This week’s guest blog post is from Bo Lee at BoLee Bridal Couture of Sunnyvale, California.  She owns and runs more than a beautiful showroom with plush changing rooms and amazing collections.  She has consulted with hundreds of brides to assist them in selecting the perfect wedding dress.  Her advice here today is a generous gift to us all. 

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Planning a wedding is undeniably one of the most stressful events in a girls’ life. For this reason, do yourself the favor of consulting with an experienced professional like BoLee Bridal Couture. Here are some helpful tips from Bo Lee for your journey in finding your dream dress!

It seems that every bride is waiting for that crying “this is the one” moment like we all see on TV, but in reality, not every bride has this experience; not every bride is the same.

If you’re a bride that tends to stress easily, our suggestion is to plan ahead. If you plan a good 10-12 months before your wedding date, this will significantly decrease your dress stress. Ten months to a year for a dress? Yes! It may seem a little crazy, but designer dresses are cut and made to order; they do not sit at a warehouse waiting to be shipped. And if you’re an easily stressed bride, you want to give yourself time.

On average, dresses take four to six months just to order. And of course no dress comes in and fits perfectly, so you will need alterations to give you that perfect fit for your day! This typically takes 2-3 months. If you plan on having accessories such as a veil or other hair pieces give yourself time to order that as well, about 2-3 months.

Seems simple, but what if you don’t have a year? There is always the option of buying a sample dress. These are dresses sold off the rack and are usually a great price for a designer gown. However, be prepared to have it altered because the standard sample sizes are 8, 10, 12 and not every lady’s body is the same!

Now, we’d like to address a somewhat sensitive issue… Weight! We all think about it, especially a bride-to-be. Obviously she wants to look her best for her wedding, and this may include the bridal diet. We see it often, and it is never a smart idea to order a dress too small and hope you’ll fit into it later. It is also not a good idea to wait until the last minute when you’ve lost weight to order a dress, because then you risk the chances of ordering your dress in time. Always order the size that fits you now and if you do lose weight, that is what alterations are for and kudos to you! If you don’t lose weight, not to worry, that is also what alterations are for! Either way you will look beautiful and have a perfect fit! Nothing is more gorgeous than a woman with confidence, who is sparkling from the inside out on her wedding day!

We know that all you ladies are busy conquering the world but when that special time in your life comes to start planning your wedding, take some time for yourself! Flip through bridal magazines, pin on your Pinterest wedding board and subscribe to wedding websites to reference the dresses you like. This is the best way to get an idea of what you want to look like for your special day. So when you do come across a dress that intrigues you fold the corner down, pin the picture, or save it to your mobile device so you can show your consultant when you go to your appointment.

You should think of what you want to look like on your wedding day, romantic, rustic, vintage, classic these are just some examples. If you find yourself completely unprepared for your appointment, don’t fret, just tell your consultant and she can take it from there. You will find out pretty quickly what you like and what you don’t like in just a handful of dresses. Remember, it is the consultant’s job to help you find the perfect dress and in order to do that, sometimes we have to start from scratch.

When you are at your appointment, the best mindset is to be open and decisive. If you loved the pictures of the dresses you brought in with you more than you actually like the dress on you, don’t feel defeated, be open! If you are open-minded to try different silhouettes or fabrics, this can be the best way to find your dress. Sometimes, dresses have no hanger appeal but they might look fabulous on you!

How do you know it’s “the one”? Some girls cry when they’ve found the dress, but most don’t! The best way we know of leading you to that moment when you say, “it’s the one” is by asking a couple of simple questions.

One: Can you see yourself getting married in this and walking down the aisle to your fiancé?

Two: Are you excited to put this dress on and do you get sad to take it off?

Three: If this dress were gone tomorrow and you could no longer get it how would you feel?

If you see yourself getting married in a dress, get excited to be in a dress or would feel totally crushed if a dress were gone, then you have found your dress! Congratulations!

Now that you’ve found a dress you love, be decisive! So many brides find their perfect dress on their first shot, but they feel like it is too easy and they need to keep shopping. That is not the case at all. Why would you want to make your dress shopping harder on yourself? It’s like falling in love with your fiancé; after you do, you don’t go looking for another guy.

On the other hand, if you don’t have that “it’s the one” moment, don’t be discouraged, just change your game plan. Obviously what you’ve been looking at hasn’t worked. So change it up by trying different fabrics, silhouettes, or you may need to change your mindset. Many brides can’t make a decision because they fear making a mistake or disappointing others. That’s okay, not everyone’s tastes in dresses are the same. You are not going to please everyone because the most import person to please is yourself! You are the one getting married in it, so you need to love it!

Another important point that many brides don’t think about is who they actually bring to their bridal appointments. It is not a good idea to bring everyone you know, too many opinions equal too many minds to please, and remember, the only mind to please is yours! Bring people that know your style and that won’t force their style on you. They may not love your dress for themselves but they love it for you, those are the people to bring! Remember; bring people who are supportive, not critical!

So by following these insightful tips, you too can have an amazing experience finding your dream dress!

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BoLee Bridal Couture is a high-end retailer of designer wedding dresses located at 542 Lawrence Expressway in Sunnyvale, CA. Their goal is to provide expert guidance to brides as they find the perfect dress! They offer a relaxed and open setting where a bride can take in the atmosphere and not feel overwhelmed. They also have great team of consultants who value customer satisfaction as their top priority and they strive to not only find the dream dress but to give their clients the best experience possible.

Also find BoLee Bridal Couture on Yelp or Facebook.