1. Shop around - wait for sales or buy second hand. Bride online is a good website to look for a dress and categorises by state and price. Most sellers are willing to negotiate on price also. A dress that costs $2500 retail generally will sell second hand for around 50% off....you can get some good bargains by buying second hand and if you think about it money saved is more money to spend on your reception, honeymoon or your new house :)
2. Think outside the square - The dress you wear for your Wedding DOESN'T have to be an actual 'Wedding Dress'....retailers (and perhaps the entire bridal industry) definitely cash in, in a big way. Mention 'Wedding' and prices go up by around 20%. Some of the best Wedding Dresses I've seen aren't Wedding Dresses. They've been ball gowns or designer (and non designer) dresses. Think Lisa Ho, Alex Perry, Colette Dinnigan etc. Lisa Ho long dresses retail at around $500 - $900 whereas a Wedding Dress costs between $2000 - $4000 + brand new.
3. Avoid Shapewear - Okay this applies if you have a traditional corset back style Wedding Dress. The corsetry works best with your skin - NOT shapewear undergarments. The corseted bodice will give you a nicer shape bare on the skin rather than over a whole lot of nylon and lycra undergarments - trust me and ask any professional dressmaker/alterationist. If you're wearing a figure hugging sheath without a corset then perhaps shaping underwear will be fine. But remember - the excess (if there's excess) has to have somewhere to go - not a good look if you buy the wrong style/size
4. Buy a good strapless bra - Finelines has a great one that can be bought at Raffaele Ciuca, most bridal couture stores and Myer, Bras n Things etc. You want one that doesn't give you that 'back fat' look and that is supportive - it may not be pretty but under the dress it will give you better shape and support. An escaped boobie is not a good look in the Wedding pictures. For girls who buy dresses with straps a strapless bra is still good because there's no chance of the bra strap showing under your dress.
5. DO get a bustle made on your dress if you have a long train - It is an absolute pain in the butt having your guests step on your train at the reception - or like me if your groom does, constantly! bustling it up means you can move more freely and prevents damage and ripping to your dress.
6. DON'T buy your dress too small unless you are CERTAIN you will be able to fit into the dress on the day - Remember all those clothes sitiing in your wardrobe that you hang onto because you WILL fit into them one day?? Well Wedding Dresses aren't immune. If the dress is only marginally small that's fine but if it's 2-3 sizes too small forget it. It's a huge waste of money and means you will be even more stressed out by having a deadline to lose the weight. Conversely it makes it hard for the poor dressmaker as they have to 'guess' or approximate your measurements as there will be several fittings generally over a month to 6 weeks. If you're like me you buy your dress 2 sizes too small: 6 weeks to the Wedding and it's still more than a size too small so you freak out and buy another (way expensive!!) then towards the end of the 6 weeks the dress is actually TOO BIG but too bad you have a new dress and it's too late to have the 1st altered anyway.....(lucky for me I managed to sell the 1st dress for what I paid....so no loss but a whole lot of stress)
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