Saying Yes to the Dress

By now you've probably seen a couple dozen episodes of Say Yes to the Dress.  If you're like me, your only knowledge of dress shopping has come from this show.  By the time I started dress shopping I had my mind made up about the type of dress I wanted - a halter with an empire waist.  Based on Say Yes to the Dress, I fully expected to I would have to take out a small loan to be able to afford the dress of my dreams...I also expected to have a consultant who could could work magic and offer expert advice.  I was wrong - about everything.  :-)

As I mentioned in my Top 10 Things to Know Before Planning a Wedding - do not assume anything!   While TV can give you an idea of the style of dresses that are available, they do not offer much else.  Once again I urge you to learn from my mistakes.  :-)

1. As difficult as it is, try to hold off as long as you can on dress shopping
   Bridal stores will try to convince you that you need to purchase right away, and that alterations can take months.  From my experiences, that is completely untrue.  The reason I recommend you wait is because there is a good chance you will get caught up in the moment, convince yourself that you've found THE dress, only to later realize you have total dress envy and decide on something else.
2.   Beware of the David's Bridal $99 sale
   If you are a frugal bride it's hard not to get excited for a $99 price tag, I mean c'mon, what a steal!  I fell victim to the $99 trap.  After not finding a dress during my first visit to David's Bridal I returned after hearing about the sale.  I ended up finding a dress - I didn't cry like the girls on TV, but I was convinced it was the one and was super happy about finding a dress for so cheap.  As you probably guessed, I later had dress envy and decided I HATED my $99 dress.  Which leads me to #3....
3. Ways to Find "THE" Dress
   Don't judge a dress by the way it looks on a hanger, try it on!  Make sure your comfortable..can you sit down okay?...can you bust a move?...are you borderline wardrobe malfunction?  Try on jewelry with the dress so you can see the full picture.  Did it make you cry like a baby?

Go get em' gorgeous!

Happy Planning,
Anti-Bridezilla