Many brides tend to look forward to the bridesmaid appointment with all of their closest girls. It’s a day to connect with them, plus you get to check off a major to-do from your planning list!
Unfortunately, not all bridesmaid appointments are as easy as you’d think. Some can even be a complete disaster!
How enjoyable the day really depends on how prepared you are. Here is a roadmap straight from our stylists that can help you avoid a disastrous appointment!
5 STEPS TO A FUN & EASY BRIDESMAID APPOINTMENT
Here are our five steps to make a bridesmaid appointment as fun and easy as possible! Hint: it might take more than just showing up and looking at dresses a couple months before the wedding!
1. Arrive with a plan
It’s always helpful to show up to your appointment with a plan! While it’s fun to look at dresses and gather ideas that way, we promise that it will relieve so much stress if you think about what you’re looking for beforehand. Some things to think about could include:
- Do you want everyone to wear the same dress?
- Do you want them to wear the same color? Or choose from a color palette?
- What length do you want them to wear?
- Do you have a range of colors that you want to look at?
Asking yourself these questions before the appointment will give you & your maids some guidelines to follow so that you don’t feel lost in a sea of dresses.
Keep in mind that your stylist is there to help control your party! They will control how many different styles the girls are trying on and will steer them away from dresses that they know you aren’t looking for. But, they can only do this if you tell them what you want!
Check out our selection of bridesmaid gowns that we have in-store to help get the juices flowing.
2. Ask for input
A common issue that happens with bridesmaid parties is when a bridesmaid automatically assumes that a bride is going with her ideas, or her budget. In reality, the bride could be on a completely different page.
Things can get tricky when girls have different budgets or aren’t comfortable in certain styles that the bride really loves.
To avoid anything like this happen, talk with your bridesmaids first — before they even start trying anything on. Figure out what they’re comfortable spending and wearing to make sure everything knows what to expect when heading into the appointment.
3. Know the ordering timeline
Brides are usually shocked when we tell them that bridesmaid dresses take three months to come in after ordering. Then, they’ll take an additional one to two months for alterations!
Plus, we will not order the dresses until each girl has been measured. It is so important to give yourself enough time to receive your dresses before the wedding day!
Shopping during a bridesmaid appointment should be a fun & exciting time with your closest girls. If you have to work under a tight deadline, it can become super stressful! Give yourself some cushion time, if possible, to start shopping.
4. Go with as many bridesmaids as possible
Do your best to come with as many bridesmaids as possible! With COVID restrictions, you may have to come with less girls at a time. But it’s always a good idea to bring as many girls as you can so that you can really gauge each girl’s opinions from the beginning!
If there is a girl who can’t come, we can FaceTime or Zoom them in! We are also super flexible with bridesmaids who can’t make it into the shop, such as girls who live out of state. We have policies to handle these situations, but we still recommend coming in with as many girls as possible to make the experience as seamless as possible!
5. Be flexible
Finally, we really encourage you to be as flexible as you can, without compromising on your vision for your wedding day. Remember that your bridesmaids are your closest friends and/or family members. Wedding planning can be stressful, and sometimes brings out the worst in people when tensions are running high. However, they ultimately want you to be happy!
Your relationships with your girls are never worth sacrificing over a difference of opinion in a dress. There could be situations where a girl needs you to work with them on fine details, such as a budget or a style that they just are not comfortable in wearing. Remember that you chose them to be your bridesmaid for a reason, and they have your best intentions in mind!
If you keep all of these things in mind while bridesmaid dress shopping, your appointment should run smoothly!