10 things you should know before you buy your wedding gown

#1     You may been seen naked or semi naked so be prepared!

#2     Wedding gowns can take anything from 10 to 18 weeks to arrive in the boutique. If you are having a bespoke gown made it may take even longer. Also remember even ready to wear gowns made need altering to fit you perfectly. Alterations can take up 4 weeks so make sure you allow plenty of time to start looking. This means you should allow at least 8 months to find the perfect gown.

#3     Fluctuations in weight can be a real issue. When you order your gown the wedding consultant will take your measurements on that day so if you put on weight or lose weight in the time it takes for the gown to arrive in the boutique and it doesn’t fit you will need to allow for the extra cost of alterations.

#4     Underwear is a hugely important part of your wedding trousseau it can make all the difference to the look of your gown. At your final fitting make sure you bring the underwear you will be wearing. Along with all your accessories.

#5     Personal hygiene

You may sweat at your fittings so don’t be surprised if you do. Putting gowns on and off can be quite hard work and you may have lots of layers surrounding you. A good tip is to wear plenty of non stain antiperspirant. Avoid creams, fake tan and too much makeup the wedding consultant won’t thank you for getting makeup or fake tan on the gowns. The same applies at your fittings; you don’t want to spoil your gown. Simply wear a little make up so you don’t look too au natural.

#6     Limit the amount of friends at your trying sessions, too much advice can be confusing and not very productive.

At Boho Bride we encourage our brides friends to participate through Facebook by creating a private friends group page. Brides can take images of the gowns they try on and share them with friends to see which gowns they like the best. It’s a great way to get them involved without everyone being in the boutique all at the same time.

#7     Try on as many different styles of gowns as possible so that you can see which style suits you the best. What you had in mind as to the perfect style for you may not actually suite you when you put it on so don’t panic. A good consultant will advise you what sort of gowns to try on so don’t be afraid to go with the flow.

#8     Make sure you move around in the gown to make sure it feels comfortable sitting down dancing and walking around. Also think about the practicalities, will you need help going to the loo? Perhaps something the chief bridesmaid can help you with!!

#9     Set your budget and try to stick to it and allow extra budget for accessories, and lingerie they can add up to quite a bit. Try not to try gowns on that are out of your prise range its just bridal torture!!!

Sometimes your venue can inspire the type of gown you like so if you’re having a beach wedding in a hot country don’t choose a gown with lots of layers.

#10   Don’t be surprised if the first dress you try on is ‘the one’ it just shows you have done your research and you know what suits you. Also don’t be too disappointed if the style of gown you have your heart set on doesn’t suit you ask the consultant for her recommendations that is her job so be open minded and try on everything she may suggest.

At Boho Bride we are delighted to offer brides  the chance to try on gowns without an appointment. But for the full bridal experience we recommend you book an appointment. We will close the boutique for you and get the fizz out so you can relax and enjoy the whole experience.

If for any reason you can’t make your appointment we hope you will let us know as far in advance as possible. We quite often have a waiting list especially on a Saturday so it will give other brides the chance to take the appointment.

Some boutiques take an appointment deposit which is refunded so don’t be surprised if you are asked for a fee to secure your appointment.

Paying for your gown

You will be asked to pay 50% when you order your gown and the rest when it arrives in boutique. Any special bespoke requests and/or alterations will need to be paid for at this point.

If there are more alterations than initially quoted for or you have extra embellishments they will need to be paid for before you collect your gown.