Your wedding is a special day. For many, it’s the only time they’ll host such a big, beautiful event. We all deserve to dress up and be around our loved ones, and celebrating finding the love of your life is the perfect reason. What many brides don’t particularly realise, however, is just how much work it is to plan! Even if you have a wedding planner there to do the heavy lifting for you, you still need to make decisions, make appointments, tastings, and, of course, find your dress.

Your wedding dress is one of the biggest highlights of your day. It can be passed down from generation to generation, yes, but most importantly, it needs to make you feel incredible when you wear it.

When you start looking, however, you may find that it’s not that easy. Dresses come in so many shapes and sizes and feel different when you wear them. If you’ve been struggling to find “the one” a second time, use these tips to help you narrow your search:

Understand What Silhouette Suits You

The best way to start getting better results with your search is to understand what silhouette you want. Far too often, we can get an idea in our head and that idea just doesn’t work out. For your next appointment, try on different silhouettes before you start looking for dresses. This way, you can figure out what shape and details bring out your features in a way that makes you fall in love. Then, you can start looking for the perfect option.

Find Designers You Like

While you can go from bridal boutique to bridal boutique, it can be helpful to come armed with some designer names and dress examples. If you love Ronald Joyce’s wedding dress collections, for example, you can cut the search and instead find a boutique that stocks your favorite dresses. You never know, the fact that they already stock a brand you love can mean great surprises for the rest of the boutique’s stock.

Remember to check reviews from previous buyers before purchasing a dress. To do this, head to Google and search “bridal shop Perth” or whichever area you live in. This should leave you plenty of reviews to check out of bridal shops in your area.

Give Yourself Breaks

It’s best to start looking as soon as you possibly can because you’ll want to keep it to one or two boutiques per day. This is so that you don’t burn yourself out with options. If you see and try on too many dresses in a short period, the magic of the experience will wear off, and you’ll start to get tired and stressed. In that state, you may not get that lightning bolt feeling when you come across a dress you love.

That’s why you need to give yourself breaks. This keeps shopping for your big day fun. It also means you can go with your favorite people more often.

Take Notes

When you like a certain detail, but not the whole ensemble, take notes and talk about it. You never know, sleeves may be added to the sleeveless dress you otherwise adore. Details like a belt or cape can be added for additional flair. There are so many ways you can tweak any dress you like the look of with details you noticed and delighted in from previous try-ons.