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5 Tips To Find The Perfect Wedding Dress Without The Headache

Wedding Dress Shopping Can Be Overwhelming

Your wedding dress is one of the most important elements of your entire wedding day. It’s the thing that everyone is dying to see you in and for most people, it’s the outfit that you’ll be photographed in more than any other in your entire life! So obviously you want it to be perfect.

But the dress shopping experience can be a bit overwhelming so our friends over at Bridals by Jodi have put together an awesome guide to get the most out of your dress shopping experience, enjoy the experience more and most importantly, find the perfect dress!

Nicholas Gore Weddings - Harborside East Wedding - Charleston, SC

1. Make An Appointment and Plan Ahead

Yes, we will absolutely take a walk in appointment if we are available, but making an
appointment guarantees you a consultant and a fitting room. It also means we are ready to
receive you and give you the best possible experience! Several things go on behind the scenes in
the store and when you walk in you risk us being busy and not being able to give you the
attention you deserve.

Trying on wedding gowns is a VERY different experience than normal clothes shopping and you
do need a consultant to guide you through the process!

Know that is it is never too early to find your gown. 1 1⁄2 years to 8 months is the sweet spot for
dress shopping. The gowns take about 6 months to get in and then need 2-3 months for
alterations. We can work with a shorter timeline, but brides will be looking at additional rush
fees and having to purchase off the rack.

2. Know Your Purchase Power

Too often we have brides who come in and have not discussed their wedding gown budget/ and
or do not have the person with them who is ultimately paying for the dress. This makes wedding dress
shopping difficult for several reasons. Knowing your budget will help you and your consultant
pull dresses that are appropriate. Nothing hurts more than falling in love with a $3,000 dress
only to find out you can only spend $1000. Once you have put on the more expensive wedding dress and
fallen in love, sadly there is often no going back.

Having the person responsible for paying for the gown with you is also important. Many brides
will come in alone or without this person to “just look.” We have found that you never know
when you are going to put on the one and have that magic moment! You may also miss out on
any special discounts the store is running that day by having to come back. Or worse, the dress
may only be there for a special event or could be sold off the rack. Trying to recreate the magic
at a later appointment is difficult for you and your consultant and by not shopping with
Mom/Grandma or whomever you miss out on savings!

3. Leave your group at home/ Save your Bubbles for the Bridesmaids

Limit the group to 4 people max! Your aunt’s best friend does not need to be at your
appointment to help you find the most important dress you will ever wear! Only bring in the
people whose opinions matter to you the most! Too many people turns shopping into a
production and this is the only time we have brides call the next day with dress regret. The
group picked the wedding dress and the bride’s opinion was lost. It is also our feeling that the less people
that see your dress, the more fun and special it is on your wedding day!

Don’t feel guilty about excluding some of your maids from shopping day as well. You can always
book a bridesmaid appointment at a later date so your girls can see the gown. And then you sit
back with a glass of bubbly while they find their dress! Side note- Don’t pick bridesmaid dresses
hoping the girls will wear them again. They won’t. Pick a dress and color that you love- it is your
pictures and memories! You will one day return the favor for your girls and wear a dress and
color of their choice!

4. Limit the shops you go to

Do some research prior to wedding dress shopping to make sure you are going to a shop with styles and
prices that you are looking for! Also limit yourself to 2-3 gown shops. More than that can quickly
overwhelm you and take the fun out of shopping. Typically you narrow down your favorites to
one or two wedding dresses at each shop and then go from there. If you are shopping at 6 shops, you
then have to choose from 6 favorite dresses which leads to a very stressed out bride! If you go
to your first round of 2-3 shops and legitimately find nothing, absolutely keep shopping!
Normally, brides have found the “one” pretty quickly! (More often than not it is the first dress
they ever tried on!)

5. Keep an open mind and have fun!

So many brides come in with a set idea of what they want, but purchase something completely
different! It is good to look at Pinterest and designers websites for general ideas but be willing
to put on anything! You never know which dress could be the one and refusing to try on certain
styles really limits what may look best.

Enjoy the experience and don’t stress. This is the fun part of wedding planning!


Hope you enjoyed this article! Check out Bridals By Jodi for all your wedding dress needs and of course, all photos were taken by Nicholas Gore Weddings. Let us know what you think in the comments below.


 

4 Reasons To Do A First Look (And 1 Big Reason Not To)

The First Look

To first look, or not to first look? That is the question asked by dozens of my clients every year. One of the biggest changes that I’ve seen in the wedding industry over the past 10 years is the number of clients opting for a first look. While it’s purely a personal decision, here are 4 reasons why you should consider a first look, and 1 big reason why you may not want to:

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Charleston Wedding Photographers – Wedding Photographers in Charleston, SC

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Nicholas Gore Weddings

Charleston | New Zealand | Destination

We’re a husband and wife team of hybrid, fine art wedding photographers based in Charleston, SC with over 15 years of combined experience photographing over 600 weddings in Charleston, SC and around the world.

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Wedding Galleries –

Nicholas Gore Weddings delivers stunning images with impeccable styling, polished editing and most importantly; a sense of fun. Your wedding story is a unique tale of love and we approach every wedding with that as the focus. From our initial consultation to delivery of your gallery to the creation of beautiful prints and albums, the entire process is designed to put you, your love, and your story at the forefront.

Wedding photography is more than just the record of the day. It’s a permanent reminder of the joy you felt sharing your love with someone surrounded by your closest friends and family. That’s a responsibility that we take very seriously and we’re truly honored you’ve considered us to capture your wedding day.

Below is a curated gallery of some of our favorite wedding stories from Charleston, SC and beyond.

We hope we can be a part of yours soon.

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Favorites


Over the past 10 years we’ve had the opportunity to photograph some truly amazing weddings.

Take a look at some of our favorites below and then click here to see some of our favorite full wedding stories HERE.


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