Bridal Appointment DO’s and DON’TS
We want to make it easy for our girls starting their search for the ‘THE ONE’ so we’ve got together some of our top tips for dress shopping. We have so much experience in this that we want to share our insights and hopefully make the experience even better for our Brides to Be by following The White Galleys Do’s and Don’ts…
DO: Your research into what Bridal Boutiques you visit…
Looking into different stores is so important when trying to find your gown girls…
Of course, we do not expect you to know exactly what it is you are looking for (Although some girls have been dreaming of this day for years so of course know exactly what they want!) but you will find that most bridal boutiques have a certain ‘Vibe’ within their stores, and you need to make sure that you are interested in the types of dresses that they have in.
For example, if you are planning on a traditional look for your wedding and are looking for that style of gown then it probably isn’t worth visiting a shop that specialises in the Boho vibe as they aren’t likely to have anything that you are looking for.
Of course, the old saying is true “The dress you choose may be completely different to what you thought you would want!” but you still need to make sure that you book appointments for shops that have dresses that you like the look of otherwise you will waste your time and leave feeling even more confused!
DON’T: Leave yourself short on time…
There is nothing worse that feeling under pressure, especially when making such a big decision so please please please give yourself enough time! We strongly recommend our girls to visit us a minimum of 12 months the big day and here is why…
- You need to give yourself enough time to find your dress and visit a few stores if you wish. So maybe 1 or 2 months to decide on ‘The One’.
- 6-8 Months for your dress to be made and delivered to us.
- We ideally like to have a couple of months between you trying your dress when it arrives and your fitting with the seamstress (This ensures that the process doesn’t feel rushed, and it also enables you to make sure that you are where you want to be shape wise before your seamstress finalises the fit).
- Lastly, we need at least 2 months for the seamstress to make any necessary alterations and perfect the fit of your gown.
Of course, if you do have less that a year until your big day, we can work our magic and try to work on tighter time scale but if you can give yourself more time, we definitely recommend it.
DO: Bring your nearest and dearest to help you find ‘The One’
Let’s face it, as soon as family and friends hear that you are engaged, they cannot wait to get involved and help you find the perfect dress and we don’t blame them!
We realise that you may have a long list of people you would like to bring with you but here at The White Gallery we do things a little differently…Each bride has a bridal suite reserved for their appointment meaning that they have a completely private appointment with their guests where they can relax and completely enjoy the experience. Due to this we ask that each bride brings a maximum of 2 guests to their fitting. This means that the guests can sit comfortably and relax whilst you strut your stuff in our gorgeous gowns with plenty of space to move around. Of course, you will also have a lovely bridal advisor with you to help you along the way.
We completely understand that you may want to bring more than 2 guests so if you find ‘The One’ with us we can of course schedule a further appointment to show a further 2 guests. No one will miss out we promise!
DON’T: Expect the samples to fit perfectly…
We know that in the movies the bride always walks out in a dress that somehow fits perfectly and then realises straight away that it is ‘The One’ but sadly it doesn’t always work like that and that is ok (Trust us).
It would be impossible to order a sample dress that fits everyone so our samples in store are just used as a guide, and we never expect them to fit our girls perfectly. Instead, we just use them for trying on and if that is the dress for you, we simply take your measurements and order the perfect size for you. Our samples in store are between size 8-12 but the dresses can of course be ordered in the best size for each bride!
So please don’t be disappointed if they don’t fit exactly how you want it to on the day, that is what we are here for! We will pin the dress to give you the illusion and then our trusted seamstresses are on hand to tweak your actual dress to fit flawlessly on the big day.
DO: Have a price bracket in mind…
We understand no one likes to talk about money, and we completely understand, it just doesn’t feel natural to us, does it?! But honesty really is the best policy…
No matter what your budget is, everyone has one! By being honest with us we can make sure that A) You don’t fall in love with a dress way that isn’t an option for you and B) You get to see and try on all the gorgeous choices that are within what you want to spend!
Please do not think that you will be limited by sticking to a budget, but we really would hate you to fall in love with something that isn’t feasible for your wedding budget. We are here to help and even if you do love a dress that is over budget, we will of course help to find something similar that is within.
As a guide most of our dresses range from £1400-£2800. We do of course have a couple just below this and a few above but most fall into this price range. If you want to stay within a certain price bracket, please just let us help, that is what we are here for!
DON’T: Put pressure on yourself!
Listen ladies this past year has been hard enough without you putting an unreasonable amount of pressure on yourselves to look perfect 24/7! (You have made it through a year of lockdowns and a global pandemic so if your diet/workout routine has gone out of the window then it really the end of the world is it!)
We completely understand that you want to look your best on your wedding day (I mean who wouldn’t?!) but just try not to take the fun out of dress shopping by obsessing over how you look. When people say “Find a dress that suits you” they really mean it! There is a dress out there for everyone we just need to find yours to compliment your figure and show you off!
Of course, if you are no where near where you want to be then we can understand you wanting to wait a little while before starting your dress search but please just make sure that you don’t leave yourself short on time!
DO: Be open to trying different styles…
Please don’t think that when you start dress shopping you need to come fully prepared with a scrap book of pictures and have everything planned out, that really isn’t the case!
We are on hand to help you work out what it is you are looking for and what will suit you so you can just relax and enjoy yourself. The best piece of advice we can give Bride-to-be’s is to be open minded…
By trying different shapes, styles and even colours we can work out what looks best on you and help find your dream dress! We may even suggest that you try dresses that you would never think of but trust the process and give it a go, you just never know!
