I love looking at wedding dresses online. I love the excitement of ‘bridal fashion week.’ I love seeing the new collections pop up on a designer’s website. I start envisioning what type of woman would wear the garment. I think about what type of wedding she might be having, what her day might look like, etc. I actually ignore the model in the image because it’s not her dress, it isn’t her wedding day, and she didn’t choose to put that on. I can see past the model, because I have worked with hundreds of brides, and watched a dress go from ‘fine’ to ‘amazing’ when it meets the right person. But, generally speaking, a bride doesn’t do the same.

Here are some tips for how you can objectively look at a wedding dress online.

1) Look at the picture of the dress and then read the description of the dress. Does the dress look only slightly fitted but the designer details tell you that the cut is mermaid? Then it probably isn’t hugging the model correctly due to the way she is standing or the way the photo is taken and it probably IS a mermaid cut. If that’s not what you want, then keep browsing.

2) Try to picture yourself in the dress. Chances are you and the model aren’t the same shape, because everyone is different! She may be rocking a C cup size and you rock your B cup, and this small change will make the dress look different on you from her. So try to ignore everything but the dress and see if you can picture yourself in it.

3) Go try them on! Really, the only way to buy a wedding dress is to try them on in a store. You might love it! You might hate it! It’s fine either way, because you have seen the dress on YOUR body before you made a decision about it.

4) Trust your consultant. She will know what styles will suit you, because it is her job to know. Let her have a bit of room and she will probably show you something that leaves you feeling like the bride you are.

Have fun planning and shopping for your wedding dress. Try on as many or as few as you need to, and if you start to get confused, take a deep breath and remember why you are doing this in the first place; to marry the person you love!

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