Brides to Be: Brides Beware

We see at lot of bride as you can imagine and increasingly we see brides who should be entering into a really happy and positive place but come to us with horror stories about wedding dress buying and boutiques lack of knowledge and care.

When planning for your wedding one of the most important aspects is the purchase of your wedding dress and here at Mia Sposa Bridal Boutique we would like to offer some advice on purchasing your bridal gown.

We increasingly have brides that are let down from various sources when looking for their dream wedding dress.

Joy’s Advice: Do your research make sure wherever you buy your wedding gown or anything else related to your wedding that everything is as should be – If it looks to good to be true it usually is.

Internet Dresses

Brides see bargain designer bridal gowns on the internet but rarely get what they thought was a bargain

While online shopping is always risky, buying a wedding dress online may be biggest gamble of them all. See below:-

Still, many brides-to-be will scour the internet in search of tempting discounts or convincing counterfeit gowns. But if you dare to order that dream dress online, you may well receive a truly unrecognizable garment in your mailbox — not to mention, it probably comes from a sweat shop.

Joy’s Advice: Trying to save a few pounds buying online can backfire big time and cost you more in the long run when your dream wedding dress fails to materialise and you have a stressful time to try and hunt down a wedding gown last minute. Not to be advised.

I advise trying to stick to a budget and if you spend a little more on the gown then try and save elsewhere in your wedding budget.

Boutiques

When brides to be are looking to shop for your dream wedding dress, an important consideration where are you going to go. Always choose an established boutique that has a good reputation.

We have had brides recently who have gone to unknown stores to be completely let down by lack of knowledge, leading to mistakes in ordering, sizing, and even styling.

Buying a bridal gown that is completely right for you is essential and knowledgable consultants are a must as this cuts out errors and mistakes and they will help you choose the perfect shape for you and assist in styling.

Another problem we come across is some shops open on a shoestring budget, these are easy to spot and are to be avoided at all costs, the chances of you never getting your gown a completely real as many of these shops close soon after opening and brides are left with no bridal gown and lost money which is usually non recoverable.

Some bridal stores and so called boutiques offer no real service at all, again doing some homework before going to any boutiques should help cut down on this,

Joy’s Advice: Again do your homework, only go to stores with good reputations, Listen to sales consultants to see if they have knowledge with in the bridal industry.

Also look for details such as how will your dress be altered, Do they have in house seamstress or are you taking a risk by getting a freelance alterations service in which the boutique then washes its hands of any problems. Brides Beware

Timescales

Brides are leaving buying their wedding gowns to the very last minute, this can be a massive mistake.

Leave plenty of time to buy your wedding gown. Ideally you should think about purchasing your wedding gown at least 9 to 12 months before the big day. This allows time for your gown to be made( remember your gown especially made for you) and allows time for it to go into production.

Lead time from manufacturers is longer than previously due to complexity of gowns as well as other issues. Also you will need to allow time for your gown to be altered to your exact body measurements. Leaving this until the last minute is a mistake as it puts stress on you the bride and the boutique too.

Joy’s Advice: Allow plenty of time to order you wedding dress ideally around 12 months, this will allow time for your gown to be made and delivered to the store and allows adequate time for alterations on your dress if they are required.

Buying your Gown

When you begin shopping for your bridal gown it is a good idea to select a few boutiques rather than trying to go around them all, Wedding Dress shopping can be daunting and we find that some brides who shop till they drop become confused and can’t remember what dress they saw in what boutique, stay focussed and narrow your options before going to a boutique this will save on what we call bridal burnout.

Joy’s Advice: Another thing we see is brides come with an army of people who all have differing opinions that also adds to the confusion to the bride.

My advice is when shopping for your gown just have a few trusted confidants to help support you in your quest for the perfect wedding gown.

And Finally

Buying your bridal gown should be a memorable and pleasurable experience not one full of anguish and pain, Don’t be tempted by going for the cheapest options as this inevitably leads to problems and spending more in the long run.

Joy Says:

Choose where to get your gown carefully as it is a really important decision and making the right choices can save you heartache nearer your wedding day.