Top tips before you book.
You have just got engaged. Congratulations!!!
Being a newly engaged bride can be so overwhelming and exciting it is very easy to get carried away. Here are our top tips on when to start shopping for your wedding gown and how to plan.
Unless you are ready to buy, don't start to try.
All brides think shopping for their wedding dress is the most exciting experience in the wedding planning process. Trust us it really can be if planned properly. However if you rush into it things can easily become stressful. The first on our list of top tips is to make sure you are in a position to make a purchase before you make any bookings to try on dresses. 86% of our brides say “yes” in their first appointment. This means it is important to have the following in place before you book.
1, Who are you taking with you to your appointment? Again this can be so tempting to invite Granny Pat, Kelly from junior school and Mum’s next door neighbour Sue! Keep in mind this is a big decision, you should try to invite those people you trust to help you make this choice. More about this further down.
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2, Ensure you have an idea of your budget and enough funds to cover the deposit on the dress. This is typically 60% of the total cost. Not having an idea of how much you and your partner agree to spend on outfits can lead to over spending which then causes stress down the line when you get closer to the big day. Likewise if someone special in your life has lovingly decided to purchase your dress as a gift you might want to check in with them before you book so that there are no awkward conversations during the appointment.
This is not the time to "Shop till you drop".
Again as exciting as dress shopping can be to start with, the shine can quickly wear off. It can soon start to seem confusing, stressful and even in the worst cases disheartening. 9 times out of 10 those brides who start to feel fed up with the whole process are the same ones that have booked far too many appointments.
We suggest booking a maximum of 2/3 bridal appointments. The way to narrow it down is to do your research and be sure that the store is the right fit for you. Here are a few key points to think about when selecting which stores to visit:
1, Does the store fit with your time scale?
Most new wedding dresses take between 6-8 months to arrive. Here at Eva Joyce our main collection gowns take minimum 6 months to arrive. There are however “Off-The-Peg” options which mean you are taking away the dress you have tried on in store. These are great for those brides with reduced time lines. Don’t forget when you are working out your time scales that you need to leave aprox 6 weeks for alterations. (For more about alterations see our Nip & Tuck blog post coming soon)
2, Does the store cater to your budget?
It is important as mentioned earlier that you have a good idea of what you would like to spend on your wedding dress and accessories before you start shopping. You need to be specific and factor in alterations as well. Our gowns rage from £1025 to £2500. Most bridal stores wont advertise their prices online. However you should always feel free to give them a call or drop a message to ask when doing research. There is nothing worse than turning up for an appointment only to find all the gowns are outside your budget.
3, Does the store have sample gowns in your size?
This shouldn’t be something you have to ask and even typing this makes me cross at the bridal industry as a whole. (I wont go into this now) Unfortunately it is part of the reality that bridal stores do not always cater for all sizes. Eva Joyce carry high street sizes from 6-26 in store and can order from size 0-34. To find out more about our unique sizing policy please see our “What’s your size?!*^” blog.
Too many opinions.
I touched on this very briefly above but as you may have seen on the many bridal inspired TV programs. Your entourage can make or break your appointment. Again this sounds over dramatic and believe me I wish it wasn’t true, but as a team we have had enough experience to be able to give advice on who you should invite to share this experience with you. So here are our top tips on entourage selection:
1, No children under 10. Unfortunately we don’t allow children under 10 in the boutique unless under special circumstances. But the reason we suggest not to bring children to the appointment is that the attention ends up being split. If it is your guests child their attention will not be fully focused on you. If it is your child there can certainly be allowances made. However we have found in the past that brides who bring children to their first appointment are distracted and then ultimately more stressed. If you would love your child to be involved in the dress process let us know and we can book a specialised appointment for you and make sure we are giving you the experience of a lifetime.
2, Think of those people who have been there for you in the past. Those who will always give you an honest opinion and who have supported you throughout your life. These are the people you want to be with you when you are selecting your dress.
3, Don’t feel guilty for not including everyone, there are plenty of opportunities for people to get involved during your planning process. Remember this part is about you! We find the best way to explain this to people is that you would really love to see their face on your big day.
The final suggestion is to trust your gut. If at any point during the journey to find your dress you feel pressured, uncertain or god forbid upset. You need to stop take a step away for a few days and come back to it. Your buying journey should be wonderful and here at Eva Joyce that is what we strive to create for each bride. Even if you don’t find your dress with us you should leave having had a lovely experience and have a little more knowledge about your bridal style.
Please feel free to get in touch should you have any questions at all about bookings etc: 01422 251847 or hello@evajoycebridal.com