There’s so much excitement that comes with wedding planning, thinking about decor, choosing the perfect location, finalizing the guest list, and, of course, finding the wedding dress. With so much anticipation around finding your dream wedding dress, it’s natural for a lot of questions to pop up: How does the wedding dress shopping process work? Where should you go to find your dream wedding dress? What should your budget be? What style will complement your body shape best?
Don’t worry, we’ve got all the answers in this ultimate wedding dress shopping guide. We’ll walk you through the basics, so you feel confident and prepared for what’s bound to be an unforgettable part of your wedding journey.
Wedding dress shopping means something different for everyone. Some brides can’t wait to try on wedding dresses and some can’t wait to meet with bridal designers to discuss about their wedding dress. For other brides, the experience can feel a bit overwhelming, there’s so much to choose from making it hard to know where to start. If you’re feeling this way, a wedding dress shopping cheat sheet would be a total lifesaver!
How to start wedding dress shopping
So, where do you begin? When it’s time to start planning your wedding dress shopping, it can feel a little difficult knowing where to start. You might wonder, “How many bridal shops should I visit?” The key here is to stay calm and enjoy the process without feeling overwhelmed. And the best part is that, there’s no such thing as mistakes at this stage! This is your moment to have fun and explore. To kick things off, ask yourself a few key questions:
- What’s the overall style of your wedding?
- What’s your personal style, and what kind of ‘look’ do you want to have on your wedding day?
At this stage, it’s essential not to limit yourself too much, unless, of course, you’ve had that rare moment where you spot a wedding dress online and just know it’s the one. While it’s great to stay open to different styles, it’s equally helpful to know if there’s something you can confidently rule out. Sometimes, discovering what you don’t want can be the perfect way to figure out what you do want.
One of the best things to do at this stage is to look online. Pinterest and Instagram are great places to start getting ideas. While it’s tricky to know exactly what you’ll choose before trying on wedding dresses, this process will give you a general idea of the vibe you’re going for.
After you’ve saved a bunch of inspiration, take a moment to review everything. You might notice certain bridal designers showing up repeatedly or you might have referrals for bridal designers and chances are, their styles resonate with your taste and vision. Jot down the names of these designers, and just like that—you’ve got a list of brands to explore and bridal shops to book appointments with!
When to start wedding dress shopping

Once you have some designers you’d like to visit and you know where you’d like to go bridal shopping, it’s important to note your wedding dress timeline; when should you start wedding dress shopping? Well, the first question to ask yourself is how long do you have until your wedding? (we always recommend 6- 8+ weeks for our brides) to have enough time do a good work on a bride’s wedding dress.
Check the identified bridal ateliers websites or call directly to make sure they will be able to work with your timeline before your appointment.
Booking appointments
One of the most common questions asked at this stage is, do you have to pay for wedding dress appointments? The answer is, it truly depends on the designer you’ll be visiting. The cost of a wedding dress appointment varies from one bridal shop to the other, and some brands do not charge a fee at all. An appointment with Rynah by Rynah is absolutely is FREE.
You might be wondering how to go about booking a wedding dress appointment. Most bridal shops make it easy with a booking page on their website that you can access from any device, or some you can visit their social media pages and book by sending them a direct message and some you just need to make a call to book your wedding dress/bridal consultation.
Before scheduling, take some time to decide on a day and time that works best for you and the guests you want to bring along for this special moment.
Who to take wedding dress shopping
After booking your appointment, it’s time to let your bride tribe know the when and where, that is if you’re planning to bring anyone along! But who should you invite to join you for wedding dress shopping? This decision is entirely personal, and there are a few key factors to consider:
- Do you want anyone to see your wedding dress before your wedding day, or, do you want it to be a complete surprise for everyone?
- Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed in a large crowd? Picture yourself in a wedding dress that you love in one of your bridal shops; who do you think would be honest with you but also know when something is truly your style?
You want to pick people that have helpful advice and who will be truthful with you, but also people that know you best and understand that they are helping you choose a wedding dress, not that they are picking something for themselves or their taste.
When deciding who to bring along for wedding dress shopping, our best advice is to keep your group small. We recommend a maximum of 2 people, this could include your mom, sister, aunt, cousin, or closest friends.
Take your most trusted and those who you think will make your bridal experience relaxed, stress-free and utterly unforgettable.
What to expect on your first wedding dress shopping appointment
One essential tip is to always keep an open mind. As we said before, sometimes the exact opposite of what you planned on ends up being what you choose. Yes, it’s important and helpful in the beginning to zero in on a certain path.
When you make your first bridal appointment at Rynah by Rynah, our bridal designer will have a one-on-one consultation to get to know you. Some of the things they will inquire about include:
- How you want to look and feel on your wedding day
- Your favorite bridal styles
- Your wedding day vision
- Your venue
- What you are looking for in a wedding dress
- Your unique love story
We hope these tips will help prepare you for your wedding dress shopping experience. We look forward to the privilege of helping custom make your dream wedding dress.
Call, SMS or Whatsapp us on 0748 175 620 to book your bridal appointment. See you soon!