Table of Contents
● Rent your Wedding Dress
● Buy an Off-The-Shelf Dress at a Bridal Shop
● Select a Non-Traditional Dress From a Boutique or Major Department Store
● Have a Custom Dress Made
● Purchase the Dress Online
● Shop Consignment Stores and Thrift Shops
The centerpiece at every wedding is the bride! She is the flower of the hour and no matter what else, above all others, she needs to look the very best.
For most brides, wedding planning begins months and even a year in advance. They want nothing left to chance and careful thought is given to each and every aspect. But one thing looms larger than all others. It is the one crowning feature at every wedding. It draws the most attention and sometimes the most ridicule. Brides suffer more anxiety and shed more tears over this than anything else. The wedding dresses.
Let’s be frank, wedding dresses draw so much interest, so much heated attention, that successful weekly TV shows were created around them. While these serials showcased the brides and the beautiful dresses they might choose from, they also memorialized the angst of the selection process and the fraying of relationships among the entourage of friends and relatives. Those parts were not pretty.
Getting a wedding dress is important and for today’s brides there are basically six ways:
Rent your Wedding Dress
If you are trying to be practical and save money, renting a wedding dress is often the best choice. Unless your dress is a family heirloom, the typical wedding dress is only going to be worn once. Paying hundreds and thousands of dollars for a beautiful wedding dress to be worn only once is not a smart idea for a practical bride. There are businesses in every major wedding city that specialize in renting wedding attire. They have extensive collections of quality goods for both men and women. From dresses and veils to footwear. You can often purchase other items here such as garters and undergarments. The nice thing about renting a dress is that you can afford to wear a much more glamorous, higher-end dress. This is because you do not have to pay the full purchase price. You get a better dress for at a reasonable price.
Buy an Off-The-Shelf Dress at a Bridal Shop
Getting dresses from reputable bridal shops is often a good choice. Trained professionals are good at reading people and qualifying which dresses in their inventory best match the brides’ tastes. They know what is trendy and fashionable. They have an eye for what looks good on certain body shapes. And most importantly when there’s disagreement and dissension among the bridal parties about which dress is best, these good people can often act as mediators and lead everyone to a good resolution.
Select a Non-Traditional Dress From a Boutique or Major Department Store
Nowadays some brides prefer a non-traditional approach to their wedding. Instead of classic long white gowns, some brides are on a quest to make a different statement. They’ll make choices from party dresses to evening gowns, and even opt for costumes. Choosing this path to a wedding dress opens a broad canvas of styles and an endless palette of colors. If the bride is a decisive decision-maker and knows what she wants, this is often a good option.
Have a Custom Dress Made
When expenses are not an issue and there’s a design in mind, having a custom dress made is often a great choice. The brides who go down this road must be willing to remain highly involved. The process often requires many custom fittings and adjustments. Alterations can become the norm. And should there be a change in the course of direction with the garment, a lot of cost and time will be added to the project.
Purchase the Dress Online
To purchase a wedding dress online having previous experience and success making online purchases is an asset. If you’ve never purchased something online before, do not make this your first experience! Possible issues can occur with size, fit, color, and delayed delivery. You might have to go through a return and replace process. When you haven’t walked these minefields before, avoid that frustration as your wedding approaches.
Shop Consignment Stores and Thrift Shops
Some folks absolutely love finding a bargain and for them, there’s nothing more exciting than shopping consignment shops, secondhand stores, and thrift shops. In the past, they’ve discovered many wonderful finds, and wedding day becomes the supreme conquest. Savvy shoppers know to call ahead or research and make sure the shops and stores have wedding dresses. Many don’t. These shoppers know what to look for regarding damages such as wear, stains, or tears. And they have resources and contacts at their disposal to fix acceptable things they encounter.
The bride is often not alone in selecting a dress. There may be many other people on the path: bridesmaids, attendants, mother of the bride, mother of the groom, and significant friends and relatives. No matter which way people choose to go, always remember to remain optimistic and keep having fun!
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