INSIDE A REAL BRIDAL DRESS SHOPPING APPOINTMENT & TIPS FOR WHAT TO EXPECT
If you're getting ready to shop for your wedding dress and want to know what actually happens during a bridal appointment, our guide walks you through a real appointment at The White Dress by the Shore in Connecticut, along with our expert tips as bridal stylists for making the most of your bridal shopping experience.
As bridal stylists working with brides it’s our joy to assist brides throughout their wedding dress search, including the bridal dress shopping appointment. I’m sharing a bit of the behind the scenes to show you what a real bridal dress shopping appointment looks like, plus a few expert tips for what you can expect at your own bridal appointment. It is our goal to help make your dress shopping experience as enjoyable and memorable day as your wedding day.
Bridal dress shopping is one of the most exciting parts of the wedding planning process, but it can also be intimidating for some brides. If you don’t consider yourself he typical fashionista, or someone used to being the center of attention, the bridal dress shopping appointment might make you feel a bit uncomfortable.
To help ease the nerves, I’m showing you an inside look at the bridal dress shopping experience to help prepare you for your own appointment.
What to Expect at Your Bridal Appointment
Before we get into a behind the scenes peek into a real wedding dress shopping experience, let’s share a few tips for going dress shopping, because it’s not like shopping for everyday clothes. Knowing what to expect can help set you as ease and calm nerves so that you focus on the task at hand - finding your dream wedding dress that makes you feel as beautiful and confident as you deserve to be
It Starts With The Boutique
A great bridal dress shopping appointment includes expert stylist support and a curated selection of wedding gowns. It’s also important for brides to feel a warm, welcoming atmosphere that helps them relax and enjoy the moment.
Whether it’s your first time trying on wedding dresses or narrowing down your favorites to choose “the one,” the right wedding dress boutique and bridal stylist can help you feel celebrated, supported and ready to decide!
A Warm Welcome & Private Feel
As you arrive, expect to be greeted and checked in at the entrance to the boutique. You’ll then be guided to a private bridal suite area where you and your group have your own area to yourselves, rather than a busy retail environment that you’d experience shopping for everyday clothes. .
Personal Stylist Guidance
From the beginning, you’ll be met by your bridal stylist who will ask about your wedding vision, body preferences, style inspirations, and budget.
Your stylist will use this information and their expert knowledge to pull wedding gown selections for you to review and try on.
Trying On & Discovery
You’ll take some time to review the curated selection of wedding dresses pulled just for you. The stylist will help you explore different dress silhouettes, fabrics, and details that suit your personality, body type and wedding theme.
Your Guests & Celebrations
With guests present at your bridal dress experience, it’s considered interactive. We want your people to weigh in, cheer you on, give feedback, and help celebrate with you.
Getting Closer to “The One”
The dress appointment is structured to guide you toward clarity on what oyu like and don’t like, not necessarily towards a ‘yes’ right away. We’re not looking to pressure you to rush a decision.
Your stylist will assist you in understanding what you like and dislike when it comes to bridal dresses and if you find ‘the one’ that day, then we’re all celebrating!
Extra Touches & Atmosphere
Depending on the shopping experience you choose, there are some optional added details like a mimosa toast, professional photography, or a private after-hour access to the entire bridal boutique exclusively for you and your party.
These special touches enhance the luxury feel and make the appointment more than just shopping.
Tips & Guidance
After your appointment, your stylist and bridal boutique will provide you with everything you need to know on what comes next in the wedding dress process. With this, think about accessories, undergarments, shoes, alterations, timelines, and more.
Memory Making
Your whole wedding dress experience is designed to be fun, personal, and memorable.
For the stylists as your bridal shop, it’s more than just a transaction, it’s an important part of your love story and we want this experience to be a memory you’ll cherish.
Inside A Real Dress Shopping Appointment
Let’s step into a bridal dress shopping appointment at The White Dress By The Shore, which I own. This bridal boutique in Clinton, Connecticut is a by-appointment bridal salon where you receive a one-on-one bridal experience. The salon offers luxury wedding gowns from the top bridal dress designers and even has some exclusive lines in Connecticut.
For this inside look at the bridal dress shopping experience we’re following my niece, Meghan, and her now wife, Sarah, as they experienced private dress shopping in two different locations at the salon.
Be sure to check out their final bridal dress choices from their charming wedding in Massachusetts and bridal portrait session.
Both brides enjoyed a White Carpet Appointment at The White Dress By The Shore, which is private shopping experience. This was extra special since the bridal boutique is in the same town where both brides were raised and where they met in high school. With the private shopping experience, they were able to invite their families and truly make them finding their dream wedding dresses a family event.
We started the bridal appointment in the garden with both families present and then separated for their bridal appointments, one upstairs and one downstairs, to ensure that the brides did not know what wedding gown the other had selected.
As their bridal stylist and Meghan’s proud auntie, I felt privileged to be the only person privy to know which gown Meghan and Sarah chose.
Come along behind the scenes for Meghan and Sarah’s private bridal dress shopping experience with photos from Steve DePino…
Photography credit: Steve DePino
Thank you to Meghan and Sarah and my entire family for letting us share in this magical experience! I will cherish working with you as your bridal stylist!
If you want to see their final wedding dress selections, you’ll have to check out the feature we did on their spring wedding in New England. Spoiler alert, the rain on their wedding day was so bad that they were able to wear their wedding dresses again one week later for an incredible orchard bridal portrait session.
Let Us Help You Look & Feel Your Best on Wedding Day
Are you feeling excited about scheduling a wedding dress shopping appointment now? I hope the tips and seeing the behind-the scenes of a real bridal shopping experiences helps you to prepare for your own experience as the bride.
If you’re getting married and have any bridal style questions or are interested in bridal styling or our day-of-wedding dressing services for the bride, the family, or the wedding party, please get in touch with us.
Beth Chapman Styling is a full-service bridal styling company specializing in bridal fashion styling and on-site wedding day dressing for chic couples around the globe. We believe a bride should look and feel beautiful on her wedding day, but doesn’t need to be stressed to achieve it.