BRIDAL GOWN 

Nothing symbolizes a wedding more than seeing a bride in her gown. From the moment the doors open and she walks down the aisle, all eyes are on her, even her groom. It’s only fitting that she would want the perfect wedding dress to complete her dream wedding. As romantic as this may seem, finding the perfect wedding dress can be one of the most difficult decisions in the whole wedding planning process.

We suggest you start with a budget before shopping around. Competition is high among bridal shops so we encourage you to fudge your budget by a few hundred dollars so you can see dresses closer to your price range. View dresses online, in magazines or even ebay to see a variety of styles before you shop locally. That way you can go in with a vision of what you want your bridal gown to look like and make it easier for consultants to help you with your selection. Book an appointment with a bridal shop during the week or evenings when you can get better service, Saturdays are the busiest. Make sure you bring a close friend or yes, even your mother if she is around to help and try on a variety of styles,  narrowing your choices down to three dresses. This may take several weeks of shopping around or maybe you’ll get lucky on your first day out.

Order your dress at least six to eight months early. Most dress manufacturers take 3 months to make your dress and ship to your store. Then the added alterations and purchase of accessories will add more time to your calendar. Again, we suggest fudging your wedding date a month early if you are ordering closer to your wedding time. Make sure you know who your wedding dress manufacturer is and their timeline, sometimes their schedule may be too close to your selected date.

Don’t be afraid to cut corners and shop around for bargains like discounted shoes and accessories like veils, bras, hosiery and slips. These items are that bridal shops tend to mark up and make most of their money. Say no to these extras and get them elsewhere. Same goes for alterations, if you are not comfortable with the shop doing it and you know a more reputable seamstress that has worked with your fabric, then save the hundreds of dollars and get your bargain elsewhere.

Bottomline, shopping for Bridal wear doesn’t have to be a scary ordeal. With careful planning, research and common sense, you can find the perfect wedding dress of your dreams.  We suggest reading Bridal Bargains and visiting their website, BridalBargainsBooks.com for lots of information on how to shop for your Bridal Apparel.

TUXEDOS OR GROOMS WEAR

Most tuxedos are rental wear for the groom and his groomsmen. Lucky for them, there are so many styles and cuts to choose from to fit all body types. It has always been traditional that if you are having an evening formal affair after six that you had to wear a black tux with tails, or if it was an afternoon event you would wear grey or white with a short coat. Nowadays, with actors walking the red carpet with stylish menswear and designer tuxedos,  they have made these old traditions seem like a thing of the past. So gentlemen, the new trend is to wear whatever you like and whatever you think is going to make you and your groomsmen look stylish.

ABridetoBee.com recommends visiting these sites for a tips and galleries of the hottest trends  this year, Afterhours.com and TheWeddingChannel.com. Or visit your local bridal shops, independent or chain tuxedo stores or go with the alternative of wearing a nice suit. Save money on shoes by not renting and spending the money on a nice pair of shoes that you will wear over and over again. In addition, if you know that you may need a tux for another upcoming event or corporate party, it may be a wise investment to purchase one.  Make sure to ask the vendor for discounts.

Shop wisely like your bride, look for coupons and package discount rates. Get your groomsmen organized to plan their fittings early, we suggest fudging the 4 week deadline to 6 weeks to give your self a buffer for those who just can’t get it together.

BRIDESMAID DRESSES

A bridesmaid dress is known in the women’s world as a “disposable dress”. Most of these dresses are not actually worn again and for many bridesmaids on a tight budget, it is in the best interest of the bride to find a style that is not going to cost her friend over $100.

ABridetoBee.com suggests that you shop for bridesmaid dresses the same way you would when looking for a wedding dress. Set a reasonable budget that will work for your college starving girlfriend along with those who already have higher paying jobs. Shop around for different styles, shapes, and colors. Other alternatives are of course to bargain shop, have their dresses sewn, or have them choose their own dresses based on your color swatch. Sure they won’t match but if you are really budget conscious, then it shouldn’t matter.

We also suggest you shop around on the web for great deals on bridesmaid dresses. There are many discount stores where dresses start as low at $49, like cybergown.com. Other stores we like are chadwicks.com, jessicalondon.com and brideandprom.com.

BRIDAL GOWN

Nothing symbolizes a wedding more than seeing a bride in her gown. From the moment the doors open and she walks down the aisle, all eyes are on her, even her groom. It’s only fitting that she would want the perfect wedding dress to complete her dream wedding. As romantic as this may seem, finding the perfect wedding dress can be one of the most difficult decisions in the whole wedding planning process.

We suggest you start with a budget before shopping around. Competition is high among bridal shops so we encourage you to fudge your budget by a few hundred dollars so you can see dresses closer to your price range. View dresses online, in magazines or even ebay to see a variety of styles before you shop locally. That way you can go in with a vision of what you want your bridal gown to look like and make it easier for consultants to help you with your selection. Book an appointment with a bridal shop during the week or evenings when you can get better service, Saturdays are the busiest. Make sure you bring a close friend or yes, even your mother if she is around to help and try on a variety of styles, narrowing your choices down to three dresses. This may take several weeks of shopping around or maybe you’ll get lucky on your first day out.

Order your dress at least six to eight months early. Most dress manufacturers take 3 months to make your dress and ship to your store. Then the added alterations and purchase of accessories will add more time to your calendar. Again, we suggest fudging your wedding date a month early if you are ordering closer to your wedding time. Make sure you know who your wedding dress manufacturer is and their timeline, sometimes their schedule may be too close to your selected date.

Don’t be afraid to cut corners and shop around for bargains like discounted shoes and accessories like veils, bras, hosiery and slips. These items are that bridal shops tend to mark up and make most of their money. Say no to these extras and get them elsewhere. Same goes for alterations, if you are not comfortable with the shop doing it and you know a more reputable seamstress that has worked with your fabric, then save the hundreds of dollars and get your bargain elsewhere.

Bottom line, shopping for Bridal wear doesn’t have to be a scary ordeal. With careful planning, research and common sense, you can find the perfect wedding dress of your dreams. We suggest reading Bridal Bargains and visiting their website, BridalBargainsBooks.com for lots of information on how to shop for your Bridal Apparel.