Hi lovely people! Long time, no talk. I have been taking longer with my blog posts lately to make them more intentional- this helps me make better content and balance wedding planning, school and work!
Speaking of wedding planning, I said yes to my wedding dress this past weekend, yay! It was so much fun going to try on beautiful dresses every weekend with my mom and a rotation of available friends and family. I found wedding dress shopping so much fun! I wanted to do a post all about my experience at different places and just the things I did to make the experience really fun with you all. I know each wedding dress store has their own set of suggestions and tips, but I think hearing from a bride’s perspective might be an extra touch of help!
My experience: I went to four different wedding dress stores, which sounds like a lot. With what kind of dress I was looking for though, it didn’t feel like a lot. When the consultants would ask what kind of dress I was looking for, I always said a “statement” dress. Most stores have 90 of the same kind of dress and 10 statement dresses- at least in my opinion. So even with going to four different stores, I really didn’t try on that many dresses, about 6-10 at each store! I wanted to give a rundown of the places I went just in case anyone local is looking!
Lillian Ruth- This place was a dream! I went right after Christmas with just my mom, and it was a great experience. It’s a good place to go for your first experience because they are so open to helping you find your style. If you go during the week you are the only bride in the store, and I think on Saturdays you share with one person. Liz was my consultant, and she was seriously so nice! They had a great selection of statement dresses and traditional ones. It is directly above Soccer Taco, yum!
White Lace and Promises- This is probably the most popular place to go in Knoxville! I had a great consultant, Tori, and she really helped me find the statement dresses in the store! There is a huge selection, but I would say the majority of them are more traditional dresses, which is great if that is your style!! There are a lot of brides there at one time so it may feel overwhelming- go during the week if you can! Also, they have a great selection of bridesmaids dresses.
Twirl- This was one I found in Lexington, KY, about a two hour drive from where I live. It’s this cute little house, and it was super charming. I had a really nice consultant and every bride gets her own room to try on and view the dresses, which is nice! They had a lot of great brands that I liked, Justin Alexander and others. There weren’t a ton of statement dresses here, I think I only tried on 5 here, but it was super cute in there, and we look for any excuse to go to Lexington. They have a podcast (you all know I am obsessed with podcasts), and it is a really good one to listen to if you’re a bride!
Kindred- Heaven on Earth for a bride. If you live at all close to Knoxville, go! They don’t have a single dress that you have seen a million times on your Facebook feed. It might come across as boho on their website, but they actually have soooo many dresses in every style. I have a more classic glam vibe to my wedding, and there were so many for me to try on. I can’t say enough good things about this place! The owner, Madelyn, knows every detail about the dresses from production to shape to ordering. She is so helpful and intentional.
Here are my top tips for wedding dress shopping!
1. Research! I can’t recommend this enough. Make sure you know what type of dress you’re looking for- boho, traditional, preppy, etc. before booking an appointment. Going somewhere that doesn’t carry your type could be a waste. I went to a place that carries a variety for my first appointment so I could learn what my style was!
2. Get on the waitlist! Some places have a long waitlist for getting in, especially for Saturday appointments. If you can’t go during the week (when there is almost always availability), go ahead and make an appointment for the next available day, then call and ask them if you can get on a waitlist for the next soonest appointment you can make. This worked for me twice and helped me go more places in a short amount of time!
3. Go once with your closest person only- the first time I went shopping I only brought my mom with me. This really helped me get comfortable with shopping and allowed me to figure out my budget and style without worrying about anything.
4. Think before saying yes on your first trip- Okay, most places are going to tell you not to be afraid to say yes, but what I did was make a list of all the stores I wanted to visit and mark them off one by one. You only get to shop for a wedding dress once in your life hopefully so why not make it last? This also gives you a chance to think about it before taking the plunge. Some dresses I loved at the store and when I looked at pictures later I thought “What was I thinking!?”
