If you are getting married in the this year or next, but do not have a wedding dress yet, here are our top tips to help you make your mind up.  

Ideally shop 12 months prior to your wedding date, with the plan to place an order for your gown no later than eight months in advance. Naturally, that timeline can be flexible as occasionally designers can rush deliver, hold stock or a bride may choose a sample gown. Custom gowns and bespoke changes require more time, given the amount of choice and decisions to be made, any boutique would need even more time than 8 months to deliver on a bride’s expectation. 

Find out if your dress shop offers appointments so you are not rushed – now is the time to do your research and get decisive. Use the opportunity to reflect and be honest with yourself to decide what you are really looking for in a wedding gown. Ask yourself whose opinions truly matters in the process and whose opinion matters most (spoiler alert: it is yours). Editing down your entourage is a forever tip when it comes to avoiding indecision in the wedding shopping process. 

Think of a time when you dressed up and felt your absolute best, dissect why, and apply those notes to this monumental shopping process. Be open to the idea that what you love in bridal might be a departure from your style norms; be open to the idea that your decision of what to wear down the aisle could be predictable. Stop playing devil’s advocate. Stop asking everyone you know, just met, or are soon to be related to for an opinion. Trust your gut. 

That self-assurance is going to serve you well once you get into a boutique to find the one. Choose wisely where you visit and contact them before making an appointment and ensure they have what is on your shortlist and more importantly in your budget. We have been receiving so many emails with images and ideas from brides and we are more than happy to check what a bride is looking for is with us. Whatever you do, do not be a busy fool. You simply do not have the time. 

Choosing a simpler gown may also be the solution, there has been a boom of simpler gowns that are high style. Dresses that focus on dramatic details, draping, structure, interesting necklines, and silhouettes, but that are less focused on beading, lace, and embroideries that those gowns could be worth considering for a quick turnaround, given that most of the embroideries and laces needed for more elaborate styles are sourced from abroad. That simpler look does not necessarily mean that “simple.” 

One thing is for sure: Decisive women are going to win the day when it comes to wedding dress shopping in the months ahead. Gone are the days of trying on hundreds of gowns, as is visiting, and revisiting your top choices multiple times, only to go home and marinate on your decision one last time. Do a proper gut check about what you are looking for style-wise, what you like and do not like, and which brands you are after. Becoming a bride is such a memorable life moment that it is important to select a dress that has you looking and feeling like your absolute best self.