Choosing your wedding dress

1. Choosing your wedding dress Your wedding dress is probably your most important wedding purchase, and buying it can be quite an experience. Here are some pointers to consider when choosing your wedding dress: Dress shopping should be an enjoyable experience Sadly many brides are disappointed the first time they go wedding dress shopping. Confusion over appointment times, sample dresses that don’t fit, unfriendly shop assistants, and dream dresses that look terrible when they’ re tried on, can all combine to produce a shopping trip from hell. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time for shopping, and include fun elements such as lunch and drinks as well as boutique appointments. If you don’t feel entirely comfortable with the fitters at the bridal boutique, don’t worry about walking away. A wedding dress is a considerable investment, so boutiques should make every effort to pamper you and make you feel special and valued. An experienced fitter should be able to suggest styles that will suit your body shape, even if you haven’t considered them before. Match your dress to your wedding style Think about the type of wedding you want to have when you are choosing your dress. Which season have you chosen? Will it be a formal evening affair, or a beach wedding guest dress? Are you getting married in a garden location, or an historic building? If you are having a themed wedding you might want to make your dress part of that theme. On the other hand some brides go out and find the perfect dress and then use that to influence their wedding theme. Know what flatters your body type There are so many different styles and cuts of wedding dress that there will always be something to suit your body shape. The key is to choose something that will accentuate your best features, while drawing attention away from the parts you aren’ t so keen on. Remember these key points: Empire line dresses will lengthen short legs Dropped waist gowns will compensate for a short waist V-necks are very slimming and perfect for larger busted brides Detail and gathered material at the bust is great for flatter chests Horizontal lines widen the body and vertical lines elongate it Don’t be tempted to try to hide the parts of your body you don’t like under layers of structured fabric as this will only draw attention to them and give an overall chunky impression. Conversely, make sure your dress isn’t too revealing as you don’t want to be self conscious all day, and you don’t want your wedding photos to be something you later cringe over.Many brides make the mistake of buying a dress that is too small with the idea of dieting into it. Although you will undoubtedly lose some weight before the wedding, you are unlikely to lose whole dress sizes, so it is much better to buy a gown that fits and plan plenty of fittings close to the big day to make any necessary changes.