How to Remain Body Positive While Wedding Dress Shopping

Wedding dress shopping is supposed to be one of the most anticipated tasks on your wedding to-do list. But for many brides, that expectation is far from reality! Wedding dress shopping can spark a lot of anxiety, especially amongst those who are body conscious – an issue that plagues women of every shape and size. At the Wedding Style Society, we want nothing more than for every bride to have an enjoyable shopping experience and to find her dream dress. For which reason, we’re sharing tips on how to remain body positive while wedding dress shopping!

Set Yourself up for Success

If your wedding dress appointment is approaching and you’re lacking confidence, don’t sit on your bum and hope for the best. Take action! You can set yourself up for success by doing things that will boost your confidence. So that when you walk in the door to the store, it’s with your head held high. Consider getting a spray tan, your teeth whitened, or your nails painted. You might even get your hair and makeup was done by a professional. Whatever you need to boost your confidence and reaffirm your self-worth, do it!

Carefully Choose Your Attendees

One of the biggest determining factors on how your day will go is the people you surround yourself with. That is the people who will attend the wedding dress appointment with you. Whether it be your mother or mother-in-law, friends, extended family, and so on. These people will contribute to the overall vibe of your experience. You don’t want any negative nancy’s in the bunch. Rather, you want people who understand you and your style, your personality, and exactly what you need in terms of support. So that should you start to lack confidence or defeated during your experience, they will be ready to leap into action and lift your spirits. If you question whether someone in your entourage can act accordingly, it may be best not to extend an invitation.

Lean on Your Bridal Consultant

So many brides make the mistake of running their own bridal appointments. But in doing so, you’re setting yourself for failure. A bridal consultant is there to not only guide you through the dress shopping experience but help you find the best dress for your body type. Unless you’re a designer, you probably don’t know all of the cuts and styles. But your bridal consultant does, and she wants to put you in a gown that not only suits your personality but your unique body shape. Be honest with her about your goals, as well as your concerns. This will allow you to alter the types of gowns she presents to you, and begin to narrow down what does and does not work. Be open to her suggestions, and you’re likely to be surprised! A dress that you may not like the appearance of may be the gown you fall in love with. But you have to give it a chance!

Be Kind to Yourself

As you begin trying on wedding dresses, be careful about the words that you use. Self-deprecation is a horrible habit that many of us have mastered. And without good reason! You will only make yourself spiral faster, turning your bridal appointment into an absolute nightmare of a memory. Instead, be kind to yourself and choose your words carefully. It’s okay to not like a dress. But it’s not okay to hate yourself to describe the ways in which you don’t like a dress. Give constructive feedback to your consultant so that they can actually help you. Specify the areas that are crippling your confidence. Like a bust that is too tight or a bodice that poorly accentuates your tummy. In doing so, your team of consultants and guests will have a better understanding of how they can help.

Via @martinalianabridal / Model: @nicolecarlsonxo⁠ / Bridal Boutique: @bellalilybridal

Buy a Dress That Fits

All too often brides walk into a wedding dress store to buy a gown a few sizes too small. Why? “Because I’m going to lose weight”. If this ends up being the case, great! You can always have the gown sized down during alternations. But the bottom line is that you can’t add material to a dress. Meaning, if you don’t lose weight, then you won’t be wearing that dress at all. It’s a horrible idea to put so much stress on yourself during your engagement. You won’t be able to truly enjoy it! So do away with hoping for something you don’t have, and focus on finding happiness where you are currently at.

Ignore Sizes

When it comes to remaining body positive while wedding dress shopping, sizes should be the last thing on your mind. Seriously! No one at your wedding will be stopping you to peek at the tag. They’ll be complimenting how amazing it looks on you and how well it suits your figure. Size does not determine your self-worth. Any wedding dress that makes you feel like the most confident version of yourself is a perfect size!

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