Get the Most Out of Your Bridal Salon Experience

Planning a wedding can either be the worst, most awful experience in a bride’s life or it can be both rewarding and exciting. Attitude and preparation play key roles in determining how the experience will go, especially when considering the amount of decisions that have to be made. Rather than running all over town to browse at various boutiques, consider doing your legwork on the internet and scheduling an appointment or two with a reputable bridal salon. Before you head off to your first appointment, though, read over these tips on how to get the most out of your bridal salon experience:

Be Prepared

Even the best bridal salon is only as good as the vision you have for your wedding. The bridal gown is usually a reflection of the wedding’s tone and theme. If you have not yet decided on that aspect, you may find that your first visit to the bridal salon is not as productive as you might have hoped. As with any aspect of the wedding planning, preparation is crucial, and you may want to sit and think about the theme of your wedding before shopping for your dress.
It is not necessary to have all the minor details planned before you begin dress shopping, although a rough idea of what you might like will reduce the number of appointments you must schedule. What color scheme do you think you would like for your wedding? How formal do you want your wedding to be? What styles of gowns do you think are of the most interest to you, and which ones are you pretty sure you would never wear?
Having the answers to these questions will go a long way toward getting the best possible help during your time at the bridal salon. You can even bring pictures of dresses you have seen in bridal magazines that you think you would like, and the salon attendant can determine whether they have anything that is similar. They may even have that exact dress!

Be Flexible

As you go about planning your wedding, you may find that you need to compromise. Now is a good time to practice compromise before you need to put it into play during your marriage! Being flexible is important to enjoying your time looking for the perfect dress. Not every style of gown will be available in every size at every location, so the dress you fall in love with at one shop might not be available for you to try on in the first visit. If you can be flexible, you may find the shop attendant is more than willing to contact another one of their locations to have that special dress sent over for you. You can then try it on in your size the following weekend.

Flexibility can also open you up to bridal gown styles you would otherwise never consider. Perhaps you love strapless gowns and cannot imagine wearing anything else down the aisle. Express that to the person assisting you, but remember to be open to their suggestions. Keep in mind that these people are professionals who outfit women in these gowns each and every day. They are trained to know which styles and shades look best on particular body shapes and skin tones. Who knows? Maybe that goddess-style gown in diamond white will make for the most amazing wedding day look even if you counted it out at first.

Bring Back-up
Your experience at the bridal salon can be enhanced by bringing along your bridesmaids. No bridal salon representative should tell you how fantastic you look in a particular gown just to make a sale. However, that does not mean that their idea of elegance matches yours. It is always best to take into account their professional view as well as the critical standards of people who know you best. Besides, you will most likely have to bring your friends back at a later date to have them see the dress on you after it is altered, or to purchase their bridesmaids dresses from the same location. Before you make any final decisions, you may make a fun day out of it the first time around.
The shop attendant assisting you can show you everything from your gown choices to the various styles of bridesmaid dresses that coordinate with your favorite gowns. Be sure to let the salon know that you will be there for both bridal gowns and bridesmaids gowns, so that enough time is allotted for you. For the most part, your job at the bridal salon is to sit back and let everyone pamper you. The only appointment more relaxing will be your pre-wedding massage and manicure.