BRIDAL GOWN SHOPS - ORDERING A GOWN

Selecting Your Bridal Gown
Take the time to try on the various styles available at different shops. Most importantly, pick the dress you feel the best and most comfortable in. NOTE: Allow at least six months to order your wedding gown.

Looking Good All Day Long
You may want to consider the fabric for your dress more closely, depending on how long you will be in the dress. There is no way to avoid wrinkling a dress once it is put on; however certain fabrics wrinkle more easily. Here are a few ways to preserve your dress: Have your dress pressed a week before the wedding, but make sure you wrap it in a sheet when it's finished - no dry cleaner or store bags;  get dressed at the ceremony site, eliminate traveling in the dress before the ceremony, bring a stool to the ceremony site for sitting on, and make sure there is an aisle runner if you have a long train. Detachable trains and veils make it easier to travel about and dance at the reception.

Headpieces and Veils
Pick a headpiece that enhances your face and hairstyle; it should complement, not overwhelm. If you attempt to press your own veil, be extremely careful. Press the veil between white tissue - no steam.

Bridesmaid Dresses
There are several factors to keep in mind when selecting bridesmaid dresses. Colors and fabrics vary with the seasons. The style usually complements the bridal gown. The formality is based on whether it is a daytime or evening wedding. Choose a dress color and style that will be flattering on all the bridesmaids, and keep in mind that the main focus will be on the backs of the dresses during the ceremony. You can even have different styles for each bridesmaid, using the same color and fabric.

IMPORTANT NOTE

- The following recommendations are for your protection:

1. Be careful about where you buy your wedding dress. Ask your friends and family about where they went and what their experiences were - check out our list of qualified bridal gown shops and dress designers.
2. Make sure the delivery date of your dress is well in advance of your wedding.  A helpful suggestion is to tell the the bridal gown shop your wedding date is a few weeks earlier than what it really is - ensuring you not only receive your dress on time, but have time to get it pressed before the big day.
3. Get a copy of the order or receipt with a guarantee of delivery date to keep with your wedding records.
4. If a contract is used, read it carefully (even the fine print) before signing!
5. If you have any questions or concerns about the company, check it out with organizations that keep track of the reputations of companies, such as the Better Business Bureau.

Dress Designers - Having A Custom Gown Created

Where To Begin
Start by browsing through bridal magazines, web sites and shows to see a variety of dress designs and styles. Then try on as many different types and styles of dresses as you can before you contact a professional seamstress. That way, if you plan to have your dress made, you will know what length of sleeves, skirt and train you prefer as well as which neck and waist designs work best for your body type. 

Design
If you haven’t found the dress of your dreams or if the dress you have in mind doesn’t exist, take your ideas, pictures, and dreams to a dress designer.  Designers offer a variety of options, taking a sleeve from one dress and a bodice from another to design a gown especially for you.  Many expensive original designer dresses with designer prices can be copied, allowing you to stay within your budget.

Hemming
Consult with a dressmaker on hemming your dress.  Many dresses can be lifted at the waistline to avoid taking lace off the entire hemline, and without distorting the lines and design of the dress.  Also ask about ways to bustle up the train so it is comfortable and convenient for you to get around in at the reception.

NOTE -Make sure you are wearing the shoes and undergarments you will wear to your wedding when making any decisions about hemming.  A slight difference in heel height can change the measurements.

Reserving Alterations Services
As soon as you have selected your gown, be sure to make an appointment to reserve services for alterations.  Many bridal-alterations specialists are booked months in advance.  Your bridal shop can recommend a reliable seamstress or may have someone they work with.  Brides should be prepared to pay for alterations and include this in their budget.  They are seldom included in the price of the gown.

Formal Wear

Selecting Formal Wear
There are a variety of formal wear styles available. The formal wear shop you decide to work with can offer suggestions for styles and colors that will appropriately fit the time of day. Accessories to match the bridesmaid dresses are available for rent or purchase, or can be special ordered.

Questions to ask
Is the formal wear stocked locally? Are the locations convenient for the groomsmen?  What is the price, and what does that include?

Final Fitting and Pickup Date
You must instruct each member of the wedding party to pick up his own tuxedo. Make sure they try on the entire outfit at the store. This will avoid the most common problem with formal wear—proper fit. If adjustments or replacements need to be made, they can usually be done right on the spot, or arrangements for substitutions can be made.

Out-of-Town Groomsmen and Ushers
If some of the groomsmen and ushers live out of town, the formal wear shop can supply you with measurement cards to mail back to them. Any clothing or alterations shop in the groomsman’s home town should be able to do a complimentary fitting. It is imperative that these gentlemen take the time to try on their entire tuxedos when they pick them up!

Bring Extra Socks
Have the groom buy a couple of extra pairs of socks to match the formal wear. Be sure these extra socks are on hand where the groomsmen plan to dress. It never fails that someone will show up with only white athletic socks. This may seem minor, but they stick out like a sore thumb in photographs.

Group Rates and Discounts
Many formal wear shops offer special group rates, discounts or rebates for black-tie or black-tie-optional events.