Bridal Education

filed under

Nataly Hernandez Photography

POSTED BY

Picking your Wedding Dress for your Big Day!

There is so much that goes into not only picking your wedding dress but  SHOPPING for one also. Here are some OVERALL dress tips for all of you engaged ladies out there!

picking your wedding dress

1.  Make a day of it. Decide to devote one Saturday to “dress shopping” and invite the mommas! If you’re close to your future mother-in-law… she would probably love to be there too! It’s a fun day for the girls and it’s a great time to help parents feel included and a part of the planning process! If it gets overwhelming, just stop and find a Starbucks :).

Fun personal fact: I didn’t purchase a wedding dress but I still planned a day to go “dress shopping” with my mom and future MIL so that they can have that experience with me.

2. Call ahead and make an appointment. A lot of newly engaged brides don’t realize that you can’t just want into a dress shop and try on whatever you see… you have to make an appointment to stand in front of that mirror and be oohhed and ahhhhed at the way every bride deserves when picking your wedding dress.

3. Try styles that you didn’t originally think you would necessarily like!! You may be surprised and it never hurts to TRY!

4. Go with your GUT!…. But don’t totally disregard others opinions. Say you LOVE a dress but your mom can already tell that you’re going to be pulling it up on it CONSTANTLY… you can talk about getting it altered to fit more snuggly around the bust and waist… or maybe that style isn’t the best for you. I’ve deleted a TON of reception images of Brides tugging on their dress, trying to keep it up while they’re getting their groove on! You don’t want to worry about that on your wedding day.

5. Don’t give up! If you’re on round 3 or 4 of dress shopping… it’s OK. You will find one!!! Just keep going! I’ve heard of brides finding their DREAM dress on their 6th trip to the boutique!!

6. Know the difference between White and Ivory dresses. It used to be weird for a bride to have an off-white dress.  I am kind of glad that tradition is gone because pure white dresses do not photograph as well as off-white dresses. Sometimes pure white dresses photograph with a “blue” tint to them because they are SO white.

Thankfully I can adjust my “blues” in my post-processing to correct this for the most part.:) Having just a slightly off-white dress can really make a HUGE difference in your images AND it’s so flattering for the skin! 

top temecula wedding photographer bridal

7.  Pick a dress that you’re COMFORTABLE in. If you feel like you’re poured into it an can’t really get a “full” breath…. you can’t buy that dress. Imagine getting nervous on the wedding day and trying to get some deep breaths to calm down…. but you can’t, because your wedding dress doesn’t fit correctly! ah! Not good!

8. Don’t be afraid to ALTER a dress. I’ve seen SO many cool things be added to dresses! It can look so natural and unique! You can also take away pieces of the dress. Say you LOVE a dress with a sweetheart neckline but it has one over-the-shoulder strap… welp, just have a seamstress take that strap off! Make your dress your own!

My good friend Sally, did just that for her wedding day! She loved the way the dress fit her but wanted a little bit more coverage. She added a laced top and it was stunning!

9. Make sure your MOH or momma is with you for your final dress fitting…. someone NEEDS to know how to bustle that thing! I’ve had bustles take over 30 minutes sometimes either because of operator error or something BREAKING. So make sure your planner has some safety pins just in case! (Also, having some emergency “white chalk” can cover up any minor stains on the dress.

10. Enjoy this process…. picking your wedding dress is supposed to be FUN!!! Stop worrying about impressing others and enjoy shopping for the gown of YOUR dreams!!

SHARE THIS POst

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Whether you are a photographer like myself that doesn't constantly carry that DSLR camera around, a momma on the go, creative, blogger, or simply just want a more cohesive #instagram feed this is for you!

Transform your iPhone photos with just one click 

get your free mobile preset

SEND ME MY PRESET

after

before

Grab Your Guide

A lot of moving pieces go into planning a wedding day timeline and we know it can be overwhelming! Grab our free guide to plan the perfect timeline for your day. 

%d bloggers like this: