Choosing your wedding dress is one of the most exciting parts of planning your big day, but there’s a lot more to it than just finding something that looks pretty. The perfect dress not only fits your style, but it also needs to be functional for a full day of celebration. Here are some essential tips for picking your wedding dress when selecting the one and what to pay attention to during alterations.
Now, prior to reading, I have a few caveats for this blog post. I don’t want you to shy away from picking a certain dress because of something I’ve said here. If you’ve found THE DRESS, I absolutely want you to pick it. I’ve shot over 100 weddings, so I’ve seen quite a few wedding dresses and their quirks over the years. Below is a compilation of tips and warnings about certain types of dresses that can take your focus away from being fully present and celebrating your day. Take my words with a grain of salt and I hope that you can learn something along the way!
1. Think About Movement and Comfort
Your wedding day is full of movement—walking, dancing, sitting, standing—and your dress needs to move with you! Before making a final decision, test how your dress feels while moving around. During alterations, can you walk without holding the skirt? Go up the stairs? Time how long it takes to bustle. Dance around – are the straps staying in place, or are they constantly slipping? These might sound like small details, but they can make a huge difference in how comfortable you feel. Often this comes down to proper tailoring, so be sure not to skimp on alterations. They’re often more important than the dress itself!
Make sure to sit, bend over, and move your arms around while trying on your dress to see how the fabric responds. Does the chest area gap when you lean over? You don’t want to be tugging at your dress all night, so it might be worth considering alterations to address any fit issues. The last thing you want is to be preoccupied with adjusting your gown when you should be enjoying the moment.
Lastly, if your dress has straps, consider how sturdy they are. I can’t tell you the number of times tiny spaghetti straps broke because they aren’t thick enough to support your movement. Especially since dresses like this often don’t have as much support as strapless dresses once that tiny strap is gone, the whole fit of your dress falls apart.
2. Prepare for a Little Dirt (It Happens!)
Here’s the truth: your dress will get dirty. It’s inevitable, no matter how much care we take to prevent it. The biggest culprits? Not outdoor elements, but the floors at your venue or church. Surprisingly, even the cleanest venues can leave your dress with some scuffs and dirt on the hem. If you opt for a plain train, keep in mind that it will show dirt more easily than a textured or detailed one.
While your photographer and team will help keep the dress off the ground during portraits, it’s important to embrace the fact that a little wear and tear comes with the territory. The memories will make it all worth it!
3. Shoes and Bustles: Plan for Changes
You’ve probably thought about the heels you’ll wear for the ceremony, but have you considered how your dress will work with flats when you’re ready to dance? If you plan on changing into more comfortable shoes, your dress may become too long, causing it to drag. This is where working with your alterations specialist becomes crucial. I recommend your bustle is adjusted for both your ceremony shoes and your dancing shoes! If you are set on wearing heels for the ceremony but don’t want foot strain or hem issues during the reception, you can wear comfortable platform shoes to help bridge the gap.
Bustles can be tricky too. Simpler press-on snaps make for easy use but aren’t that secure—especially during the first dance and open dance floor. It’s helpful that we can easily put your train up and down during the day but if there’s even an inch near the ground it will get pulled down by guests’ dancing feet.
More complex bustles are usually sturdier but can take a long time to put up. Be mindful that it can take up to 20-30 minutes for your helper to figure out how to get the bustle in place. That’s time away from your celebration you may not want to take. If you opt for a more complicated bustle I recommend that whoever is helping you bustle comes to your fitting appointments! Practice multiple times leading up to the day and have a video of your bustle to refer back to on your wedding day.
4. How Hot Will Your Dress Be?
Getting married in the summer? Most people think often about sleeves but often forget about how hot the train will be. Consider how warm your dress is, especially if it has heavy fabrics or layers of tulle. While tulle creates a gorgeous look, it can be difficult to keep perfectly arranged throughout the day, and its many layers can trap heat. It’s never a huuuuuuuge problem day of, but if you’re someone who hates being hot, it’s definitely something to consider!
5. What Makes You Feel Confident?
Your wedding dress should be a reflection of what makes you feel most confident. If you’re self-conscious about certain areas, consider a dress that flatters those spots. For example, if you’re worried about your arms, a dress with sleeves can give you more confidence or a veil with lace edges can be used to help cover your arms. If you’d rather not draw attention to your midsection, an A-line or ballgown silhouette would be the perfect option!
Next, be mindful of the slit in your dress if you’re going for a leg-revealing moment. While a thigh-high slit looks amazing, make sure you’re comfortable with how much leg is showing when you sit down. Don’t forget to do some dancing in your gown so you know how far you can squat/spread your legs without flashing your guests. Lastly, pick shapewear that doesn’t cover your thighs so when your slit goes a little farther than planned, you won’t see the fabric poking out!
The last thing you want to be thinking about throughout your entiiiiiiire wedding day is what your dress is doing. Especially when you get your pictures back you don’t want
Final Thoughts
When choosing your wedding dress, the key is to balance beauty with practicality. Your dress should make you feel like a million bucks, but it should also allow you to walk, sit, and dance comfortably without constant adjustments. By considering these tips for picking your wedding dress—comfort, fabric, shoes, and bustles—you’ll be prepared for anything. You’ll be able to focus on what really matters: celebrating your big day!
For more helpful tips on weddings, click here! To book with me, click here!
Kind Words
“There are so many amazing words I can say about Emma! She is a true talent as well as being an amazing human being. She went above and beyond in every way – from our engagement photos and making sure we got to go back to the spot where we got engaged, to pre-picking spots in the forest preserve for the perfect fall photos on our wedding day, to even steaming my wedding dress on the trolley to the Church. On top of all of that, she also takes AMAZING photographs. We are in love with every image & she is incredibly gifted. Please do yourself a favor and book Emma to capture your special event! These are images we will cherish forever.”
