There are some common mistakes that brides make when trying to find the perfect gown and dressmaking fabric. Finding the perfect dress should be a fun and stress-free experience. We want to let you know some of the mistakes that you can easily avoid. These are the top mistakes we’ve found brides make while shopping.

Budgets not being discussed before shopping

Knowing your budget before shopping is very important. Various price ranges have different styles of dresses and bridal fabric. You may not be able to find “the” dress if you aren’t honest about your budget with your stylist. When you have higher expectations, you just can’t meet them with a lower priced gown. There’s no need to settle. It’s one of the easiest mistakes to avoid.

Shopping at a store you haven’t researched beforehand

Many brides make this mistake. Checking out local bridal shops and their websites or social media profiles is as easy as searching online for bridal shops in your area. After all, you’re probably on your phone anyway! In this way, you can get a better idea of what each store offers. 

Shopping too early or not early enough

When is the best time to shop? You should start shopping 9 months to a year before your wedding date, if you have it. Most designers have a production time of about four-seven months, and alterations will take about four-six weeks. These numbers are all flexible, as they depend on the designer, the length, color, size of the gown, etc. So don’t stress if your wedding isn’t far off! There are still options available. Many bridal shops sell gowns that are no longer available. Moreover, most designers produce gowns that can potentially ship sooner than the time they predict. You can also mention this to your bridal shop when you call for more information. Your bridal shop will be able to tell you more about your options.

We don’t recommend going shopping unless you are ready to purchase immediately if you have a long engagement and won’t be getting married for another year or so. A new line of bridal gowns is always coming out in bridal stores. There is a good chance that if you love a gown but aren’t planning on buying it for another six months or more, that gown may no longer be available to purchase and new gowns will be available to choose from.

Having a closed mind about your style

A bride’s biggest mistake during her bridal appointment is not being open to trying on something new or out of her comfort zone. Pinterest is wonderful for finding inspiration, but it does not guarantee that you will love it after you put it on or vice versa. Your bridal stylist is probably experienced in finding the perfect dress for brides day after day so she should know a thing or two about what will look good on you! You do not need to buy something just because you tried it on! If you hate the dress, move on to the next one. However, you might just LOVE it and say YES! In fact, this happens far more often than you think.