The time has come! You’ve said ‘yes’, started the whole wedding planning journey and at last you get to begin the search for the perfect wedding dress.

This should be a fun part of the journey, but if you’re feeling overwhelmed or you’re not entirely sure where to start, I’ve listed off all the things you should keep in mind to find the dress of your dreams. 

Come up with a realistic budget

First things first: talk to your partner and set the budget you want to spend on your wedding dress. Try not to look at dresses that are out of your price range, and avoid any online stores or boutiques where they have dresses out of your price bracket. 

It’s not just about efficiency and not wasting time, because let me tell you, as a Pittsburgh wedding photographer there’s nothing quite as disappointing as falling in love with a gown and forgetting to look at the price tag. 

Choose the style 

Once all the budgeting is done, you should pick what type of dress you’re looking for. Are you dreaming of walking down the aisle in a classical style, or a more modern dress, or even some boho chic style? There are so many different styles out there, so one thing you need to do before setting food in a boutique is open Pinterest. Create a private board, or flip through magazines, or browse online shops: anything that will get you to figure out the styles you tend to like more. Think about the place and time of your wedding, as well as what your personal style is. Your wedding dress should never feel like a costume, but more of an expression of what they find beautiful.  

Envision what you want your dress to make you feel

Your wedding day is going to be one of the busiest days of your life. You walk down the aisle, entertain guests and dance more than you’ve danced before, all while wearing a beautiful gown. 

Make sure whatever you end up choosing makes you feel like you. Nobody wants to feel understated when they’d rather look super modern, or if you want to feel sexy and empowered, you probably shouldn’t pick a loose, flowy dress. 

Do you want to feel really comfortable in a boho style or would you rather show off your figure and feel sexy? Since I’ve worked in lots of Pittsburgh wedding photoshoots, I know some brides prefer the understated look while others go for more of a chic style and others only dream of traditional dresses.

How do you want to feel on your wedding day? Picking a dress that matches that feeling is very important! Sharing your vision with your gown consultant can be really helpful since they can choose styles that match the feeling you want to evoke on your special day.