Booked my very first dress shopping appointment...

Alright, so the big day is approaching.... I made my very first wedding dress shopping appointment with a small-town bridal salon. While I live in the big city, I wanted to try out a smaller place first ... just to not be in rush and perhaps even get a deal on the price!!!

So, besides being ECSTATIC about my appointment, I was wondering if you wedding dress shopping vets have any tips for a newbie like me?! I just started looking at wedding dresses after I was engaged (I never looked before, I know, what kind of girl am I?) ... so this is all very, very new to me ... I'm not even sure about the style I want ... I know what I DON'T want though. :-p

Thanks in advance girls.

Hi Miranda,

I have also just begun dress shopping and am one of those girls that had never looked before either. This is what helped me make it a fun day:

- I brought my best girlfriend and my mom with me.

- I went to yoga that morning. This helped me feel confident and strong in my body and slightly less obsessive and nervous about having all eyes on me in these dresses.

- I searched several websites and wrote down the designers and style numbers that I wanted to try on and brought them with me. With some I changed my mind when I saw on hanger. This made the bigger stores less overwhelming.

- Tried on dresses that my mom or Em pulled for me just for the heck of it and ended up REALLY loving one. Keeping somehwat of an open mind

- I told myself that even if I felt that I "found the one" I would sleep on it and go to the other shops I have planned. The dress will still exist in another month.

- Wore full undies/ no thong after a fellow BDW lady suggested it. The "attendant" is all up in your business getting you in and out of dresses.

- Went to lunch after and had some wine.

Enjoy! I am going on my 2nd excursion this Saturday as well.

I would wear boy shorts to keep your bum covered and I would try on styles that you don't even think you would like. You never know if you'll like it until you try it on.

How fun! I remember being so excited for my first visit, of course I found my dress too!

Make sure you eat breakfast and lunch.

Have a wonderful time.

Keep an open mind and try on things you never pictured yourself wearing. I really never looked at dresses before either and was surprised that I had to get naked in front of the sales person...lol! The next time out I wore fitted boy shorts so I wouldn't feel so nude...but that's just me being shy And not every place is like that.

Make sure you don't bring too many people with you. While its very tempting to bring a lot of people, keep in mind that everyone will have an opinion. You don't want to be confused, so keep it at a minimum.

Listen to yourself! If you think that a dress is "the" dress, go with that feeling! But at the same time, don't feel compelled to find a dress on this 1 day.

Bring your camera! It will be very helpful when you want to remind yourself of what a certain dress looked like.

Definitely try on styles that you wouldn't have ordinarily considered!

Oh, in addition to the boy shorts, have a strapless bra!

MOSTLY...HAVE FUN!!! It can be stressful but this is a big day for you!

I think the biggest thing everyone told me, and I COMPLETELY agree with, is that there's a BIG chance you are going to end up buying a dress that you totally never thought you would. The dress that ended up being "the one" I thought I better try on, just to get an idea of the shorter length. OMG it was like magic! The dress fit like a glove and looked perfect! I tried on 30 dresses or so that were all gorgeous on the hanger, but looked like hell on me LOL. Just don't be suprised if you come home with something totally opposite from what you thought you wanted! HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a question for all of you dress shopping vets, how soon did you start looking for your dress i have looked online but nothing in a store?

You girls really are the VERY best. Thank-you so much for all the tips and advice, I really, really, really, really do appreciate it!!!

I will definitely bring a camera and take lots of shots for you girls to check out the inventory with me!!

I'm just bringing my Mum, MOH, and the two girls who would have been my bridesmaids had I been having a larger wedding party. I value all of their opinions and the 2 would-be-bridesmaids were brides recently so they know the process!!!

But really, you guys ROCK

Remeber to not wear a lot of Make up. The dress will rub against your face, and you dont want to leave make up stains.