Thanks to the endless list of rom coms available to us, when daydreaming about your upcoming experience of finding your wedding dress, you are likely to envisage yourself surrounded by your best group of gals, popping a bottle of bubbly because you’ve found the dress and everyone agrees – it’s the one. Luckily for many of us, the reality really isn’t very far from this romanticized version. However, there is one teeny tiny (actually very important) detail that can really make all the difference between an enjoyable experience and one that has you pulling your hair out and really considering the possibility of elopement. That detail is – who should I be bringing dress shopping with me?
Luckily, we have a lot of experience in this area .. and we mean a lot. We have seen it all. From brides braving it and coming in alone, to brides bringing everyone from their best friend to their neighbours cousins’ girlfriend. There really is no right or wrong amount of people to bring, and it ultimately depends on your personality. However – we have certainly seen enough in our time to pretty confidently make suggestions as to what number of people, and which people, it might be best to bring.
From our experience we believe that 2 guests is the ideal number of people to bring with you to your appointment. Of course, none of us like to make any of our friends feel left out or undervalued. However, with bride tribes often ranging up to 6 or more, there has to be a line drawn somewhere. We certainly don’t mean to be the party pooper drawing lines, but there are a few points we think you may like to hear before you make the call.
Two guests allows for two extra opinions which is perfect if you want help making your decision; and yet not overwhelming. We all love to get a second (or third) opinion when making decisions, but a fourth, fifth and sixth? Not always necessary. The more people you bring the more opinions you will be hearing – and trust us when we say that if you tend to be a bit indecisive, it is only going to make your decision that much harder.
Your style is unique and while your nearest and dearest may have the best intentions at heart, not all will get it. Its very possible that you might find yourself falling in love with a gown, only to have not all your friends agree on it. In this scenario – and we cannot stress this enough – it is absolutely 100% about how YOU feel in the dress. Essentially, we really encourage you to only bring along the people whose opinions matter to you the most. Try to bring along that friend who you know will give you an honest opinion based on what dress is genuinely you, even if its not typically their taste. The friend who will value how a gown makes YOU feel.
Lastly, the amount of people in the boutique can very much affect the atmosphere. Often on Saturday’s we have two groups at once. If both groups have 4 or more people it can quickly become loud, overcrowded and overwhelming in the boutique. Not only for you, the bride, but also for our consultants, who are there to help you, listen to you and understand you. We strongly feel that we are able to provide the best experience for you when the guests are kept to two or less.
If you are concerned about hurting people’s feelings by leaving them out of the dress process, perhaps you could consider other areas of your wedding planning where you can involve them. Or consider involving them through FaceTime, or once you have chosen your gown, by giving them a sneak preview!
