Wedding planning brings up all kinds of emotions that I did not expect. From family dynamics to financial struggles, there is a LOT to be stressed out about. But one thing I did NOT see coming was the absolute panic I had over wedding dress shopping.
I like to shop. I was the girl who would leave for my lunch break and come back hiding my ZARA bags. Shopping is my idea of self-care. So imagine my surprise when it came time to make some dress appointments and I was suddenly in hives?
Carrie Bradshaw Season 4 (real ones know)
What's interesting is when I posted on IG asking if anyone else had a weird fear of trying on wedding dresses, I expected maybe a 5% response. I was not expecting 47%!!! That's almost half! This was WAY more common than I ever expected, why had I not heard about it before?
So why are so many of us afraid to try on wedding dresses? I have a few theories: It's a lot of pressure. We've never seen ourselves as "brides" before or it feels wayyy outside of our style/comfort zone. We're not exactly in "bridal shape" when it's time to try on dresses. What if we can't find the one? And wait, this means this whole wedding thing is really happening isn't it....
Whatever the reason for your personal panic attack, I found a few ways that may help you ease into the process:
1. Put someone else in charge. I was dreading the process so much that I finally handed over the reins to a good friend of mine to pick the store and book the appointment for me.
2. Don't overwhelm yourself by inviting your entire family/ friend group if you don't want to. For my first dress appointment, I went with two close friends to keep things chill. I ended up going to several other dress shops completely by myself. Are you the type that likes to shop solo or with a crew? I'm a solo shopper in real life so I honored my truth.
3. Make it a part of a fun day. Brunch before? Blowouts? I put on a dress and did my best to get into the "bridal spirit" for my first appointment.
4. Go to a smaller boutique first. My first appointment was at LOHO Bride in LA. It was a smaller boutique that only took 1 bride at a time so you could go through the inventory without pushing through people. Their selection was smaller so I wasn't overwhelmed AND they let you choose your musical preferences so the store fit your vibe.
5. Release any and all pressure to find "the one" and just have fun. Wedding dresses can be a lot like dudes. Sometimes you think you know exactly what you want and other times the one that isn't "your type" catches you by surprise. That's why you just have to try them all. Wedding dress styles' that is. Not dudes. Well maybe both.. idk, do you.
A dress I almost didn't try on but LOVED once it was on me at 'The White Dress'
Try on the sexy dress, the princess dress, the mermaid, the boho, you NEVER know what is going to strike the right cord so just go with it. The dress I ended up choosing is nothing what I pictured when I first started the process. And guess what? After ripping off that bandaid of the first dress appointment I actually really enjoyed the process. I enjoyed it so much that I went to 7 stores and tried on over 70+ dresses before saying yes to the dress. And then I went to another dress shop for fun and THAT WAS A HUGE MISTAKE. But we'll save that for another post...
Good luck out there,
SM