Let’s talk wedding dress shopping (& tips for finding the dress of your dreams)! This was one of my favorite part of the wedding planning process, and I had a blast trying on so many beautiful dresses.

I had a total of two wedding dress appointments at two different places in Dallas.

The first appointment I had was a little last minute. I had my eyes on this certain dress that I saw online and fell in love with – the Monique Lhuillier ‘Lily of the Valley’ dress. I thought it was the most gorgeous dress I had ever seen, but it was traveling around the country and was only in Dallas for just a few days. My sister wasn’t able to miss her test for a class, and my mom wasn’t in Texas that week, but my grandma offered to go with me. I drove up from Austin and headed to Neiman Marcus Bridal Shop in Dallas, Texas to see the dress of my dreams (and try on a few others).

I tried on the dress and thought it was gorgeous. But I loved almost every dress I tried on about the same, which was an alarming feeling – but also not the worst problem in the world to have in retrospect. I wasn’t sold on one particular dress and also couldn’t make a final choice without at least my mom there. However, I am glad I had that first appointment to get a better ideas of styles and silhouettes that I liked. I also didn’t have the wedding budget baked out at that point, so the second appointment was much easier to navigate because I had my budget sorted out.

A few weeks later, I had my second bridal store appointment at Warren Barrón in Dallas. When I looked at their website, they had several brands I was already very interested in checking out (like Mira Zwillinger and Monique Lhullier), and making an appointment was incredibly easy. Their customer service from beginning to end was a 10/10, and they made everything so fun and stress-free. Their dresses are definitely on the higher end of prices, but I loved every second of my experience with them. I loved how they made suggestions for me, gave me feedback, and just how helpful and kind they were in general. They also did all the  alterations for my dress, and they did an amazing job. I was so, so happy with my experience there and couldn’t recommend them enough.

Wedding dress shopping tips:

• Do research beforehand. Decide on your budget (and don’t try on dresses that aren’t in your budget. Let the store know your budget at the appointment.), find some designers you like, and find a few stores near you that are in your price range and offer designers/styles that you’re interested in. Call or email ahead of time and make an appointment, a lot (if not all or most?) don’t just let you walk in without an appointment. I would recommend reaching out a few weeks in advance if you can, but some salons may take appointments closer to time.
  • Speaking of budgets, don’t forget to factor in the price of alterations/veil/etc. – those things can add to your grand total.
• For some reason, I thought you’d just slip the dress on by yourself in a dressing room. But pretty much every single wedding dress requires help to get into. I’d recommend wearing nude underwear/Spanx/strapless bra and bringing a pair of heels.
• It can help give you a better visual if you wear your hair/makeup in a style that you plan to wear for the wedding day. I originally thought I wanted my hair down, so I tried on all the dresses with my hair in loose waves (back when I had curtain bangs during a mid-pandemic hair crisis lol).
• Take lots of pictures and videos. You’ll want to look back at them as you make your decision and remember what they looked like! They’re also good to have on hand as you start to plan your full wedding look because your vendors (hair stylist, makeup artist, photographer, etc.) will want to see.
• Don’t worry about the size of the dress. I actually have no idea what ‘size’ my dress even was. Bridal sizes run so strange, so don’t worry about the numbers.
• Be careful about how many people you bring and ask opinions from. The first day I went shopping, I sent all of the different dresses to my parents (who proceeded to show their friends), my sister, a few of my best friends, my grandparents, Chase’s fam, etc. The funny thing was that every single person had a DIFFERENT favorite. I learned that everybody is going to have a different preference, and that’s totally fine. I even had a few brash and strong opinions from others (which seem even more harsh when you’re a bride-to-be because you’re already under so much stress/experiencing so many emotions), but I had to realize that nobody’s opinion about any of the dresses mattered. I was the only one wearing the dress, and Chase would think I looked beautiful no matter which one I picked. And trust me – your partner will think you look incredible in any dress you choose!
  • When I made my decision (which, yes, I bought on the spot without even sleeping on it), I didn’t have a single doubt in my mind. My mom kept asking if I had changed my mind or had any dress regrets, and I didn’t once question or second guess my dress. It was the dress that I fell in love with, and I chose it, and I was going to feel beautiful in it. When you choose your dress, stop overthinking it, stop looking at dresses on Instagram, stop second guessing your choice. I went and unfollowed a bunch of dress designers on social media the next day because I made my choice and didn’t need to keep browsing for the one (it’s just like once you meet your partner, you don’t keep scrolling on dating apps to see ‘what else is out there’. Know that you made an amazing choice for you and that your dress is the only one that matters).  Still 6 months later after the wedding, I love the dress I chose and have no regrets.
  • I genuinely thought all the dresses I tried on were beautiful, and I could have been happy in any of them. However, I could have seen myself having regrets if I would have picked a dress that I was talked into instead of truly following my heart.
    • I do want to note that I was very lucky to have such a supportive grandma and mom to shop with who did not once say a single negative things about me in any of the dresses that I tried on. I know that it’s a very fortunate and sometimes rare thing, but I was thankful that they let me “be me” and never once tried to pressure me into something different. 
  •  I know it’s easier said than done because as a bride-to-be, you have so many (sometimes unsolicited) opinions being thrown your way at all times, but choose the dress you want. Choose the dress that you feel like ‘you’ in. They are not wearing it, so take negative opinions with a grain of salt.
• On that same note, you don’t even have to show anyone your dress if you don’t want to. I chose not to show my bridesmaids because I knew my dress was a little different and that it wouldn’t be for everyone. I didn’t want anyone to feel pressured to be like “wow! I love your dress” on the spot, and I knew on the wedding day, my friends and Chase would think I looked beautiful. I had a vision of what I wanted the vibes of the wedding to be, and my dress fit in with the mood boards I made. But I knew that it would be better for everyone to see the dress on the big day once everything was together and they could see the big picture.
  • BUT if you want to show everyone including your fiance – I 100% understand that! I’m personally glad I decided to show only my family, but I have friends who have showed their partners or friends, and I love that too. There’s no wrong or right way to do it – whatever is best for you.
• One thing to think about that didn’t even cross my mind whatsoever until the final alterations on my dress is the functionality of your dress. If you’re worried about pulling up a strapless dress all night, then pick something with straps (this didn’t personally happen to me, thankfully. My dress miraculously stayed up without any issues). If you’re worried about other people stepping on your dress all night, consider a long veil to wear for the ceremony and choose a dress without a mega-long train in the back.
  • At my final dress fitting, I found out that I wouldn’t be able to dance in my wedding gown because it couldn’t physically be bustled (aka pinned up in the back so you won’t step on it). This was the first dress my seamstress had run into this problem with, but it’s a good thing to think about as you make your decision. 
• Try on each dress again after you narrow it down. I’m sure your bridal shop will suggest the same thing, but if you have it narrowed down, it can be helpful to try your faves on for a second – or even third time.
• You don’t have to make a decision on the spot. I made my decision on the spot because I can be kind of an impulsive person sometimes, and sometimes I just get very strong gut feelings. BUT there is no pressure to pick a dress on the day of your appointment. If your bridal shop is trying to pressure you to pick one that day, stand up for yourself and let them know you need more time to think. For some people, it’s helpful to try another store or sleep on it (or think about it for a week). Whatever makes you feel comfortable and confident with your decision!
• Stuck between two and can’t pick? Pick the cheaper one. This was the advice my planner gave me during the wedding process – if you’re equally torn between two things, just pick the cheaper one. And I definitely stand by this advice.
• It’s okay if you don’t cry at all when you find your dress. It’s okay if you shed just one single tear. And it’s okay if you bawl your eyes out. There’s no wrong way to react to finding your dress – we’re all different and it’s a unique experience for everyone.
• Be open-minded! I originally wanted something low back, halter neck maybe mermaid-style. Here are some pics I drew when I first got engaged:

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• As you can see ^, I thought I wanted something tottallyy different than what I ended up with. When I walked into the bridal stores, I found myself gravitating towards gowns with embellishments and texture, so I went with it. It can also be helpful to look through your Pinterest wedding board. After my first appointment, I realized most dresses that I pinned were actually more ornate like the ones I tried on and not as sleek and simple as I pictured in my head
• Try on a variety of different dresses and styles. Ask the bridal shop which styles they’d recommend for you – they do this all day, every day and are truly the experts. Also – you don’t have to just go to one bridal shop. Try out a few different stores.
• Your dress does not have to be traditional if you don’t want it to be! I tried on some dresses that had splashes of green, and I loved them. If you want a short dress or a pink dress for your big day – do it!
• Funny enough, I didn’t actually choose “my dress” when I walked into the store. I tried on about 3-4 dresses that I liked, and then one of the owners of the bridal salon suggested I try on this dress that was traveling and only in Dallas for a few days:

When I first looked at it, I was like “No thank you! I don’t think I could pull that off.”, and she was like, “You should try it on just for fun! We just got it in and have it for a few days, and we haven’t seen it on anybody yet!”. So I decided to put it on..

[ezcol_1half][/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end][/ezcol_1half_end][ezcol_1half][/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end][/ezcol_1half_end] It was love at first sight as soon as I put it on (especially after the veil was added! Side note: I have to give Warren Barrón full credit for picking out this amazing veil. I would have never thought about pairing the dress and the veil together!). Was I crying hysterically, freaking out like an episode of “Say Yes to the Dress”? No, but I was head over heels in love with it and had that gut feeling that I found my dress! I felt beautiful and like myself in it, and it was the first dress in a sea of beautiful “yes, I could see myself wearing this one” dresses that I felt WOW in.

What’s funny though is after I went home that night after saying yes to the dress, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the dress felt familiar to me. There was something nostalgic I loved about it, and then I realized…

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It looked just like a dress my grandma and mom had worn!

During quarantine, I picked up a new hobby of organizing all of the family photos (starting in the 1920s) and organizing them in chronological order along with scanning them.

The dress I picked reminded me so much of a dress my grandma and mom wore when they were younger. Making this connection made my dress even more special to me.

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Now a look at some other gorgeous dresses I tried on:

This was the dress of my dreams that I drove all the way to Dallas to try on. While the ‘Lily of the Valley’ dress was stunning, unique, and beautifully made, I didn’t have the “wow” moment I was expecting to have. I liked it a lot, but I wasn’t in love. I also felt like it was a little overwhelming on my 5’0 frame, and I felt like it swallowed me a bit.

The matching veil was also stunning!

I was obsessed with this one. The subtle sparkles/glitter made it so etherial.

This one was a little more see-through than what I was looking for. But the flowers on it were just gorgeous.

This was my least favorite dress on me. I definitely knew that I didn’t want a plunging neckline, but the back was amazing.

I loved the green! And that train.. oh my gosh.

My grandma lovingly coined this one “the flying nun”. I thought it was an amazing dress though for the right bride and venue. I mean look at THOSE SLEEVES. Gorgeous.

I tried on this Mira Zwillinger dress at both salons. It was my sister’s favorite dress that I tried on, but it was a little more than I wanted to spend. I LOVED this dress though and thought it was drop dead gorgeous. It was probably my second favorite dress that I tried on!

Those were all of the dresses I tried on! I seriously thought they all were beautiful and would have loved to wear any of them.

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I thought wedding dress shopping was a lot of fun, and I hope you find these tips helpful! If I had to just give one wedding dress tip, it would be choose the dress that YOU love. Trust your instincts and choose the dress that makes you feel comfortable and beautiful!