Bridal Appointment Etiquette (For Friends & Family)

Bridal gown shopping is rarely a solo experience! Bride's often invite their closest friends and family for moral support and to make them feel included in the wedding planning process. If you have been invited to a bridal appointment with your daughter, sister, niece, cousin, or bestie, we have a few words of advice to make the entire experience a positive one! 

Read on for our 4 Basics of Bridal Appointment Etiquette (For Guests)

1. Be Mindful of Her Budget

We see this happen all the time. The bride will tell their stylist that they want to stick to a certain budget, but friends and family insist that they try on gowns that are 3-times what the bride wants to spend. Even if it is "Just for fun!" or "Just to try!" it never ends well. 

There are beautiful dresses in every budget. However, dresses that are higher-end tend to have different fabrics that aren't available at a lower price. If a bride puts on a dress she can never afford, it can make the dresses she can afford seem lackluster and unexciting. We've seen it happen and it's heartbreaking! Unless you're willing to personally pay for the dress, only pick dresses within the bride's price point. 

Unless you're Carrie Bradshaw, leave the $10,000 dress on the hanger!

2. Let the Bride Have an Input

This is another one that breaks our heart! Many times, a bride will put on a dress in the fitting room and tell her stylists immediately how amazing it makes her feel! With a smile on her face, she will walk out in the dress and the first thing someone says is,"Well, this one is awful!" or some other negative remark. The bride then feels obligated to dislike the dress, even if deep down she is in love with it. 

The bride's input should always come first. She brought you along to give your opinion, but she did not bring you along to choose the dress for her. Listen to her opinion first and tailor your reaction accordingly. 

Give the bride a few minutes to form her own opinion before anyone else in the party gives their input.

3. Be Honest but Be Positive

People always ask our stylists, "Have you ever told a bride that she looked good in a dress when she didn't?" We honestly reply "Never." When a bride loves a dress and adores how she looks in it, her confidence is what makes her look like a bride! 

As a friend or family member, keep this in mind. Don't point out the bride's every flaw in every dress. Most of the time, she is in a dress that doesn't fit her, doesn't have the proper undergarments, and lots of other things that she is aware of. I've had a mom point out her daughter's "arm fat" in every strapless dress. I've had friends obsess over how "tight the dress looks" when the sample is 3 sizes too small for the bride. Put the entire look in perspective. Focus on the positive. Give the bride harsh criticism if (and only if) she asks for it explicitly. 

Why make a bride feel bad about herself? Tell her 3 positive things about how she looks. 

4. Let Her Say "Yes"

Let's set the scene: The bride is in a perfect dress. It is the only one she has loved, the only dress that made her tear up, & the only dress that she can see herself marrying her fiancé in. She says, "This is the one! I'm saying Yes!" Instead of celebrating, her friend says, "You can't say YES yet! I'm not done shopping!" The bride's face falls & you can see all of the happiness and excitement melt away. The magical moment that every bride is looking for? She just had it, and now it's gone forever. 

This happens probably once a month at our boutique.  

Friends and family often don't realize the impact they have on a bride's shopping experience. They can make it or break it. Please, don't be the one that breaks it. Be supportive, be caring, and let her find the dress of her dreams. 

She finds her dress, you get to celebrate with a champagne toast (win-win!)
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