[ordering timeline] [tips for selecting your gown]

Tips for Selecting your Wedding Gown...

1. Come prepared. Try to familiarize yourself with bridal styles before you try on dresses. Reviewing styles in bridal magazines will give you a good idea of what styles are "in" and which ones you instantly like. Without a starting point, our large selection of gowns can be overwhelming.

2. Don't limit yourself to any one style while shopping. If you like something enough to take a second look, but still don't love it on the hangar, keep an open mind anyway (especially if your bridal consultant recommends it!) Some gowns have great body appeal once they are tried on, but not much "hangar appeal." Some dresses that look fabulous in pictures don't fit at all the way you would expect.

3. Do limit the number of shops you visit in a day. This could be our best advice: Every dress will blur together if you see too many at once. We recommend no more than three stores during any one shopping excursion. Give your mind a break and see which gowns have stuck in your memory.

4. Bring undergarments for trying on gowns. Many women today overlook the undies. What you wear under your dress helps shape its appearance, changing its fit to some degree. Also, we always assist brides in dressing so please consider a consultant's presence when you dress for the day.

5. Please understand that while we may get close, we aren't trying to crowd. We assist brides in an around the dressing rooms, help slip gowns on and off and this is not an attempt to pressure you into a sale. Simply put: Our gowns are delicate and we are trying to protect them from wear and tear as much as possible. Lipstick and perfume, especially, tend to cling to bridal fabric and we do our best to keep each gown pristine for the next bride.

6. Know that a few valued opinions are better than a slew of them. If possible, keep the dress decision yours and yours alone. If other people must be involved, try to narrow your choices before you add different (and often contradictory) opinions to your decision.

7. Accept that children in tow make your job harder. Again, we realize it isn't always possible to shop alone, but entertaining just one child is more of a burden for most brides than reconciling twelve conflicting opinions from ten adult friends. Kids just don't have much fun in bridal shops.

8. Realize that formal attire is sized differently than ready-to-wear. Don't be surprised if you find the dress and then find you need to order it in a bigger size than you have ever worn.

Good luck shopping at Bonnie's Wedding Center! We hope these tips get you started on the right foot and that we see you in our shop
very soon!