I thought I would take this time while all you brides are planning your weddings from home, to tell you some of my absolute favorite dress shops. I see a lot of the same wedding dresses over and over because bride’s don’t always know where to shop, so they always end up going to the same store as everyone else. Let me tell you, there are SO MANY amazing wedding gowns out there that you may not be aware of! There is so much talent out in the wedding world and dresses are usually not talked about very often. So here are some of my favorite wedding dress designers and stores.
I have followed her since she was on Project Runway and her dresses do NOT disappoint. In fact, they’re probably my absolute, all time favorite. And from what I hear, she is a real sweetheart in person (from a bride who once met her). Go check out her instagram feed! Her dresses are dreamy, flattering and just breathtaking to look at. If I ever had an event to go to, she would make my dress!
(all photos from Carol Hannah’s website)
I’ve had several brides find their dresses here, and have used their dresses for many of my styled shoots throughout the years. They have some incredibly stunning and elegant dresses and designers, but their customer service is wonderful. This is one of the reasons I love them so much.
I have recently come across their store when I was going for ice cream. I am IN LOVE with their dresses and designers. They are tons of different styles and I don’t think I saw one dress I didn’t like. Before all this Covid-19 crap, I was about to team up with them for some very special bridal photos. I am especially in love with one of their designers, Truvelle. I have been following them for a while on Instagram and I didn’t even realize that A & Bé carried their dresses.
My other tops include IDINA Bride and BHLDN. IDINA is a local shop that I have had the privilege of working with many times. Their team is so helpful and easy to work with while their dress selection is amazing! They have everything from romantic, whimsical and even boho styles. And BHLDN has amazing sales on top of their stunning, photogenic dresses all with a great price point. I had one bride who bought two dress, yes TWO, for the price of one because of this amazing sale. One dress was for the wedding day and the other dress was for dancing since it was a little shorter and didn’t have so much tulle. The options are endless!
When looking for wedding dresses you want to look at movement with the fabric. Does it move well or is it really stiff and hard to move around in? Try twirling and walking in it. Try bending over and hugging someone. Raise your arms up like you’re dancing. Your dress should be comfortable and able to move well. You also want to avoid really white white dresses as they tend to photograph with a blueish/purple hue. This also goes for men’s shirts. Take pictures in your dress and see what you look like in it. And don’t be afraid to try something on that you wouldn’t normally like, because I have heard countless times that the bride ended up going with the one dress she thought she wouldn’t like. This is your one time you’ll be getting married and this process should be fun!
Another great tip is to buy a dress that would resell well (that’s if you don’t plan on keeping it afterwards). There are certain brands that do better than others, like BHLDN and Sarah Seven, because they are bigger names and are usually very timeless looking.
Now, you might be wondering, where do you buy your bridesmaids dresses? This is a FANTASTIC question because I have heard from so many bridesmaids about where NOT to shop (mainly David’s Bridal). These are the dress shops I have heard raving reviews about.
If you have any companies you love, I would love to hear about them! I am always trying to help out with my brides and their bridesmaids to get the best dresses with great prices without sacrificing quality. I hope you enjoyed this post and got some good information about it! Don’t forget to share it with anyone who is planning their wedding and needs some help. Don’t forget to follow my Pinterest board of all things wedding dresses!
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