Read on for some tips to hunting down the gown of your dream!
(Photo credit: PMillera4 / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND) Never too late to start.
The wedding gown is one of biggest decision every bride has to make, so starting to browse through bridal boutiques, gown inspiration early allows you to not rush through the entire process. If you are planning to buy a first-hand designer gown, or a custom-made gown, be sure to allow ample time of at least 6 to 8 months for it. You may always contact the boutique to find out about the lead time for ordering and when it is the best time for you to make your final decision. If you started out late, do not panic. Some boutiques are still willing to help you at less than usual lead time for a rush order fee.We have a bridal boutique directory here for you to kick start the gown hunting process or browse through some gowns inspirations. Pinterest is a very useful tool to collect all inspirations that you like, or follow your favorite bridal boutique on instagram.
Decide on your wedding overall budget and wedding venue first.
Knowing your overall wedding budget will aid in the decision making process to find your dream gown. Surprisingly, the budget and venue play a big role in influencing the ultimate gown choice. There are no hard and fast rule to deciding your wedding budget, but listing an estimate cost of items in an excel sheet is a good way to start. We won't delve deep into how to manage a wedding budget, but generally, the attire budget for bride and groom is usually around 10% of the overall budget.
(Photo credit: BenGrantham / Foter / CC BY)The venue (usually inclusive of food and drinks) is probably one of the biggest item in your wedding budget, so it is better to decide on your wedding venue first before everything else. Be it an intimate reception or a luxurious banquet, the venue has a great influence on the type of gown that you will wear. A grand ballgown may be difficult for you to walk around if your wedding is a small intimate gathering in a restaurant. Likewise, some religious wedding held in a church may have restrictions on how revealing the gown can be. Perhaps you are planning a unique one-of-a-kind wedding with a specific theme. These are all likely to affect the choice of your gown, and should be confirmed first before the actual gown hunting.
Be specific about your wedding gown budget
Knowing exactly how much you are willing to spend on your wedding gown will make it easier for you to decide on whether you will hunt for a bridal studio that provide wedding packages with photography/makeup as well as many different gowns, or to choose the "ala-carte" option where you will hunt for photography/makeup and gown vendors individually.
(Photo credit: kenteegardin / Foter / CC BY-SA) If you plan to purchase an all-inclusive photography, makeup and gown selection package, actual day packages are usually from $2000 onwards, with $4000 onwards for more comprehensive packages with multiple gown changes and pre-wedding photography.
For ala-carte" gown prices in SGD (year 2016), this is our estimate:
| Price estimate | Type of gowns |
|---|---|
| Less than $500 | China manufactured gowns from online websites |
| $500 to $1000 | Preowned gowns for some designer brands |
| $1000 to $3000 | Designers gowns for some brands (Eg. White by Vera Wang, BHLDN etc). Bespoke creations from local start-up bridal boutiques. Bespoke creations from local start-up bridal boutiques. |
| $3000 to $5000 | Preowned luxury gowns from famous international brands |
| $4000 to $8000 | Bespoke creations from established local designers |
| $5000 and above | 1st-hand luxury gowns from famous international brands (eg. Vera Wang, Monique Lhuillier, Marchesa, the list is virtually endless). Each brand carries arange of gowns of various prices, so they may have selections of gowns in the $5000 range, as well as in the $10 000 range. |
Be sure to factor a portion of your budget for alteration and dry cleaning costs, additional embellishments (eg. intricate beading, or adding crystals) if you're going for a bespoke, as well as cost for the wedding veil. If you are buying your gown overseas, there are also shipping costs and taxes to consider.
Every bride has a different budget for their wedding, so there is nothing to be ashamed of if your budget is smaller than someone else. Being upfront with your wedding gown budget is in fact helpful for bridal consultants to give an accurate recommendations when choosing your wedding gown or bridal packages. Feel free to call up bridal boutiques to ask for an estimated price range before committing to an appointment.
Know your body shape and size
Measuring your body's bust, waist and hip circumference will allow you to determine your body shape. You can then match your body shape to the most flattering gown silhouette for your figure. If you are purchasing a gown from an online source, these measurement will also determine your actual gown size. Simply compare your measurements with size charts usually available from reliable online stores, and you will most likely order a suitable gown.Find a measuring tape and measure your bust, waist and hip accordingly, then use our body shape calculator to determine your body shape.
| Measurements | How to measure |
|---|---|
| Bust | Measure the circumference of your bust at your widest part. Wear a good fitting bra. |
| Waist | Measure the circumference of the smallest part of your waist. Do this while standing straight, but do not suck your stomach in. |
| Hip | Measure the circumference of the widest part of your hips and bottom. |
Body Shape Calculator
| Body Shapes | Description |
|---|---|
| Diamond, Oval | The waist is larger than the bust and hips. For Diamonds, the hips are narrow compared to the shoulders with an ample breast size. For Ovals, the shoulders are narrow compared to the hips, with small to medium size. |
| Inverted Triangle, Top-hour glass | The bust is larger than the hips. For Inverted-Triangle, the waist is not very well defined, and the hips are very narrow. For Top-hourglass, the waist is well defined. |
| Straight | The bust and hips are about the same size. The waist is slightly smaller than the bust and hips. |
| Hour Glass | The bust and hips are basically the same size with a very well defined waist. |
| Pear, Spoon | The hips are larger than the bust. For Pear, the waist gradually slopes out to the hips. For Spoon, the waist is slightly smaller than the bust. |
Think about your gown silhouette
After understanding your body shape, you may look at gown silhouettes that are complementary to your shape, and choose your favorite. Choosing accordingly ensures that your overall look is balanced, so that the wider part of the body is not accented making you look slimmer. More often than not, the time allowed per appointment to try on gowns is limited, and it is likely impossible for you to try on every gown in the store. So starting with gown silhouettes that you like most and are complementary to your body shape will bring you one step closer to finding your dream gown!Here is a quick guide on what might be suitable
| Gown Silhouettes | Body Shapes best suited for |
|---|---|
| Ball Gown | Straight, Hour Glass, Inverted-triangle, Top-hourglass, Pear, Spoon Avoid this style if you have a full figure even if your body shape is an hourglass. Instead, opt for the A-line gown. For petite brides, choose a simple design over complicated details to avoid being "drowned" in the gown. |
| A-line | Diamond, Oval, Inverted-triangle, Straight, Hour Glass, Top-hourglass, Pear, Spoon. The A-line is the most versatile, suitable for all body types. |
| Sheath | Straight, Hour Glass. Avoid this style if you have a full figure with straight body shape. |
| Mermaid, Trumpet, | Hour Glass, Pear, Spoon This gown shape requires perfect proportions and curves since this dress won’t hide anything. This gown shape works on pear and spoon body shapes only if you are slim without extra bulk around the hip. |
| Empire | Diamond, Oval, Inverted-triangle, Straight, Hour Glass, Top-hourglass, Pear, Spoon. Empire waist helps to minimize a wide torso for a slimmer effect. |
(Image drawn by founder of Heartlovely. )Be aware of your neckline
After the gown silhouette, the neckline is the 2nd most important element of your wedding gown. Choosing styles and shapes that work best with your upper body is crucial because the neckline is the part of the gown closest to the face, and where most people will focus their eyes on. Not to forget, wedding photographers are likely to take photos focusing on the upper body on your wedding day.There are many different necklines to choose from, but not all have to be flattering for you. One easy way is to try out gowns with necklines that works well for you in daily life. Browse through your favorite clothes in your wardrobe and note down their neckline designs.
(Image from paperblog)Here are some necklines to avoid based on body shapes
| Body Shapes | Necklines to avoid |
|---|---|
| Diamond, Oval | Avoid High-neck, Jewel, Straight-across. Also avoid designs with spaghetti straps. |
| Inverted Triangle, Top-hour glass | Avoid Halter, Off-shoulder, Asymmetric. |
| Straight | Avoid Square. For lean brides, avoid Scoop, Sweetheart. |
| Hour Glass | All necklines are suitable. For fuller brides, avoid High-collar, Jewel, Straight-across, and designs with spaghetti straps. |
| Pear, Spoon | All necklines are suitable. |
| Hour Glass | All necklines are suitable. For fuller brides, avoid High-collar, Jewel, Straight-across, and designs with spaghetti straps. |
Take note of your bust area, and your neck.
| Body Feature | Necklines to avoid |
|---|---|
| Large Bust | Avoid Bateau/Boatneck, High-neck, Jewel, Sweetheart, Straight-acorss and designs with spaghetti straps. |
| Small Bust | Avoid Scoop, Sweetheart, Strapless, |
| Thin and long neck size | Avoid straight-across and designs with spaghetti straps. |
| Short and Wide neck size | Avoid Bateau/Boatneck, High-neck,Jewel, Portrait, Square, Halter, Off-shoulder, Asymmetric. If you neck is short but thin, avoid all of the above except halter and Asymmetric. |
| Average Bust, Average Necksize | Choose any neckline that you fancy! |
Think about your must-have designs.
Browse through inspirations to find wedding dresses that you may like. Look through carefully and write up a list of must-have designs. It can be a colour, type of embellishments and material. Perhaps you dream of walking down the aisle in a gown made of exquisite lace, or one embellished with glittering crystals. Or maybe a tulle gown for the flowy look is what you are after, or a organza gown with multiple-layering.If you prefer silk materials (eg. silk organza, silk tulle), or decide to have pearls and swarovski crystals as embellishments, or hand-sewn appliques or beadings, be wary that the cost of the gown will be higher than average. Also, ombre-dyed gowns, hand-painted dyed gowns, and designs requiring hand-ruching tend to be on the higher-end pricing too.
Keep this list small but close to your heart. If you are getting your wedding gown from a bespoke gown designer, be sure to convey this to him/her right at the start of the consultation.
(Photo credit: Leo Photography (王韋証 wang wei zheng ) / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND) Try on some real gowns!
Nothing beats trying out the real thing, your wedding gown to help you gauge if it is right for you.Here are a few tips when trying out gowns
| Take photographs! You can then truly assess if the gown suits you from a different perspective. Even if the bridal consultant do not allow to keep the photographs, they will be usually be happy to help you take a photo with your phone and delete it afterwards. |
| Bring a friend or family member along if you are not confident in choosing yourself. |
| Even if you are considering a preowned gown so that you can wear your dream design while saving some costs, be sure to try out some real gowns beforehand. While the gowns may not be same, you can try out gowns with similar gown silhouette, neckline, or designs to determine if it is right for you. |
| If you have long hair, you may choose to tie up your hair to get a better idea of how you might look like in a bun or half updo |
| If you are engaging a gown designer to make a bespoke gown, be sure to view the designer's portfolio first before deciding. Most designers allow you to try out some gowns in their collection before confirming |
| Think that you have found your dream gown while at the studio?? Take a deep breath first. Do not rush into a decision. |
We hope that this guide is useful for you. Happy gown browsing and shopping!!
