Photo (above): Photographer: Jonas De Gent
Article ism Kitty Pelsmaekers of E&R Wedding and Fashion.
Tip 1: Well begun is half won
Before you make an appointment at your bridal shop, you can start preparing what you would like. Think about what your wedding dress may look like, what model of dress you like, what colour dress you would prefer and whether your wedding dress should meet specific requirements - such as matching the theme of your wedding.
To clearly display your preferences to the vendor, Kitty from E&R Wedding and Fashion recommends looking up photos of wedding dresses you like in advance. You can find photos on Instagram, Pinterest, ... that show the staff what you want. 1 picture says more than 1,000 words!
"The photos can definitely be directional," said Kitty, "But definitely stay open to other options, and don't pin yourself down to one style just yet."
Tip two: Try on several dresses
So tip two reads: try on several wedding dresses! Your first dress will be dazzling, especially since you see yourself as a first-time bride-to-be. Still, it is better to try on several wedding dresses to make sure you buy the perfect one for you.
"Exactly how many wedding dresses are best to try on depends on bride to bride," according to Kitty of E&R Wedding and Fashion. "Some brides fall in love with the first wedding dress they try on, while others really want to consider all the options. Also, some brides only need to see themselves for a short while to know if the wedding dress is for them, while others keep each dress on for a while to decide. In short, whether you try on many or few wedding dresses depends on many factors. There is no minimum or maximum number of wedding dresses we recommend. It depends from bride to bride."
Tip 3: Extra help? Yes, please!
The staff at the bridal shop will be happy to help you put on and take off your wedding dress. They have masses of experience, so don't worry: you won't get stuck. They are also very experienced in choosing the right dress for your body. So be sure to try on a wedding dress you didn't notice at first, but which they recommend. Who knows, you might be amazed with how gorgeous it looks on you.
"We go around the entire shop with the customer and explain the different brands and styles. We will pick upextra wedding dresses from the warehouse if they are out of stock in the shop and we like to show all our range to the bride," says Kitty of E&R Wedding and Fashion.
"It is important for a bride to feel confident. That's why we never give negative comments. What we can do is recommend a dress that might suit someone's figure even better," added Kitty of E&R Wedding and Fashion.
Of course, you can also take your mum and/or sister and/or best friend to the bridal shop. If you are not good at choosing yourself or if you like to get some extra advice from people close to you, they can help you. But beware: bringing your whole family or your whole girls squad might be a bit much. The more people, the more opinions.... 1-2 people is actually ideal.
Kitty also recommends bringing only people with whom you dare to go against their opinions if you don't quite agree. "You should definitely not get talked out of it. We want advice and help, but not influence and persuasion ..."
Tip 4: The right lingerie
It used to be advised to always bring the right lingerie to the bridal shop as well. In particular, a strapless bra was found to be essential. But according to Kitty of E&R Wedding and Fashion, this is no longer necessary at all. "A basic skin-coloured slip is nice, but in terms of bra, the bride does not need to worry. Nowadays, most bras are already incorporated into the wedding dress itself. In fact, there are many wedding dresses with open backs, lace transparency, etc, where a bra would therefore be too visible to be pretty. Fortunately, designers became aware of this: so now the bra is usually already built into the dress as standard."
Tip 5: The right shoes
"We have a special stand on which the bride can stand to assess the length of her dress. So bringingyour own wedding shoes is definitely not a requirement, although of course it is allowed." Accessories are also not yet a must to bring. "We have all kinds of accessories available in our shop, so the bride can try on anything she wishes, in combination with her wedding dress."
Finally, Kitty gives one last piece of heartfelt advice for every bride-to-be: "Enjoy your fitting moment, be open-minded and choose your dream dress yourself.
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