Shopping for a wedding dress online is easier and more convenient than ever before. In fact, many brides-to-be are doing this today. But which dress is best? It can be difficult to navigate the digital marketplace, so this guide will cover everything you need to know about buying a wedding dress online, from figuring out your style to making sure it fits perfectly.
Table of Contents:
1. Understanding Your Style
2. Finding Reliable Online Retailers
3. Ensuring the Perfect Fit
4. Managing Your Budget
5. Accessorizing Your Wedding Dress
Understanding Your Style
For example, if you buy your wedding gown online, the first thing to do is find your style. You should choose a dress that suits your personality, the theme of your wedding, and what makes you feel attractive.
Explore Different Silhouettes
Wedding dresses come in several silhou mermaid – each of which complements different body types and communicates different moods. An A-line cut, a classic and universally flattering style, would be great on virtually any body type. A ballgown, with its voluminous skirt, evokes a fairytale feeling. Figuring out which silhouette you like can help you narrow down your options.
Consider Fabric and Details
When it comes to the fabric, your wedding gown can be made from a range of materials that will affect its look and feel. Lace, satin, chiffon, tulle are quite different. A dress made from lace is more romantic, satin creates elegance, chiffon is light and airy, while tulle is more voluminous and structured. Also noteworthy are little details such as beading, embroidery, appliqué, which can add little touches to your dress.
Visualize Your Wedding Theme
Your theme can also impact your wedding dress – for example, if you’re getting married on a beach with boho vibes, you’ll probably go for a flowy, bohemian dress, while a formal church ceremony is probably a more traditional dress. Having a visual for your wedding setting and theme can help you find a dress that feels true to the atmosphere of your wedding.
Finding Reliable Online Retailers
When you buy something online from a second-hand clothing store, there are many options, so you need to choose the right one to get a good-quality dress you have been expecting.
Research Customer Reviews
Customer reviews can also be a great indication of the quality of an online retailer. Go to the individual pages of the gowns you like to see what previous customers have to say about the fit, the fabric and their experience with customer service. Reasonable expectations of what’s included in your delivery will also help avoid disappointment. Trusted retailers should receive a high volume of positive customer feedback with detailed information on the gowns, and you should be able to read multiple positive reviews from previous brides.
Check Return and Exchange Policies
Take a look at the retailer’s policy for returns and exchanges before buying. A nice return policy will let you try the dress on at home and return it if it does not suit you. If you’re shopping online, you won’t have the opportunity to try the dress on, so this is very important.
Verify Secure Payment Options
Make sure the website accepting payment offers secure payment, to guarantee you’re not giving away your financial details needlessly. Look for secure payment symbols such as SSL Certificates and trusted payment gateways that will authenticate your purchase prior to going ahead.
Ensuring the Perfect Fit
Finding the perfect fit is one of the biggest obstacles when purchasing a wedding dress online. To increase your chances of landing a seamless fit, follow these steps.
Take Accurate Measurements
If you don’t have an accurate measurement, it is difficult to choose an appropriate size for a dress. For an example, let us examine how to measure your bust, waist and hip.
- Hold a flexible measuring tape horizontally around the fullest part of your bust (with bra on).
- Hold the tape horizontally around your natural waist (to the narrowest part of your waist in line with your belly button).
- Hold the tape horizontally around your fullest part of your hips (at the widest part of your lower body).
- By comparing your measurements to the retailer’s size chart, you can choose the appropriate size.
Please note that different designers have different measurements. Therefore, it is important to check the specific size chart provided by the retailer.
Consider Professional Alterations
And even with such care, your dress could still end up needing minor adjustments. Have a trusted wedding dress tailor alter it. Professional alterations can make a big different in how the dress fits and how you look.
Order in Advance
Book your wedding dress as soon as possible – shipping takes a while and so will any alterations you might need. Wedding dresses can take even a few months to come, particularly if they’re bespoke. Do it early, please.
Managing Your Budget
Once you have chosen a wedding dress, you then have to stay within the budget you’ve set. Consider the following suggestions to manage the budget effectively when you make a purchase online.
Set a Realistic Budget
Decide on a wedding dress budget before you start shopping. In addition to the cost of the dress, you might have to factor in shipping, taxes, and alterations costs, so be sure to have a budget in mind to avoid spending more than you had originally planned.
Look for Sales and Discounts
A lot of online retailers also have sales, and especially during off-season months. Sign up to newsletters and follow your favourite retailers on their social media platforms so you can keep track when they have sales coming up! If you find a beautiful dress on sale and think it is your ideal dress, buy it! Most likely, it will cost you a few hundred dollars, especially if it is not a wedding guest dress.
Consider Pre-Owned Dresses
Another money saving option is a pre-owned wedding dress. There are a range of websites where gently used dresses are available at a fraction of the original price of the dress. Purchasing pre-owned can be a very sustainable option and you might be able to wear the same high-end designer dress as someone else but at a fraction of the cost.
Accessorizing Your Wedding Dress
Some good accessories can make your wedding dress even better and enhance your complete bridal look. Let’s see how to make a good choice of accessories that match your wedding dress style.
Choose the Right Veil
The veil is the classic bridal accessory. It can be a beautiful finishing touch to a bridal look. As with your dress, when choosing a veil, think about its length and style, and how it will work with your dress. A long, cathedral-length veil paired with a formal gown is classic and elegant. A short veil or birdcage veil will work well with a retro-inspired dress.
Select Complementary Jewelry
Jewellery can add glitz and glamour to your bridal look, so long as your pieces accent your dress and don’t overwhelm it. If your dress is heavily beaded, for example, opt for simpler jewellery. If your dress is simpler, go bold with your jewellery.
Don’t Forget About Shoes
Your go-to dressy shoes need to look good and feel good. Think about your wedding venue and terrain. Your showing off your wedding attire on a sandy beach might call for some flat sandals, but could a ballroom wedding call for a sleek pair of heels. Break in your shoes the weeks leading up to your wedding day to make sure they’re comfortable.
Conclusion
Finding your dream wedding dress on the internet requires research, planning and forethought. By knowing your style, selecting the right retailers, making sure you get a good fit, managing your budget and choosing the right accessories, you can be sure to feel beautiful on your big day. Good luck!
