Share

How to get the best wedding gown shopping experience, plus mistakes to avoid

accreditation
0:00
play article
Subscribers can listen to this article
A bride tries on her wedding dress.
A bride tries on her wedding dress.
Photo: Getty Images

Each bride’s wedding shopping experience is unique. Marketing Manager at Bride&Co South Africa, Daniela Nel advises future brides on what to look for.

How important is it for the brides to know what they want before they go shopping for a gown?

It’s essential to do some research into what you want but it’s equally important that the bride remains open minded. Often brides-to-be try on dress styles they have always dreamt of wearing and those very silhouettes land up suiting their body shape the least.

While having a slight idea of what you are after is extremely important with the likes of dress colour, beading and other elements, it’s good to remain open-minded, so the gown selected for the big day is most fitting for the bride’s body type and compliments her physical shape and personality.

I’d also recommend that brides keep their budget in mind.

What role does the body shape play when choosing a gown?

Body shape is the most influential factor when choosing a wedding gown. When trying on a variety of wedding dresses it is immediately evident which suits your body shape best and it is extremely important to be mindful of this.

Bead work, dress colour, accessories and other elements are not influenced by body shape but the dress silhouette is completely determined by this and is the most important element of the final dress of choice.

What are the latest styles of bridal gowns that are popular?

Dramatic skirts, minimalism and off-the-shoulder dresses are all current popular styles. The addition of bows and feathers is also popular elements for bridal gowns.

What are some common mistakes that women make when shopping for a dress? 

  • Shopping with a big crowd of friends and family. Along with the support come a lot of different opinions. This can be very confusing for a bride-to-be.
  • Convincing the sales team to sell or order you one size smaller than your actual size because you are convinced you will lose weight. A bigger dress can be taken in but a dress that is too small will end up in disaster.
  • Dismissing certain dress shapes without trying them on because you are convinced they will not suit you. It is important to try on all shapes and silhouettes to make sure your choice is the perfect one for your body type.
  • Assuming a dress is not the one because of the way it looks on the hanger. Most dresses simply do not have any hanger appeal and looking at them like this does them no justice. 

Get the best in Soccer, News and Lifestyle content with SNL24 PLUS
For 14 free days, you can have access to the best from Soccer Laduma, KickOff, Daily Sun, TrueLove and Drum. Thereafter you will be billed R29 per month. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won't be billed.
Subscribe to SNL24 PLUS
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()