If you’re reading this, you are probably experiencing wedding dress shopping for the first time ever! Woohoo! This is truly unlike any other shopping experience, so we wanted to create a little guide for our brides on what to expect at your K&B Bridals bridal appointment.
What to Expect During Your Bridal Appointment
Here are a few things that you can expect to experience during your bridal appointment here at K&B Bridals.
1. Stay open-minded
There is absolutely nothing wrong with having some inspiration of what you’re looking for in a wedding dress. But, it’s still a good idea to be open minded during your appointment! You would be shocked at the number of brides who end up with a dress that is the complete opposite of what they went into their bridal appointment thinking they wanted.
Once you start trying on dresses, you get an idea of what you like best on you – not on a mannequin, a hanger, or on someone else. It’s natural for your thoughts to change after trying them on!
2. Have a budget in mind
Get an idea of what you’re willing to spend on your dress before you start shopping. Do some research by looking up the average wedding dress prices in your area, calling local bridal shops to ask about their price range, etc. If you have a very close family member or friend that recently got married, you could even ask them what they spent on their wedding dress.
It can be tricky knowing how much wedding dresses cost, especially because you’ve likely never shopped for one before!
Once you have an idea of how much they cost, you should decide how much you are willing to pay for it, as well as figure out if anyone else is wanting to contribute (such as parents or grandparents).
Having a budget before you go shopping will keep you from trying on a dress that is way above what you’re willing to spend, falling in love with it, and having to be devastated when you realize you can’t purchase it.
3. Gather inspiration
Have you been on Pinterest and browsing through bridal magazines? Send pictures to the bridal shop before your appointment, or bring them with you! We will be setting up a pre-connection call with you to get an idea of what you are looking for in your dress, so this is a great time to send over your inspiration pictures.
Doing this will help give your stylist an idea of where to start when trying on dresses. This absolutely will not stop you from trying on other styles that you hadn’t even thought of during your bridal appointment, though, so don’t worry!
4. Wear nude undergarments
One of our most frequently asked questions is what undergarments you should wear during your appointment. We typically suggest to wear or bring nude undergarments! This gives you a better idea of what your dress will look like on your wedding day. Because most dresses are a shade of white, and a lot of them have illusion lining, colored undergarments tend to be very noticeable.
With that being said, many brides end up taking off their bra while trying on dresses, because of open backs or illusion. This is completely up to your own discretion and whatever you are most comfortable with!
5. Only bring your closest loved ones
It can be super tempting to bring all of your friends and family to your appointment with you, we know. However, we really suggest only bringing your absolute closest people with you. We find that 3 to 4 people is a good number to stick to!
Having too many people during your bridal appointment can lead to a lot of differing opinions, and can leave you overwhelmed and confused. You should bring people who will completely support and love you!
6. You will be in a private suite with a personal bridal stylist
During your appointment, you will have your own private bridal suite! This will give you the privacy that you will absolutely want while trying on dresses. You won’t have to be in front of everyone in the store while trying on dresses!
You will also work with a personal bridal stylist throughout your bridal appointment. Your stylist will be your best friend and confidante throughout the appointment, and will ultimately help you find your dream dress!
7. A standard appointment lasts 90 minutes
When you have a standard bridal appointment with us, your appointment is 90 minutes long. We promise that this is plenty of time to find your dress… in fact, most of our brides find their dress during their first visit!
We do offer upgraded appointment options where your bridal appointment will last for 2 hours – along with some other exciting perks! You can check out those options here.
8. Tipping
At the end of your bridal appointment, if you feel as though your stylist went above and beyond to give you the perfect experience and you are leaving happy with how it went, please know that a gratuity is appropriate and very much appreciated. Our bridal stylists do receive tips from clients.
This gesture is completely at your discretion! As with any service, tips are not expected but always appreciated. Our system will ask if you would like to add a tip when you check out.
9. Don’t be afraid to say “yes!”
Finally, don’t be afraid to commit to your dress! You’ve already found the one that you love, and this bridal appointment is all about finding the dress that you love. As we mentioned before, most of our brides do find their dress during their first appointment with us, so be prepared for that to happen!
There will always be other dresses out there for you to look at and new styles come out constantly. So don’t hold yourself back from choosing a dress just because you “might find something better.”
When it comes down to it, if you have a special feeling about a dress and can picture yourself as a bride walking down the aisle to your partner in it… then don’t be afraid to say yes!