Don't let the search for your wedding gown stress you out!

Perhaps one of the most exciting and stressful parts of wedding planning for the bride is the hunt for the perfect dress.  The sensible woman in her wants something reasonably priced and comfortable; the dreamer wants the the dress that will make her look and feel like a princess no matter the cost!  In the end, you’re a very lucky bride if all you have to worry about is the price.  Maybe you know exactly what you want- could even draw it or bring in a picture that you’ve held onto for years.  Maybe you haven’t a clue what you want and are just hoping to put on a dress and have that magical feeling of “This is the one!”  Regardless of which one you are, chances are, your search will be much longer than you expect.  Most brides end up going to 3-5 bridal gown shops, many go to even more, spending months trying on tens of dozens of gowns at stores that range from the large and reasonably priced, but largely unimaginative David’s Bridal to the smaller and exquisite, but often pricey boutiques like b. Hughes Bridal & Formal and it’s very difficult to know where to go to begin your search.  A piece of advice: no matter what you think you want go to several stores with different setups to get a good variety.  You may find exactly what you want at a larger store or you may need to go to a smaller more upscale salon.  You never know if the dress you’ve had in mind is really going to set off that spark or if it’ll end up being something completely unexpected- often as not brides end up with something completely different from what they set out to find and are utterly delighted!  I know I was.

There is another route entirely for those of you who are one the adventurous side.  Local fashion designer, Olia Zavozina, offers custom bridal design for brides who either have something particular in mind and are unable to find it, or brides who are looking for a truly one-of-a-kind look designed with their input just for them!

Custom Bridal Designs

Here’s some advice for brides just beginning the search from a designer’s point of view:

“I am not sure if you are a bride who knows exactly what she is looking for or if you are the one who has never tried any gowns before and don’t have any idea of what you may like.  You also could be way too busy to even think about it and that was me;)  To make your life easier and to determine what type of a dress is perfect for you, I created a list of points for you to think about:”

“1. Knowing your budget.”

If you know you can’t spend more than $1,000 or $500 or whatever the amount you decide you can spend, then that can help lead you to the stores that carry dresses in your price range.  I would still recommend that you try on some of the more expensive couture dresses just for fun (and believe me, it is fun!) and to help give you ideas.  You may find a great dress that is way out of your price range but it can give you an idea what to focus your search on in less expensive stores.

“2. Finding out what is important for you:

a. A fabric type (silk, polyester, etc.) If you have an outside summer wedding you may need to consider working with natural fibers- silks, however it will be more     expensive than synthetic dresses. Decisions, decisions, decisions…

b.  A special twist such as layers, ruffles, gathers, etc.

c. A custom dress vs. one off the rack.  One of a kind, unique gown (silk only) that would represent you and your personality will start from $2,500 and go up $6,000 in general or if you like to purchase a ready-to-wear gown from a bridal boutique their prices in general will vary from $500-$3,800 (synthetic) and $3,200-$12,000 (silk)”

As you can see, custom is generally more expensive than off the rack, but not necessarily- it’s all about the choices that you make.  You may be able to get a simple dress in a sumptuous fabric for less than an off the rack dress and likewise you may be able to get a unique- truly original style in a synthetic fabric that will give you the look you want without the high price of a natural fiber.  Just be smart and know what’s important to you.

“3. Go online and checkout some of the most recent bridal runway shows”

Bridal Runway Show

This is a great way to get an idea not only of the different looks that are out there, but also what’s in fashion now.  You’ll need to decide whether you want to have a cutting-edge, current look or a more timelessly classic look, but this will be a great way to see the difference before you’ve even left the house!

“4. Select your 3-5 most favorite gowns.  See who carries them in your area”

This may enable you to skip having to go on the traditional dozen shopping trips.  Pre-shopping online allows you to focus your search to shops and designers who are more likely to give you what you’re looking for thereby saving you time and potential frustration.  However, I would caution you against deciding too firmly before you’ve tried anything on.  Having preferences is helpful, but don’t close yourself off to the possibility of finding the perfect dress you never thought to look for!

“5. Go to the local bridal shop and try them on

6. Remember to try on at least 3 different silhouettes: Mermaid, A-line/Ball gown, and Empire waist.”

Dress Silhouettes

This will give you an idea of what flatters your figure the most, giving you yet another way to begin to narrow your search.  This is especially helpful if you really don’t have any ideas what you’re wanting.  Just choosing a silhouette can help you feel like you’re making progress and keep you from getting too overwhelmed.

“7. Do not limit yourself, be open to try on different types of gowns.

I have met a bride who loves ruffles and what she wanted in her dress was ruffles… long story short she bought a classic, clean-cut mermaid silhouette gown with no ruffles;)”

You never really know what is going to end up being “The One” for you any more than you could predict down to the last detail who you’d choose to spend the rest of your life with.  I didn’t even expect to have a “The One” moment.  I definitely surprised myself, not to mention my mother and sister, by actually tearing up just like in those cheesy romantic comedies when I was up on that podium looking in the mirrors.  It wasn’t what I’d expected, but it was somehow exactly what I was looking for.

Laura and Jim Dugger- Jewelry by Adornments, Dress from b. Hughes, Photograph by Gray Photography

“A great thing about designing the gown of your dreams is that you are there every step of the way, from a sketch to a final garment.. how lovely!

Good luck

Olia”

With so many options, it’s hard to know where to start and so easy to become overwhelmed that it’s tempting to keep putting it off, but doing so could lead to the problem of after you’ve found the place you want, it’s no longer available.  Many venues have to be booked 6 months to a year in advance for a wedding, so there’s really no time to waste!  So as to not be overwhelmed, perhaps the easiest place to start when choosing a venue is to decide on a few key points and then just go exploring!

First: Pick a month

I say month, because you want to be as flexible as possible going into the choosing of your location.  Choose a month that both of you enjoy the weather of, suits your schedules and is far enough away to give you the time you need to plan your wedding without going crazy: 6 months to 1 year is usually best.  Then, once you pick a venue, you have a date!

Second: Pick a city

It seems obvious, but even if you say Nashville, are you including Brentwood?  Franklin?  Antioch? How far out are you willing to go?  Think about where you’re guest are, where you live and how far you want to have to travel the day of to get to your wedding.  Unless your planning an On Location wedding in Europe or South America (in which case, please get a planner and then invite me! ) you want to reduce the stress of planning and of the week of as much as possible by choosing a location that will not be difficult to get to but still have the characteristics that you’re looking for.  Remember, you can always expand your search if you can’t find what you’re looking for.

Third: Indoor, Outdoor or both?

This may also seem like it wouldn’t necessarily narrow your search much, but you’d be surprised how many venues have limitations as to what they can accommodate.  The month you choose will largely determine whether or not outdoor is desirable due to the weather.

Fourth: This is crucial- how big is your wedding going to be?

You don’t need the final head count before you start searching for venues, but do an estimate of the relatives and friends on both sides.  You can’t go for a venue that only has a capacity of 200 people if you both have more than that just in your families!  Likewise, you don’t need to be choosing a venue that can hold 1,000 people if you’re only going to be inviting 150.  Look for a venue that suits the size of your wedding; you don’t want the venue to be packed or your guests will feel uncomfortable, but neither do you want every word to echo.  Keep in mind that you can usually expect that only 75% of the people you invite will RSVP that they will be able to attend, and not all of them will actually make it due to last minute illnesses, weather/travel difficulties, and other unexpected issues.

Fifth: Budget, budget, budget!

Knowing how big your wedding is going to be largely determine how much you can expect to spend on a venue.  There are lots of ways to keep the costs down when planning your wedding and you don’t want to blow your whole budget on the venue unless that’s the most important part of your wedding to you (i.e. location weddings in foreign countries would qualify for this category).  Once you start looking around at venues you will start to get a sense of what is an average cost for a venue that can accommodate the number of people you expect to attend.

Places to start:

One of the great things about planning a wedding nowadays is that you can do a lot of the research and initial planning online!  Most venues have websites so you can get a feel for the place and a sense of the cost before you even speak to them!  It saves a lot of time and allows you to only visit the venues that are really going to be in the running!  There are also several website that will help you search for venues and other vendors based on a wide variety of search criteria such as location, capacity, style (urban, garden, church, etc) and more!

I recommend Ashley’s Bride Guide and Wedding Wire as excellent tools to begin your search.  It will save you a lot of headaches doing random searched on the internet for wedding venues and allow you to get more focused results for your effort.  Of course, they don’t list every venue in the world, but it’ll help you get a better idea of what appeals to you.

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