So you're going on the search for your wedding dress for the very first time - SO exciting! If you're wondering "what do I need to do to know before wedding dress shopping?" we have a few bits of advice that can help ease those nerves and make you feel like you're already a pro at this thing! Don’t be afraid that you aren’t an expert at this whole bride thing. We will make sure your appointment is everything you imagine and more, but here are a few pointers to get you started and make this process fun, easy and most of all a celebration! Keep reading to know what each of our Stylists wish they could tell you before your very first bridal appointment!
Mary Beth
The best piece of advice I give first time brides is to enjoy the moment and be in it. When you are open to finding your gown and allowing yourself to be present all sorts of surprises and magic can happen. It’s easier and goes faster than you think. I encourage you to trust your gut, lean into, and pay attention to your feelings. When you find your gown at your first appointment, know that it’s ok to embrace your YES moment and celebrate, even if that wasn’t the plan or it is different than how you imagined the process to go. Don’t pass it up. It’s ok to change the plan and embrace the surprise…that’s what makes this experience magical and like nothing else.
Steph
Finding your wedding dress can feel like one of the most overwhelming tasks to fulfill during your wedding planning process. There are so many dresses to choose from, how do you know if you've found the one!? There's a strong belief that brides must go to multiple appointments, try on copious amounts of gowns, and make sure they have seen all of their options. However, all of the hard work is done at the very first appointment! It's here that you make those big decisions and hone in on the style and specific details that make you feel the most beautiful and most bridal. There's the old trusty saying, "your intuition will never steer you wrong." Falling in love with your wedding dress at your first appointment not only reaffirms that you are more than capable of making big decisions, but also how your intuition will not mislead you! When you're standing in your wedding dress, it's like falling in love all over again; instant, comfortable, and oh so exciting.
- Love, Steph
Kaley
My best pre appointment advice is to come in with an open mind and an open heart. We love when brides come in with a whole vision and pinterest board, it is an excellent jumping off point! However, it is also essential to come in willing to try a wide variety of things both on your mood board and otherwise. The only thing you can count on in your bridal appointment is being surprised; and believe me when I tell you those surprises are some of the most magical moments if you let them happen. This brings me to my point of coming in with an open heart. Your ‘YES’ moment is going to happen whether you are ready for it or not and when it does I want you to EMBRACE IT! This means opening yourself up to feeling how you want to feel on your wedding day and opening the door to what your marriage to your partner really means and feels like to you. Remember, this will look different for everyone, some brides cry, some dance, some smile, and some just stare at themselves. Whatever that reaction is for you, embrace it and allow yourself to open up to the celebration of this milestone, because your stylist and loved ones couldn't be more excited to cheer you on and celebrate with you!
- With love and support from your stylist Kaley.
Sadee
Picture this! You’re at your first bridal appointment, you’re trying a variety of dresses on & you step into one dress that makes the world around you go silent. You step into a dress that makes you feel like the best version of yourself. You step into a dress & all the sudden all you can think about is walking down the aisle to your person. Well, surprise! This is how you know you’ve found the dress you are going to say yes to, ahhh! The beauty of saying yes to your dress is that this moment looks different for everyone! Some cry, some break out in their fav dance move, and some just simply say “well this is the one” & we love all of these reactions! When this moment happens for you, please know that our team is here to guide you through all the thoughts & feelings that come along with saying that three letter word (YES). Finding your dream dress tends to happen when you are least expecting it & that is what makes these moments so special. So, when you arrive at your first bridal appointment with us, know that you are in the right place at the right time & we are SO excited to create this YES moment with you! All it takes is one dress & the rest is history!
Peyton
My best advice to brides preparing for their very first bridal shopping experience is simple, expect the unexpected. So many brides come into the shopping process with a whole schedule for their day, a specific idea of what they think they will like, or just an idea of how they are going to go about "saying yes" to their dress, but let me tell you a secret. Something almost always goes differently than you anticipate. Whether you end up in the sparkly and poofy ballgown that you thought you were going to hate, you fall in love with the first dress you put on, or you end up finding the one at the first shop with a full day of appointments booked... Embrace those surprises and unexpected changes. It's easy to think that we come in with a plan or these ideas of how the process is going to go because it feels like a safety blanket, but what it can actually do for many brides is add unnecessary stress and confusion because you are going against what feels right (but maybe a little scary) in the moment. Let the process happen and it will all be okay because your Miss Ruby stylist is here to guide you along the way!
Margarita
The beauty of finding your dress isn’t that it happens when you perfectly planned it to. The magic is in your stylist and sister both reaching for the dress at the same moment, it’s when it’s the first gown you see when you come in, it’s finding the perfect dress that fits amazing off the rack! When the time comes to have your say YES moment it can feel like when you met your partner and got all those happy anxious butterflies. That little 3 letter word can feel scary but the moment you give yourself permission to admit that you’ve found the one everything changes, because the spectacular part of this journey is that the when you say yes, it’s no longer just the gorgeous dress you loved- it’s your dress, the one you’ll walk down the aisle in, say I do in, and spend the most memorable day of your life in.
Kiera
Be open & Rework your mood board!
You'll want to come into your first appointment totally open! Prepare to be surprised during this process and to find yourself gravitating toward styles that you wouldn't traditionally go for or that you didn't initially think would fit the theme of your wedding. If you're the type to make mood boards, focus on saving images that relay the overall feel and energy of your wedding and less so on specific dresses or silhouettes. Think colors, settings, textures, and more! Even adding photos of you and your fiance and/or loved ones can say so much about who you are, the love you share, and how you want that displayed at your wedding. Nailing this down will help your stylist lead you to the gown that will complete the picture you've painted and capture all the emotions you want to feel. When you come into your first appointment open to dress styles and with a clear idea of the feeling behind your wedding, you allow yourself to have a fun, stress-free experience by allowing this exciting process to unfold fully and redefine what a "classic", "beachy", or "romantic" gown can look like.
Claire
First appointments are so exciting! There’s usually a bit of nerves and excitement but that’s all super normal and once you start the process these tend to fade away. A lot of brides come in thinking this needs to be a long and stressful process when in reality we see so many brides finding their gown at their first appointment! They don’t have to deal with the stress of finding their dress anymore and get to start celebrating, planning more details of their wedding, and shopping for other bridal events. I will also say, the hardest part of the entire appointment is physically saying “YES” to your dress. We get that it’s a big decision but as your stylist we are here to support and guide you every step of the way. We appreciate your honesty with us as this gives us the best tools to be able to help you find the perfect dress! Lastly, some practical advice; wear your nude undergarments, bridal sizing is crazy so don’t fixate on the numbers, trust your gut, and if you don’t feel amazing and beautiful in it, it’s not the one.
Erin
My best advice would be to try to remind yourself what your special day is all about - a celebration of you and your partner! In the moment of trying on dresses you can easily get lost in all of the feedback from your guests as well as the overwhelming number of dresses to see and try-on. When at your appointment try to ground yourself, remind yourself of what your special day is all about, focus on what you feel good in and lean into what your gut is telling you. Your intuition is never wrong! Oh & lean on your Miss Ruby Stylist - they are there to support you every step of the way!
Abby
The magic and the memories of these experiences come from being surprised! As long as you have how you want to feel in mind while trying on dresses, you can't make a wrong choice if you're making this decision with how you're feeling in a gown. Being open and being okay with plans changing is going to make this process so much more stress free and exciting for you as the bride. It can be really easy to get attached to the plans/appointments you have for the day and sometimes having those plans can be a distraction from being in the moment with all of your people and really soaking in the moment you have in your dress. My best piece of advice is to be as mindful and present as possible while trying on dresses & bring people with you who you know are going to be SO excited for you no matter what! Your gut never leads you wrong, so if you're feeling like you found your dress at your first appointment, that's something to celebrate because you never know when you're going to find it!
Molly
My advice to brides is to really let this be a joyful experience. There are some nerves before that first appointment, and you probably haven't spent a lot of time in a bridal boutique before. Know that the team is excited to have you in our space and we want you to explore the gowns and see a little bit of everything! You may have your heart set on a specific look, but be open to trying something out of the box. Grab that sparkling over the top gown you are drawn to even when you came in for something different. If it just brings you joy or a fun moment for you and your special people you chose to shop with, you want to look back and remember the experience! There are so many unique gowns to try on, you may find yourself standing in something you've never seen before and love it.
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