Pre-Appointment Guide
so, you’ve booked your appointment. now what?!
congrats on taking the first step to becoming a striking bride!!! we’re so excited to meet you + absolutely cannot wait to help you find the one. once your appointment is booked, we often hear the same question: “now what? what should i do? what should i expect?” we totally get it. wedding dress shopping can feel a little overwhelming, especially if you’ve never done it before. so we’re giving you the inside scoop before you even walk through our doors. from what to wear + what to bring to how to prep your crew (and what you definitely don’t need to stress about), here are our striking stylists’ tips for making the most of your bridal appointment, and keeping the whole experience as fun, relaxed, and you as possible.
who to bring
trust us when we say less is more when it comes to your bridal crew. depending on the appointment you’ve booked, we have guest limits to make sure everyone has plenty of space to relax, settle in, and enjoy the experience. if you booked a bridal styling appointment, please bring no more than four guests along with you. if you chose to upgrade with a bridal styling plus appointment, please bring no more than six guests with you.
we know it can be tempting to invite everyone you love, but more opinions can quickly turn into more noise. the best bridal crew is one that knows when to hype you up, when to offer an honest opinion, and when to let your reaction lead the way. our biggest tip? bring the people who will make you feel confident, supported, and completely yourself. this is your dress, your moment, and ultimately, your yes.
we kindly ask that you leave the kiddos at home for your appointment. as much as we love them, dress shopping can be a long afternoon for little ones, and a bridal boutique full of delicate gowns, jewelry, and accessories isn't always the easiest environment for tiny hands. we promise there will be plenty of moments to celebrate with them later!
what to bring
we try to provide everything you will need throughout your appointment, but there are a few things you will want to toss in your bag before heading out the door.
nude undergarments. these will be crucial in helping get the best fit + look in our gowns! no hate to your favorite hot pink lace bra, but it is going to be really distracting when trying to visualize the neckline of the gowns. we recommend wearing a nude seamless thong, or any other nude underwear you feel comfortable in. feel free to bring your shapewear, too, but they really are not necessary. on the day of the wedding, you will most likely be going bra-less to avoid straps showing and will have bra cups sewn directly into your gown so no bra is needed to try on dresses, either! that being said, keep in mind your stylist will be in the fitting room helping you change, so make sure you are wearing something you feel comfortable in.
accessories. totally optional, but if you already have a few meaningful pieces in mind, bring them along! grandma’s necklace for your something old? your best friend’s veil for your something borrowed? the shoes you know you want to wear? bring it all. seeing your gown with those special pieces can help you visualize the full look, and if you already know certain accessories are part of the plan, we can make sure everything plays nicely together.
an open mind. okay, technically you can’t put this one in your bag. but trust us: you’ll want to bring it with you. we love when brides come in with pinterest boards, screenshots, and a pretty good idea of what they want. but remember: inspiration is just that. inspiration. you might fall for a silhouette you never pictured yourself wearing or a detail you didn’t think was “you.” that’s part of the fun! finding your dress is a little like falling in love. sometimes you know exactly what you’re looking for, and sometimes it finds you when you least expect it.
do your research
one of the easiest ways to set yourself up for a successful appointment? do a little research before you arrive. scroll through our instagram feed to get a feel for the gowns, designers, and styles we carry. save any dresses that immediately catch your eye so you can show your stylist what you’re loving. review the designers we offer on our website and narrow it down to a few that feel aligned with your style, wedding vibe, and budget. you don’t need to know exactly what you want, we just want to get a sense of what makes you say “ooooh, i love that.” after doing this, make sure you complete the style questionnaire you received in your confirmation email. this information lets your stylist know exactly what you are (or are not) looking for in your dress + can have dresses pulled and ready for you at the beginning of your appointment. a little prep goes a long way. it helps us make the most of your 90 minutes, keeps your appointment focused, and gives your stylist a jumping-off point to start finding the gowns that might just make you say “that’s it.”
set a budget (but be realistic)
we know, creating a wedding budget is a lot. but before you start booking vendors, and definitely before you start shopping for your gown, it’s important to know what you’re comfortable spending. start by deciding on your total wedding budget: the number you want to stay within when all is said and done. from there, give yourself some flexibility to shift money between categories based on what matters most to you.
maybe the fully beaded silk gown you’ve always dreamed about costs a little more than you originally planned. if the dress is a priority, you might decide to scale back somewhere else: smaller centerpieces, digital invitations, or another detail that doesn’t matter quite as much to you. on the flip side, if your dress isn’t at the top of your priority list, that’s totally okay, too. we offer sample gowns at a discounted price so you can save on your dress and splurge on the things that matter most to you.
most importantly, be honest with your stylist about your budget.
if you tell us you want to spend $2,000, we’re not going to pull a $4,000 gown and let you fall in love with something you can’t have. that heartbreak is completely avoidable. there’s a reason behind every gown’s price tag - whether it’s hand beading, custom pattern work, specialty fabrics, or intricate construction - and that exact gown probably won’t exist for half the price. but the opposite is true, too. if your actual budget is $3,000 but you tell us $2,000, you might accidentally rule out the gown that was meant for you.
our goal is never to push you toward the most expensive gown. it’s to find you a dress you love, feel confident in, and feel good about saying yes to, whatever your budget may be.
transparency is important to us, and that starts with an honest conversation about what you’re comfortable spending.
how will I know it is “the one”
honestly? this is one of our favorite things to debunk. we see so many brides hesitate when they’ve found the dress because they aren’t crying, shaking, or having the big movie-moment reaction they’ve seen on a certain wedding show from the late aughts, or maybe their mom loves gown #2 while they’re falling for gown #5. we cannot stress this enough… EVERY BRIDE IS DIFFERENT AND WILL HAVE A DIFFERENT REACTION.
when realizing it was “the one” we have heard…
“i don’t want to take it off”
“i feel like myself in this gown”
“i can’t even remember the other dresses i tried on”
“i feel so comfortable and confident in this dress”
“i can picture myself walking down the aisle in this gown”
“i look the happiest in this one”
“i can’t stop thinking about this dress”
your yes moment might be a giant, teary-eyed OMG. it might be a quiet feeling of “this just feels right.” it might be realizing you keep comparing every other gown to the one you loved five dresses ago.
there’s no right reaction, and there’s no checklist you have to complete before saying yes. your sister’s yes might look different from your best friend’s, and yours might look completely different from both. you know yourself better than anyone else. trust your gut, listen to how you feel, and remember that the dress is ultimately about you.
and don’t worry, we’ll always have plenty of tissues on hand just in case.