10 Top Tips to find your dream bridal gown

Advice from our stylists

Are you about to begin shopping for your dream gown? Our stylists have put together a list of their 10 top tips to think about when you’re arranging your appointments/thinking of ordering your gown! Always remember, your stylist is there to help and answer as many questions as you can think of! 1.If you have a list of bridal boutiques you’d love to visit, save your favourite boutique until last and hold out for that boutique, you never want to regret not visiting the boutique at the top of your list! 2.Do you have a designer/ a specific gown in mind that you’d love to try? Find out which boutiques stock your favourite designers/gowns and plan to visit them. 3.If you have a budget in mind that you would like to stick to, research the prices of the gowns in your chosen boutique ahead of your appointment to check the gowns you love are within your price range. All the prices of our gowns are available to view over on our website so our brides know ahead of time! – It’s heart breaking to fall in love with a gown to find out once you’ve tried her on that she may be way over your budget. Be sure to take alterations and accessories into consideration when setting your gown budget too!

4.Search for styles you love ahead of your appointment, this will help your stylist massively on the day! We always ask our brides to save gowns they would love to try on the day. If you see a gown you love the look of on Pinterest or Instagram, screen shot it, even if the boutique you’re visiting doesn’t stock that particular gown, they will be able to find something similar within their collections and get to know your personal style a little better! 5.Knowing what you don’t want in your gown is just as important as knowing what you do want! If you definitely don’t want a strapless gown for example, make sure you let your stylist know, this will help narrow things down on the day too! 6.Try and keep your bridal entourage small when trying on gowns, I know sometimes it is difficult to narrow down your number of guests, but just bringing a couple of guests who know you and your personal style the best will really help you make that important decision of which gown is best for you!

7.Trust your gut and how you feel in your dream gown! It is all about ensuring you feel the very best version of yourself on your big day. Go with the gown that makes you feel like a million dollars and the one you just don’t want to take off. Everyone else will love the gown you choose and they will know how amazing you feel in it! The gown you choose has to be your perfect one and your choice. Only you will know how you feel when you put her on. 8.Allow plenty of time to order your gown – we always recommend 12-18 months in an ideal world! We know not everyone has this amount of time so please do not panic, we can work with shorter time scales! We always aim for bride’s gowns to arrive around 4 months before the wedding date, a new gown can take around 6 months to be made and you will need to allow around 8-12 weeks for your alterations. Therefore we do not recommend leaving it later than 9-10 months before your wedding date to order your gown. Of course, there will always be an off the peg/sample option!

9.Amendments can be made! If you fall head over heels in love with a gown but she doesn’t have the straps you were hoping for, or you would love the gown if the train was a little bit shorter, your stylist will always explain what can be done to transform the gown for you! Straps can be added to a strapless gown, more lace can be added for more coverage, bust cups can be added for shape and support without needing to wear a bra, the list of possibilities is endless! 10.Alterations! Once your gown arrives in the boutique from the designer, she will need altering, of course, we take your measurements when you order your gown to try and get her to fit as close as we can. However, the gowns will always need some altering before your big day. The length may need taking up slightly once you have bought your dream bridal shoes too. Your seamstress will ensure your gown fits like a glove. We hope this helps you when shopping for your dream gown. If Lulu’s is on your list to visit, we can not wait to meet you! Lots of love, Team Lulu’s xo