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Dress
Decisions
According to surveys in wedding
magazines, 70% of brides say their dress is the most
important decision of their planning process. The
dress will set the style of the day and likely your
mood. If it is a formal full-length gown, you’ll
probably have a more formal event. Pick a dress
that fits your little girl dream.
Before you go shopping rip pages out of wedding
magazines of the dresses you like and put them in a
binder. You will probably combine many features from
different dresses to be your dream dress. Set a
limit before you go to any stores. It can be easy
to get whisked away in romantic fantasy when you put
on that $2,000 dress, but can you afford it? The
price tag is probably not the final cost either.
Ask about additional charges like shipping, size
issues (petite, tall, plus), alterations, storage,
etc. To save money, ask about sample sales or
discounts if you get the bridesmaid dresses at the
same store.
There are several options to purchase your dress.
You can try on dresses at Bridal shops, have it
custom made or even find them online. There’s a
high concentration of bridal shops in New
Westminster and on East Hastings at the Vancouver
Burnaby border. Here in Abbotsford, you can benefit
from Carolyn’s experience and many other services at
an all in one stop location like “The Bride’s
Room”. Give yourself enough time because ordered
dresses take approximately three months from order
date to arrival. Allow time for alterations too.
If you’re looking for more immediate gratification
you can go to “Bryan’s Bride” in Burnaby and select
from over 1,000 dresses and take your dress the same
day provided you don’t need alterations. Custom
design is an option that can save a lot of money
especially if you have some unique requests. You
can use less expensive man-made fabrics and
embellishments, plus you don’t have any alteration
costs. If you’re willing to accept the risks
involved, you can buy online through sources like
craigslist.com or ebay.ca.
Make an appointment when you go to a bridal shop,
especially if it’s a Saturday. If you go during the
week you’ll likely get more attention and guidance
as they are less busy. Bring clean shoes the height
you expect to be and something to put your hair up
if you think you’ll want an updo. Don’t shop with a
lot of people. It’s best to go with a close friend
that will be honest with you. Try dresses on and
take photos if they’ll let you. See how you feel in
each dress and check if the fabric wrinkles. The
dress fits if you can raise your arms above your
head, do a little dance, sit on a cushy couch as
well as a straight back chair, cross your legs, bend
at the waist and walk easily around the store.
You’ll know it’s your dress when you don’t want to
take it off.
Once you have your dress you will feel a huge amount
of relief that as the central focus of the wedding,
you’ll look your absolute best. It’s the one day it
finally is all about you and that starts with the
dress.
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