5 Mistakes I Made while Wedding Dress Shopping - Wedding Dress Shopping 101 Series

Alright you guys if you weren’t already stoked because of my weekly wedding planning posts then you better get real excited because all throughout October we’re going to be talking about one thing and one thing only: wedding dress shopping! My wedding dress shopping was less than ideal and that’s what inspired this entire series. Initially, I had just planned on doing one post but quickly realized that there is SO much to talk about with you guys. So naturally I took to Twitter and ran a poll (P.S. I love love love getting y’all’s input for things I’m working on so follow me over there and you can be in the know!). Anyways, you guys said you wanted a series so here it is!

Wedding Dress Shopping 101 is going to be a month long series that will happen each Wednesday throughout the month of October. If you’re new here, I got engaged in November of 2016 and have been doing a wedding post each week on this blog since June! You can find all of the other wedding related posts here, as well as the related posts section at the bottom of the post! Anyways, let’s get into spilling the tea on wedding dress shopping, shall we?

True Life: I Hate My Wedding Dress

To kick off this series, I wanted to spill a little tea on my wedding dress shopping experience. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, my search for the perfect wedding dress was less than ideal. Before I write a bunch of posts outlining how to have the perfect wedding dress shopping experience that I would make a list of all of the things I did wrong when I bought my first wedding dress.

Yes, you read that right. I actually ended up buying two dresses. If you’ve read our engagement story, you know Justin and I got engaged in November of 2016. In February, my mom and a bunch of my bridesmaids, including my Maid of Honor came up for a bridal shower which naturally meant we made an appointment for me to try on wedding dresses for the first time. I ended up buying a Blush by Hayley Paige gown, veil, headpiece, and belt by the end of the appointment. Fast forward a few more months and cue the panic. When my dress actually came in a few months later (it was pretty fast) the anxiety started. I realized that I felt no attachment to the dress. When I tried on my actual dress after it came into the shop I felt as though I loved the dress but a few months later, the anxiety came again.

While I was in Morgantown for my graduation from my Master’s program in May, we made another appointment at a local dress shop and this time, only my mom and my MOH were there. I tried on a ton more dresses and ended up falling in love with another dress. The minute I put on the dress I had already purchased afterwards, I knew it wasn’t the one. This entire wedding dress fiasco could have been easily avoided. Here’s what I did wrong the first time I went wedding dress shopping:

I went during the winter

I don’t know about you guys but winter is not my best season of the year. My depression and anxiety tend to flair up during the colder months and I always seem to gain about 5 to 10 pounds. Probably not the most ideal time to go shopping for a wedding dress. Despite being unseasonably warm the weekend we went in February, I definitely wish I would have waited a couple of more months.

I took too many people to the appointment

I had four bridesmaids and my mother who came to my first wedding dress appointment and while I love each and every single person that was there, going later with just my mom and my MOH was a completely different experience. Seriously think about who you’re inviting and why you’re inviting them to your appointment. Less is always more when it comes to taking people wedding dress shopping with you.

I focused on one designer

When I went to my first wedding dress shopping appointment I was obsessed with Hayley Paige (I still am, tbh) and that was definitely a mistake. While I tried on a couple of other dresses from different designers, I was so set on the idea of being a Hayley Paige bride that it seriously narrowed my focus. The shop I was at also didn’t have that wide of a selection of this designer severely limiting my try-on options. They had a ton of other designers, however, including the designer who actually did the dress I later fell in love with.

I wasn’t feeling my best

My first clue that I shouldn’t have gone wedding dress shopping that day was that I woke up with an absolutely KILLER headache. I didn’t feel good and I was exhausted from having a bunch of people over at my apartment, including my fiance, the night before. When you go wedding dress shopping, especially for the first time, you want your experience to be carefree and enjoyable so make sure you’re relaxed and feeling your best.

I didn’t sleep on it

The biggest mistake I ever made when I was wedding dress shopping the first time was buying a dress during the appointment. Correction, I bought everything during that appointment. If there is one thing you take away from this post it’s that you should at least leave the salon for a few hours before you actually decide to purchase the dress. The second time around, I knew without a doubt that it was the one the so I still didn’t follow this rule but I wish I had the first time because I definitely would have at least tried on more dresses.

Well there you guys go, those are the mistakes I made while wedding dress shopping! As I mentioned, all throughout October I’ll be sharing a different post each week that will keep you from making these mistakes and have you finding your dream wedding dress in no time! I hope you’re excited because I definitely am. If you want more wedding related posts, check out some of my favorites below!