Top 10 Do’s & Don’ts to Buying a Wedding Dress

Recently I had the pleasure of helping a friend (who’s also a fashion stylist) find wedding dress options for her upcoming nuptials. Even stylists sometimes need the help of another stylist especially when it comes to a huge occasion like your wedding! The situation I was presented with was this: she needed 4 different dresses and we had a budget. One needs to be an actual wedding dress and the other three dresses she wanted something vintage, beaded, a la 20’s style. The place I was most impressed with was Glamour Closet off La Brea in Los Angeles. This bridal boutique carries designer gowns for half the price because they are either taken from the designers showroom or were samples.

If you’re a bride-to-be, here’s a savvy list of do’s and don’ts while shopping for and trying on wedding dresses:

1. Make a list of boutiques you want to visit for the day– it’s best they are no more than 10 miles within each other
2. Visit at least 2 – 3 boutiques in one trip, that way you have something to compare
3. Don’t bring along anyone you might end up getting into an argument with … it’s best to bring someone who doesn’t take things personally and can be completely honest or hire a stylist like myself
4. Wear a strapless bra to your wedding dress fittings (and panties of course)
5. Be open to trying on different silhouettes, even if you’re really stuck on a specific style
6. Trust the boutique staff when they help you because they know their inventory and help clients with gown fittings daily
7. After trying on dresses, narrow it down to your TOP 3 and try them on again, take a photo of each one (ask the boutique if you can take a snap, most likely they’ll say yes but some say no)
8. Whatever dress you try on that makes you smile the most, is the wedding dress for you (seriously) but take at least one night to think about it and look at the photos you took of yourself in the dresses
9. No matter what ladies, you will ALWAYS have to get a wedding gown tailored so budget about $500 for tailoring
10. Don’t buy a wedding dress online … bad, bad, bad

 My Top Picks for Bridal Boutiques in Los Angeles:

• Glamour Closet
• J. Crew Bridal Salon
• Bride Boutique LA
• The Paper Bag Princess