New York offers many choices for brides. There are exclusive designer salons offering true couture customization and discount bridal warehouses that offer dresses off the rack, as well as many places in between. Determine where to go based on your budget and your preference of style. There is no point in going to a salon that only offers gowns in the thousands when the most you can afford is in the hundreds. You will just be wasting both the store people and your own time. Should you find some suitable places , it is good to be forewarned and forearmed before setting out.
Many bridal salons require you to make an appointment to meet with your "bridal consultant" who is supposed to provide you with personal attention and to make certain you do not merely browse. It is advisable not to make this a solo trip. Bring along your mother if she’s picking up the tab for the dress, as she would want to approve what she pays for. If you are choosing the dress without parental guidance, then you can take a friend with good taste and enough honesty to tell you that “yes, that dress does make your hips look wide” when you ask her. As too many cooks spoil the broth, don’t take along too many women, as hearing so many different opinions can prove confusing.
When trying on a dress, you should have on the same foundation and heel height shoes as you intend to wear with your wedding gown. That way you can better judge contours and length. If you intend to switch from heels to flats, your measurements would be based on the heels, but be sure that you would not trip over your skirts in the lower shoes. Skip the lipstick and heavy mascara for this shopping expedition, as you do not want to get makeup streaks on the white dresses you will be pulling over your head.
When you arrive, the salon saleswoman would ask you about what styles and fabrics you prefer and may inquire what price points you have in mind. In these cases, it is generally advisable not to name your uppermost limit if you plan to stay within budget. One reason is that the bridal consultant will often bring out styles that are already priced a few hundred dollars above the limit you tell her. The other is that the dress price is not the total, which will also have to include tax, alteration, and, possibly rush delivery charges, so even if it the dress seems to just make the budget; its final cost could break it.
Now, some bridal shops allow you free reign to peruse the sample dresses and ask to try on what you want; that is what you would encounter in the larger stores that have many styles and sizes in stock. But in a small, boutique style salon the dresses may be “closed stock,” that is, not accessible to you. In such shops, the saleswoman is completely in control of what you see and get to try on. If such is not your style, you can find a store that does not limit you in that way.
continue withWhat-to-expect-when-shopping-for-a-bridal-gown-part-2: part-3, -part-4, -part-5, -part-6 part-7
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