will guide you to find the right bridal boutiques to shop at. Many boutiques have a general price range listed on their website. At La Mariée, our gowns start at $2.500 and increase from there. If your budget is $1,000, we wouldn’t be the best fit for you but there are many other boutiques that will be perfect for you!
FIND BRIDAL SHOPS
Once you have established your budget, there are two ways to go about finding the dress shops you want to visit:
Start with a classic search of your local area to find the dress shops you would like to go to. This could be on Google or social media. Wherever you like to search!
Is there a specific designer that you are interested in, visit that designers website to find out which boutique carries that designer so you can try their gowns on if they are in budget.
BOOK APPOINTMENTS
From there, select a few boutiques to shop at and book your appointments! Remember to book your appointment at least 8 to 12 months in advance. Gowns take anywhere from 6 to 8 months to order and alterations will take another 2 to 3 months. If you have a shorter timeline, you may have to pay rush fees or be limited to a few gowns available off the rack, so the earlier you can start shopping the better.
Special Note:
Now, this is probably the most crucial piece of advice we can give you, we HIGHLY recommend that you do not go to more than two bridal appointments in a day. Wedding dress shopping is EXHAUSTING, more exhausting and overwhelming than you think. We have seen brides who have gone to 4 or more boutiques in one day, and the experience is no longer fun or enjoyable. They are burned out, overwhelmed and all the gowns start to blend together. Please, don’t do this to yourself.
Prepare for Appointments…
Your appointments are set and now you have a few things to do to prepare for the shopping day to make it the most enjoyable day possible!
GUEST LIST
Prepare your list of guests you would like to have with you! This is so important. Invite people who will love and support you throughout your appointments. No negative Nancy’s or selfish Sally’s. Only those who are going to lift you up and listen to you. Also, make sure you have everyone you need to say yes to the dress! This will make the experience so much more meaningful and will save you the time of coming back for another appointment.
Reminder:
Many boutiques have a limit on how many people can be in attendance for your appointment. For example, at La Mariée, our Luxe Appointments allow up to 4 guests, not including the bride. Our Gold Appointments allow for up to 6 guests and our Platinum Appointments allow for up to 12 guests. There are a few reasons boutiques limit party size. One being the size of the boutique. Most of the time it is simply not possible to accommodate large parties due to space constraints. Many boutiques run multiple appointments at a time as well, so if each bride brought 10 people, things could get very crowded, very quickly. Please be respectful of the boutique and their guest limitations. We promise this is not because we don’t love your entire group, it is because we want you and every bride that comes to our boutique to have an incredible experience. Please also remember that bridal boutiques are not ideal for children, there are many breakable items and let’s face it, they are adorable and might steal the spotlight from you and that isn’t cool!
RESEARCH
If you feel inclined, do a little research on Pinterest. See what you are gravitating towards. However, try not to get too set on one particular style or detail because it is likely you could fall in love with something that is the exact opposite of what you set your heart on. That can become somewhat confusing and difficult to overcome. Be open and trust the process.
What to Expect…
In terms of overall experience, each boutique will be different. Here is what you can expect from your Luxe Bridal Appointment at La Mariée Boutique:
CHECK IN
Once you arrive, you will be checked in and welcomed into our boutique. Your appointment at La Mariée Boutique will start with a complimentary beverage for you and your guests. Typically, our peach bellinis are a favorite!
INTERVIEW
While your drinks are being prepared, your dedicated bridal stylist will ask you a few questions to get to know you, your wedding, your style and your budget. Your stylist may also ask to see a few photos of your favorite gowns. This helps your stylist have a good visual to start with.
GOWN SELECTION
After we know more about you, your bridal stylist will go shopping for you to curate a selection of 5 to 7 gowns for you to try on. Of course, if there is a specific gown or designer you are wanting to try on, tell your stylist. In the meantime, sit back, relax and enjoy that peach bellini while we take care of you!
Special Note:
Trust your stylist! Your bridal stylist is an expert. They know what these gowns look like on different body types, how the details of a gown might accentuate your figure or complete your wedding vibe perfectly. They are probably going to put you in a few gowns that are a little unexpected, and you might be surprised at how fabulous you look in them! At the same time, be open with your communication. Don’t be afraid to tell your stylist you don’t like something, this is actually going to help them narrow in on the gown you are going to love!
TRY ON WEDDING DRESSES
Next, it’s time to try on gowns! Your bridal stylist will help you in and out of the dresses and ensurethe dresses fit you beautifully! We will show your loved ones the gowns you are liking and narrow down the selection to your favorite gowns.
SAY YES TO THE DRESS
Once we have narrowed in on your favorite gowns, we will try those on again and add some accessories like a veil, earrings and a headpiece! Then hopefully you will get that feeling and you know this is the perfect wedding dress for you and we get to ask you “Are you saying yes to the dress!?” Then we top off those drinks and toast to you! It is time to celebrate!
What Happens Now…
You said yes to the dress! Hooray! But what happens now? Don’t worry, we will take care of everything and guide you through it.
THE DETAILS
We will take your measurements, complete our dress contract and order your gown. Please know, at La Mariée Boutique we collect 60% at the time you order your gown and the remaining 40% when your gown arrives.
NOW, WE WAIT
Once your gown is ordered, it will take around 6 to 8 months to arrive, depending on the designer. While we wait for your gown to arrive, it is a good time to start shopping for your jewelry, little white dresses, gloves or other accessories! Keep in mind that these accesorries can take 3 to 5 months to arrive, so shop early for those too!
PICK UP YOUR GOWN - YAY!
Once your gown arrives, your bridal boutique will give you a call to let you know your gown has arrived and is ready for you to pick up! At La Mariée we work to coordinate your pick up appointment to also be your first fitting with our preferred bridal alterations specialist. Of course, there is no requirement to work with our alterations specialist so if you prefer to just pick up your gown, simply let us know!
ALTERATIONS
After you pick up your gown, you will want to start the alterations sooner rather than later. The bridal shop you purchased your gown from should have their own recommended alterations specialist that should be familiar with their gowns.
GET MARRIED!
Now you are ready for the wedding! On the day of the wedding, be sure to have your gown steamed before hair & makeup begins. The steam can ruin the beautiful hair and makeup so steam first! Pro Tip: Assign a bridesmaid or family member your trust to steam you gown for you!
SHARE YOUR LOVE STORY
If you are a La Mariée bride, be sure to share your amazing wedding photos with us so we can feature you as one of our real brides! We love to feature our gorgeous brides on our social media and blog so be sure to share and tag us in your photos if you can! You can share your love story with us by completing our interview form here.
Reminder:
If you loved your bridal experience, don’t forget to leave a 5-star Google review for your bridal boutique! Most bridal boutiques are private, locally owned, small businesses and every 5-star review counts and helps their business. If you can spare a few minutes, it will mean so much to that boutique - trust us! If you would like to leave a 5-star review for La Mariée, you can do so here!
That’s It!
We hope this will be a helpful resource for you as you begin wedding dress shopping. You deserve to have a fabulous wedding dress shopping experience and we truly hope we can be part of it!
Learn more about our designers here! Did you know that our designers are completely exclusive to our boutique? You won’t find our gowns in any other bridal shop in the state of Oklahoma.
Learn more about our different appointment options here! With our variety of appointment options, you are sure to have an exceptional bridal shopping experience at La Mariée.
Stay up to date with us on social media to see all our selection of couture gowns, learn more about wedding dress shopping, get wedding dress inspiration, and see real La Mariée weddings too! You can follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok.
