So you have chosen your venue, picked out the majority of the vendors for your special day–now it is time for the most important part–shopping for your dress! The dress that you will be wearing when your new husband twirls you around the dancefloor, the dress you’ll be looking at for years to come in all of your wedding photos. This is a very important piece!

So you need to plan a day (or three) to get out to bridal shops and start searching for that dream dress! Here are a few tips for you when planning a very exciting day of dress shopping!

1. Decide who you want to invite. This is very important because the people you invite are the ones who are going to help you pick out your special dress! Often times it can be very overwhelming when starting from the beginning in choosing your dress. If you have a large wedding party, sometimes it is easier to start with a small group of your closest confidants (like mom, aunt, sister) to help you narrow them down and then consider inviting all of your bridesmaids for a final decision. It is completely okay to invite everyone the first time, just be prepared to take on many opinions at once–some people are so good at this! If you have a smaller group, then might as well make a bonding day of it–invite everyone!
2. Choose two bridal shops and make appointments. Most bridal shops are by appointment only, especially if you are bringing in a group. You always want to make sure you go in a with an appointment so that your ensured a consultant who can help you every step of the way. I think it is best to stick with two shops, so you have plenty of time at each to check out their selection and speak with their consultants without being rushed of to make your next appointment.
3. Do some research on what you like before you go. Thankfully these days we have he oh-powerful Pinterest tool to help us get a jumpstart on planning for that perfect dress. When you arrive at a bridal shop there will be oodles of dresses to choose from–like white everywhere! So make sure you do a little research before on what color and styles you like so you may jump through having to look at every dress and your consultant can help you find styles that you like. Advanced tip: make sure when you are Pinteresting that you are looking at dresses that fit your body type! Every dress fits people differently, so you want to make sure you are going to be comfortable in the style you choose. You don’t want to waste time looking at a ton of dresses that don’t fit your body style!
4. Decide on a lunch spot. Let’s be honest, shopping makes everyone hungry! After a day full of picking out dresses, getting everyone’s opinion, trying the on one by one–you will need #allthefood and possibly a couple glasses of wine! You will be making decisions all day from a-line or mermaid cut to fingertip or cathedral length veil to hopefully choosing your dream dress. No one (including yourself) will want to make any more decisions once this is done, so make sure you have a lunch spot picked out ahead of time!

Wanna go even more in style?? Rent a limo for the day and enjoy mimosas and the company of your group while someone else drives you from place to place! This has always been a dream of mine and the perfect way to kick of your wedding festivities!