Let’s face it… wedding planning can be stressful. But our goal at Married Orlando is to relieve you of as much stress as possible by answering your most pressing questions. With our Vendor Guides, Inside Looks, Real Wedding Articles and our new “Ask The Expert” article series, you’ll find everything you need to plan your Orlando wedding right here!
In this first issue of Ask The Expert, we are talking Wedding Dresses! Choosing your wedding dress is a big deal. With so many options for style, silhouette, fabrics and colors, some expert advice will be a huge help.
We sat down with the bridal gown experts at The Bridal Finery to get their advice on what to think about while shopping for your Orlando wedding dress. Offering private bridal styling, designer trunk shows and custom bridal looks in their chic Winter Park boutique, these ladies know their stuff. If you’re on the hunt for the perfect bridal gown, you’ll definitely want to hear what they have to say!
Special thanks to Kristen Weaver Photography – KWP Masters for sharing the gorgeous photos found throughout the article. You can find the full list of Orlando wedding vendors represented in the photos below.
In our quest to find out what truly matters when choosing a wedding dress, we asked The Bridal Finery to help us answer these five important questions:
1. What is your style?
Rachel Strehlow, Married Orlando: We can all agree that a bride’s personal style is the most important factor in choosing her dress. How does personal style help decide which dress is the best choice?
Bri Marbais, The Bridal Finery: Deciding on their wedding dress is one of the most important decisions a bride will make during the wedding planning process — so many other decisions are dependent upon what the wedding dress style ends up being, such as hair and makeup, wedding party attire, flowers and so much more.
We oftentimes, at The Bridal Finery, will ask our brides how they want to feel on their wedding day, which is a huge indication as to what style they will most likely lean towards. If brides have certain features they want to show off, we encourage them to trust their stylist to help choose the best dresses for them to try on. We also know that not every wedding dress has hanger appeal and it’s important to actually try a dress on before disregarding it.
How does body shape and comfortability factor into this? And is this a “fashion over function” situation?
We are firm believers in undergarments. To ensure the bride and her dress look their absolute best on wedding day, what is worn underneath really matters.
For some brides, comfort and function are extremely important, and for others, not so much. More times than not, when a bride falls in love with their dress the rulebook goes out the window. Because we host alterations in our boutique, we talk through the functionality of the dress and make suggestions for our brides to help make it easier.
2. What is your theme?
How does the overall theme and wedding décor play into choosing a wedding dress?
The wedding decor and theme is definitely something that brides take into consideration when shopping for their wedding dress. Not only is it important that as stylists we find the perfect accessories to compliment the wedding dress, the same goes for the overall bridal look to align with the bride’s theme and decor. But, we do find that for some brides, it’s not a total make or break if the wedding dress doesn’t perfectly align with the decor or theme.
So then, what comes first: the dress or the décor?
Wedding dress shopping is usually one of the first stops a bride makes once they have gotten engaged. We’re finding that couples will have a general idea of the look and feel they are wanting for decor but don’t necessarily have concrete plans yet. On the other hand, we are sometimes one of the last stops brides will make during the process. We truly see a little bit of everything! Offering both made-to-order and off-the-rack wedding dresses allows us to help brides at truly any point in the planning.
In your experience working with brides, how many choose their dress based on their chosen theme? Or, do you see brides choosing their dresses first and then building their theme around their fashion choices?
I would have to say it’s a little mix of both. We find that more than anything, brides are wanting their look to be cohesive with the theme/style of the wedding. They want all of the pieces of the puzzle to fit together and to make sense. It really just depends on the bride.
3. What is the season?
As we all know, Orlando weather can be unpredictable. Are different dress styles more appropriate for different seasons?
Not necessarily! Being in Florida, bridal fashion varies all year round. We really encourage our brides to say yes to their dress because they feel and look their best not because of what season their wedding will be in. We are seeing brides being more conscious of the overall formality of the wedding rather than picking their dress based on the season.
But what about fabrics? Does the weather play a role in picking fabrics or styles?
Truthfully… not really. With our brides getting married in Florida, no matter what month they plan on getting married in, they are always anticipating some heat. That, however, does not discourage them from exploring wedding dresses that might have a heavier fabric or some kind of sleeve. If they love the dress, they love the dress, and we make it work. However, if the weather is an important factor for our brides, we will make sure to choose dresses accordingly.
4. What is the location?
How much does the wedding venue play a role in choosing a dress? Do you recommend the couple choose a venue prior to dress shopping to make sure their look is on point?
Not at all! Because we are a full service bridal boutique, we do help our brides throughout their entire engagement. We are happy to help with vendor recommendations including venues. We see brides shopping for their wedding dress all the time before they’ve finalized their venue, which is totally okay!
5. What is your budget?
Finally… Let’s talk budgets. We know it’s important to set expectations for dress shopping according to your budget. Are brides able to find the dress of their dreams in any budget, or do you recommend brides research which dresses are available inside their budget first and then choose from those options?
We always recommend brides do their research beforehand. Not only do you want to make sure the bridal boutique you are booking your appointment at has dresses in your budget, but that it’s also the right boutique for you. Asking questions is really important! A few key questions to ask, other than budget, are – does the store offer in house alterations? What is the size range of the store? Other than the wedding dress, what else does the store carry? We also encourage brides to check out the website and social media for the stores they plan on visiting to make sure it’s a good fit.
If you or someone you know is on the hunt for the perfect bridal gown in Orlando, make sure to bookmark this article and save these tips! Find Orlando Bridal shops HERE. And when you go shopping… make sure to let them know you found their boutique on Married Orlando!
Orlando Wedding Vendors: Bridal Shop – @thebridalfinery | Photography – @kwpmasters | Bakery – @mybakerscottagecakes | Beauty – @bronzeglowbeauty | Rentals – @eventworksrentals | Models – @premieremodelsnsb | Stationery – @elevennote | Florals – @eventsbyinbloom
