Searching For Your Perfect Wedding Dress

Getting hold of your perfect wedding dress needn't be a daunting task. With a bit of advance preparation, shopping for your wedding gown and bridesmaids dresses can be relaxing, enjoyable and fun! Here's a few things thing about before you start your wedding dress search.

Be prepared to shop around – with your bridal wear accessories

Most (new) wedding dresses have to be ordered in advance (typically 3 months) so make sure you start your wedding dress shopping early. Take along your best shopping buddy, whose advice you trust and if possible, the shoes, lingerie, jewellery and any hair accessories you want to wear on your wedding day. This way you can try as many wedding gowns as your stamina allows and you can make sure your wedding dress compliments the 'whole look' you want to create.

Think seasons – and whether you are an indoors or outdoors bride

If you're a spring or summer bride, then a sleeveless wedding dress is an excellent choice, but remember even at the height of a summer, you may need to think about a complimentary cover up for your wedding gown, be it shawl, wrap or long coat. Try to buy your wedding dress and wrap at the same time, so you don't have to worry about style or colour matching afterwards.

Basic shapes – think of the neckline that flatters you most

Narrow your search by deciding which basic wedding dress style suits you: for example,

• V-neck wedding dresses suits medium sized busts
• Square neck wedding gowns suit almost any bust line
• T-shirt necklines suit small busts
• Asymmetrical necklines suit small busts and are best worn with no bra
• Shoelace / spaghetti strap wedding dresses suit small and medium busts
• Scoop neck wedding gowns suit almost any bust line
• Halter-neck necklines suit large busts with back, small busts with no back
• Off-the-shoulder wedding gowns suit medium and large busts with small shoulders
• Strapless wedding dresses suit small and medium busts.

Allow fitting time – especially if you are changing shape

Make sure you allow ample time not only for your wedding dress to be ordered, but for the wedding dress to be altered to fit you too. Many brides lose weight through nerves, excitement or rigorous dieting! So make sure your beautiful once-in-a-lifetime wedding gown compliments your figure rather than falls off it!

Know what you have to spend – don't blow the whole wedding budget!

Lastly, know your wedding dress budget and stick to it. It's easy to get carried away by beautiful designer wedding gowns, but if that isn't your budget, don't blow it. Do you really want to spend the next 10 years paying for your wedding gown? If a designer wedding gown really catches your fancy, think about using a dressmaker to mimic the design, hire a wedding dress or buy a second-hand wedding gown. No-one will know and there are plenty of wedding gowns available to buy (online) or hire.

More About Wedding Dresses

View NZ Wedding Guide's wedding dresses information, or return to NZ Wedding Guide's main page.