Coming Together: A Wedding Blog

4 Steps To Manage Your Wedding Gown Shopping Entourage

10 March 2020

Martha Montgomery

Wedding dress shopping is one of the most special traditions most brides undertake while planning their wedding. But choosing the wrong dress shopping party can turn a wonderful outing into a real chore if you're not careful. So, how should you form your dress shopping entourage? And how can you keep everyone — including yourself — happy? Here are a few steps to success.

1. Decide What Makes You Happy. Ultimately, the wedding gown shopping experience should be all about the bride. This is your day, and it should be shared only with those you really want. Don't feel obligated to invite your entire bridal party, all your relatives, or even your entire circle of friends. But neither should you feel like you must limit it to one person if that's not what you have always wanted. You must start by determining what your own feelings are so that you can then design a day to make you happy. 

2. Do a Preliminary Run. If you do want to have many people at your final boutique excursion, consider having a preliminary excursion first. You might opt to take along only one or two people for this outing so you can focus on the nitty-gritty details that need worked out in order to make the second trip successful — things like the budget, possible silhouettes, material or color ranges, and certain 'must-have' elements. Once you narrow down these parameters, plan a second trip with a larger group.

3. Talk with the Boutique. Discuss your entourage plans with the bridal boutique. They may not have space for a large group, or they may need you to book a specific appointment in order to accommodate the group. In addition, wedding professionals who have done this all many times will have other suggestions for the best size and makeup of your group to facilitate the right dress choices.  

4. Include People Virtually. Thanks to modern technology, brides don't have to traipse their entire wedding party into the store in order to include them. Consider making an 'A' list of those who will travel to the boutique in person and a 'B' list of those who will be linked in at key moments using video chat features. This is an easy way to pare down your actual group but still let people know that you love and value them. 

If you plan your wedding dress shopping group well, the day will be both fun and successful. And you'll create a lasting memory of a day that went just how you personally envisioned it.  

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