How to find the perfect wedding dress – Make the "Dougie" in your dress

I read an article recently, it was called, “What Brides Should NOT Do When Buying a Dress”… or something like that. It was an article that gave 5 points on what brides should not do when deciding on their dress. In fact, he gave some excellent points with a lot of detail, but I’ll just quote the five points:

1. Don’t believe everything you see on TV

2. Don’t be in a hurry

3. Don’t just stand there

4. Do not forget the photographs

5. Don’t forget your fiancé

Halfway through the article, I realized that although it was very informative and well written, it was actually telling brides what they SHOULD do when trying to decide on the best wedding dress.

If you’re like I was when it came to my dress, (ie absolutely clueless as to what exactly I want), I’d like to share an idea here; a little advice on what to do to help you decide the best wedding dress, without stress.

Of all the things you have to decide and plan for your wedding, your dress is in the top 3 (if not 1st) on the “Most Important” list. Therefore, it is something that you will probably start thinking about the day you put the engagement ring on your finger. This is when you will most likely start to research your options. Don’t worry about having “too many options” and then not being able to decide. These are the steps I take when I have too many good options and can only (cruelly) have ONE!

1. Of the 1000 dresses you WILL FIND, keep saving, tagging, reserving, pinning the ones you instantly like the most. You will need to have a dress confirmation a minimum of 2-3 months before the wedding, so stop tagging dress options the third or fourth month before your wedding date. Right now, that scrapbook may contain over 100 dress photos, but she’s already whittled it down from 1,000.

2. NO ONE knows your body better than YOU. You know your own flaws and what you flaunt. Whether it’s curvaceous hips, attractive buttocks, small waist, full breasts, slender neck… You know what it is about your body that you and your man love or people envy. Now untag dresses that don’t work well with your assets! That would probably eliminate 10-50% or more of everything you’ve chosen so far.

3. By now, you’ve filtered 50-70 dresses (hopefully fewer) into your scrapbook. Now is the time for the VOTES!! You handle this in 2 ways; choose the best yourself first or last. I always spend most of my time deciding here. I prefer to put my votes and options first and then circulate these options to others whose input I would like. Take a good 2-3 hours, alone, with no distractions, look through the dresses and imagine yourself in them. Literally close your eyes and imagine yourself walking down the aisle in each dress. I can’t explain it, but you’ll ONLY KNOW when you prefer one dress over another and another over another. Keep a limit of your own to your votes, say 10 or 15. So out of the 50 dresses, you picked the top 10 that you ABSOLUTELY LOVE and can’t decide which one you like best, even if that means hell came for a day!

4. Now take your FINAL 10 best, go to the people you love and trust and want the best for you. Maybe your mom, your sisters, brothers, Ministry of Health, etc. (if you are not superstitious, a vow can also be given to your future husband). At least 5 other people, and ask them to pick the top 3 that they like. Remember, these are ALL your options, so whatever it is will look amazing on you; Only then will you know what the opinion of others is about the best wedding dress.

5. Next, take only the dresses with the most votes (top 3 or max 5). What I like to do is quickly ask my friends/family why they think what they did. It helps me reconfirm my choice, see things I didn’t consider, or throw out ideas I thought were good but turn out to be better left on the shelf. This should narrow your list down to just 3 or 5. If you know where you can go and try these 3 or 5, RUN TO NOW! You’re almost done!!

6. Take photos during your tests and then make the big decision. Choose the wedding dress that makes you happiest when you see yourself in it.

Going back to the article, this is where I think points 3 and 4 would play out. I love the way the author says “Sit down, squat down, do the dougie” whatever you have to do to make sure you’re not more than comfortable on your wedding day.” Now let’s be real, no wedding dress has comfort levels ‘jammy-like’ or even close, but it doesn’t have to be a body-shaped torture chamber, either. Basically, just make sure that your dress doesn’t stop you from having a great time on your Big Day.

A quick little shoe tip: If you like stilettos, feel free to get yourself a beautiful pair that you can wear to the ceremony, reception entrance, first dance, father-daughter dance, prom session, photos and the bridal exit. But be sure to also pack a sweet pair of flats that will match the dress for the rest of the day, dancing, walking, meet and greet… will take their toll on your feet, get ready to help them relax.

For more free advice on planning your wedding, contact me by visiting my website or reading my blog.

All the best and have a fabulous wedding!