Finding My Wedding Dress

There are many women in this world who have pictured themselves on their wedding day their entire lives. They’ve envisioned the theme, the flowers, the venue, and, all their lives, have pictured the wedding gown they will be wearing.
 
I am not one of these people.
 
I read on many wedding ‘to-do’ lists that it was approaching crunch time for choosing my wedding dress. But as someone who has never really pictured herself in a wedding dress, where was I supposed to start?
 
After a lot of research, here are my top tips finding your dream wedding dress (well, it’s what worked for me, anyway!):
 
1.     Know what suits your body type.
You want to look your most beautiful on your wedding day, and as everyone says, ‘It’s all about the dress’. You need to pick a dress that plays up your best feature, whether it’s a tiny waist or a feminine décolletage, and that will hide your least favourite areas, whether it’s your upper arms or hips. The perfect dress will make you look like the best version of you!
 
2.     Identify your personal style.
There is no use in turning up in a dress that is so out there that your husband-to-be doesn’t recognise you! As my girlfriend Denise said, ‘You have to wear the dress; don’t let the dress wear you.’
 
3.     Do your research online.
You can literally save yourself hours by doing your research online, rather than traipsing around endless stores for days on end. Most designers have photos of their collections online, so you can choose the designers you identify with, as well as make a list of the individual gowns you want to try on.
 
4.     Take people you trust to your appointments and listen to what they say.
At one of my dress appointments, we noticed a bigger girl trying on dresses that were ridiculously unflattering. As much as her girlfriends tried to hint that perhaps it wasn’t the look she should be going for, she was adamant that this clingly, blingy number was the wedding gown for her. She really didn’t want to listen to a word they had to say, which made me wonder why she even brought her friends along in the first place. If you can’t count on your friends to tell you the truth, who can you trust?
 
The good news is, I found my dream wedding dress on the first day! It is ultra-flattering, is completely my style, and everyone agreed that this was THE dress. I could tell it was the one because I felt amazing, completely myself, and best of all, I didn’t want to take it off!

Have you found your dream wedding dress? How did you know it was the one?