Leah will be marrying Zak in a Jewish wedding on 1st June 2018 at Masia Notari in Spain.
THREE FACTS: (1) Leah knew she wanted to convert to Judaism long before she met Zak. She feels that having a Jewish wedding is another milestone in her Jewish identity and is an opportunity for some of her family to experience new traditions. (2) Leah & Zak met on JDate (3) Leah and Zak are planning a beautiful black tie destination wedding in Barcelona, Spain
I’m the first of my (close) friends to get married. Yes, at nearly 30, most of my friends aren’t married. A decade or two ago, we would be considered oddities…like a unicorn that just crossed your path, but here we are in our unwedded-ness. Understandably, there has not been a lot of wedding dress shopping amongst us…
Most of my friends and family live over 1000 miles away, so I scheduled my first dress shopping appointment alone (to my mother’s dismay).
After, my mom flew to Dallas and I scheduled an entire weekend of appointments with her, here is what I learned:
Image: Kate Nielen Photography
1. Have a dress shopping experience by yourself
I went to LeAnn’s Bridal by myself and it was wonderful. I was able to express what I was looking for, and what I envisioned myself in, without anyone else there to interject. It was liberating and fulfilling and I couldn’t have been more excited.
2. Wear what makes you feel good to your appointment
When you feel good, your entire attitude changes. I made it a point to actually wear a little makeup, plus clothes that I felt comfortable and beautiful in. It made me feel more confident and self-assured going into my appointment which then translated into every dress I tried on.
3. Wear nude seamless undergarments
I searched online constantly for tips on what kind of undergarments to wear to my bridal appointments. Most of the advice said to wear “granny undies” since someone might be in the room with you whilst trying on dresses.
I disagree. During the majority of my appointments, the assistants gave me a robe to wear and gave me plenty of privacy. Some of the dresses were sheer and some hugged my hips more than others.
I didn’t want to be distracted by bright green underwear showing through my dress, lacy or busy details from a bra, or bunching cotton undies that wouldn’t lay flat. Wear what’s comfortable and not distracting.
Also, if you are planning on wearing shapewear, bring some with you to try under the dress. A dress you are on the fence over might be “the one” with the smoothing effects of shapewear. Again, if it makes you feel good, it’s a good idea to bring or wear it.
4. Have an idea of what you like, but be open to other options
Nowadays we have so many resources (such as Smashing The Glass!) to turn to that we often find “the dress” online before we even try it on. Then you go in and try that dress and find it looks different on you than the model. I went in with a list of “no’s”. No strapless, no satin, no ball gowns, no trains. I tried some of these styles anyways and liked a strapless mermaid with a train more than anything else I tried on that day.
5. Your Bridal Consultant can make or break your appointment
I had one appointment where the consultant barely let me speak. She just picked a ton of dresses she thought I would look good in even though I had already narrowed down styles I liked. I left there feeling overwhelmed.
It was a welcomed contrast when I met Sandy at Bridal Boutique Lewisville and liked her right away. She talked comfortably with my mom and I, and felt like a friend. When I found my dress, and my mom and I were crying, I looked up to see Sandy crying too.
6. Don’t feel pressured to bring an entourage
Say Yes to the Dress has subconsciously told us that dress shopping has to be done with a group of your closest friends, your mom, sister, groom’s mom, 3rd grade teacher and the nurse that delivered you.
So maybe I was throwing the norm to the wind but I only wanted my mom at my appointments. She knows what I like, has a sensible style, and never pushes her style on me. I stressed out for weeks about hurting everyone’s feelings by not having my Bride Tribe present but in the end, everyone understood.
The more people present at your appointment, the more voices you have contributing to your decision. That’s great when everyone is in agreement and you get a resounding yes from your crew. There’s no right or wrong way to dress shop. Just make sure they don’t drown out your voice!
Click here to read all Leah’s planning posts to date.
Leah & Zak’s Wedding Vendors booked so far:
Photographer – Elise McCreary
Venue – Masia Notari
Wedding planner – Barcelona Brides
Dress — Bridal Boutique Lewisville
