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I kind of wanted to go alone. But my mom isn't good about things like that (that's a different story for another time). I wanted to though so I could form my own opinions about the dresses then bring others back later for other opinions and viewpoints.
I never find anything when I go shopping with other people. I always feel pressured to hurry because they're bored, or that I should help them more with what they're looking for, so I'm always more successful when I shop alone. That said, there's something about shopping alone for a wedding dress that seems strange to go alone. I wanted the support because I found the actual bridal stores very intimidating. I can totally see the merits of having some solitude for the process though.
I went alone. My mom lives out of state and I don't think she would have been *too bad* but...I don't know. Weddings bring out people's crazy :)
And after watching countless episodes of SYTTD I'm glad I did. LOL!
I went dress shopping alone. I love my momma to death, but I didnt want to feel pressured or receive any criticism when shopping for my gown (well, gowns cause I ended up buying two).
The only ones to know what gown I got were one of my BM's and my MOH, and of course, my fellow Bees. I refuse to show anyone else as I want it to be a complete surprise for everyone else.
Besides, I'm the type to always make other people happy and I didnt want to be pushed into buying a dress that wasnt me.
I found my dress by myself. I found it to be far more about myself then what everyone else wanted. I am actually a three dress bride, kind of. I found my short tea length reception dress by myself and I absolutely love it. The dress I am wearing for the TTD (I couldn't see ruining a super expensive beautiful dress) I found with my FH for $100. The dress I am wearing for the ceremony I found on accident while I was looking for a bridesmaids dress. I just stopped in at a shop on the last day of a big sale and there it was. I did do one shopping trip with my mom when she was in town, just to get the experience with her and I loved that, but when it came to the "it" dress, I couldn't see shopping with anyone but myself.
I went shopping several times...the first 3 times to various stores with a variety of friends (never the same ones)...and although it was nice to have extra hands & eyes, and *sort of* appreciated their opinion...I finally realized that shopping on my own was SO MUCH EASIER! I could take my time with each dress, not even touch or feel obligated to try on a dress I had no interest in, and mostly, hear my own thoughts & feelings about each.
Go to several stores on your own too - you'll discover what feels right on you, by your own natural instinct.
Also, not sure if its your thing, but I wound up buying a dress that my FI picked out! haha It was his opinion that mattered the most to me! :)
Good luck! Denver metro has some great options :)
Whether it's a good idea depends on you ... do you have a good sense of what you want and what you look good in? If so, I really like your idea. I actually decided on a dress and took my mom shopping today just so she could see me in it, get that "feeling" and feel included. But I'm one of those girls who knows EXACTLY what she wants.
On the other hand, my good friend had NO idea what style she liked, what looked good, which dress she liked of those she had tried on, what she didn't like ... she kept saying "I DONT KNOW...I DONT KNOW...WHAT DO YOU THINK?" If you're more like my girlfriend, then you should bring a group of people with you to give their best opinions. It's so much more helpful for others to see the dress on you in person. If you feel susceptible to pressure, promise yourself that you will not make any rash decisions and will sleep on it. It's a huge decision, after all. Good luck!
I like shopping alone for many of the reasons stated above. Assuming you have a good idea what YOU like on YOU, it's nice to hear your own thoughts. There's no law that says you can't go back to the same store and try the dress on again once you've ruled out a few.
At the very least you'll have several onlookers/shoppers who will give you a completely objective opinion if you want one. Salespeople will tell you "that looks gorgeous" 90% of the time, so they are no help, from what I've found (plus they are getting a commission, duh). And relative and friends tend to bring their own emotional baggage to bridal salons, so yes, like Ms. Charisma said, gown shopping does bring out everybody's crazy (that cracked me up!)
it is always easier to go with a smaller number of people (like, one!) then you have less opinions and can really focus on what you think of the dress...
I went shopping alone. I liked being alone with my thoughts when I was shopping (though I ended up picking something because I got impatient).
Repeating what most everyone has said here.. it's nice to go alone and also with a few people whose opinions you trust. I went my first time shopping with mom + bridesmaids, but that was very unproductive because I did not have a chance to figure out what I wanted yet. So after that, I started going to various other places on my own to really think about what I really liked and not be confused by dresses everyone else is picking out!
For the final decision on the dress I bought, I went alone at first, narrowed it down to 3, then brought back mom + bridesmaids so they could do the final "vote", but hesitated still lol (was confused by too many opinions). However, I went back again to do the final, final vote with JUST my mom; i trust her opinion the most so that was the best way to go about it (and still have BM input too, ya know?).
GOOD LUCK shopping!! It's fun if you let it be. Just make sure you know exactly what you're looking for and stick with it!
I went alone. I usually like shopping alone anyway. Plus it gave me a chance to really think about what I liked and not what someone else liked. When I tried on something I really liked I asked someone to come back with me for a second opinion.
You should do what you most feel comfortable with! I almost stopped at a wedding shop this weekend by myself, but stopped when I remembered I don't really have my "dress budget" yet. I am planning to go with the groom-to-be in a couple of weeks.
It is interesting how people you wouldn't even think have an interest in your day-to-day life suddenly want to go dress shopping with you!
I think you should do whatever you're most comfortable with. For me, I'm very indecisive and would never get anywhere alone, so it was good for me to have people there. But if you're better at shopping by yourself, than that's probably best for you.
I went shopping alone--the good was that I wasn't pressured and I could really focus on what I liked and wanted. I also didn't have to worry about feeling weird having my body/size talked about in front of people (I'm a little sensitive to that). The bad was that wedding dress shopping can be a little depressing in that some dresses that weren't made for you can look horrendous on. I went to one shop and everything looked ridiculous. I wish that I had some people with me to help me laugh it off.
But otherwise, I don't think that it's a weird thing to do. Plenty of brides go alone for a lot of different reasons, the least of which is worrying about other people's availability.
Going alone was the best thing EVER for me! You are not influenced by anyone or anything, so you really know what you like or don't like. I ended up taking my MOH and Mom back to the store when I knew it was the one just to be sure and make them feel included, and that worked out well!
I went alone and found *the dress*. I think if you're comfortable shopping alone and / or worried that having other people give you their opinions might make things more confusing for you, there's no reason you can't do it on your own!
I've been with my FI, with my mom, with my 12 year old son, and alone. All separate trips.
Alone was the most relaxing for me. I trust my own judgement for the most part when it comes to clothes... I'd already narrowed it down so the alone trip was just a 'final confirmation'. I rather enjoyed it.
I went alone and ended up buying something I loved. I'm pretty good at knowing what is flattering. Don't pay attention to the saleswoman unless you go to a very high end shop - they often will tell you things look great even if they're just okay. If you're up in FoCo there's an amazing consignment shop here.
I went with people to the bridal shops, but wouldn't you know it, I found the dress when I was browsing the internet... alone at 3am.
I went alone and loved it. When I was 99% sure I had found the right dress I took my BM with me to make sure she thought it looked great.
I went dress shopping with my FMIL and it was a great experience! She was really fighting my corner with one not too nice shop assistant (made rude remarks about my size - I am a 10) and I ended up finding the one on this trip. Afterwards we were a lot closer, as she felt really included in the wedding and it gave us a good opportunity to get to know each other better.
I like shopping by myself. It gives me the time to think things through without outside influence. I feel more thorough when I'm by myself. I took my FMIL with me once because she was really interested in it, and it was okay but not a thrilling experience. Our styles are too different and I felt she couldn't look past her own preferences to see what worked well on me or focus on what I liked. If I'd had the chance I would have liked to have my mom along for dress shopping, because she is very good at figuring out what works on different people. She lives across the country, though.
But I did a lot of dress looking by myself (and was very happy to do so). I found my dress when I was by myself. I didn't buy it that day, though. I returned with my FSIL in tow (who has good style sense and who knows me better than a salesperson) to try it on again and make sure it wasn't me being delusional that it was a really good dress for me. I took her in blind and tried on several dresses without her knowing which one I was favoring. She picked the one I liked best for all the same reasons I'd had.
I bought my dress alone...I wasn't planning to but then I saw the one. I think shopping alone is fine but make sure your mom or other members of the bridal party won't be offended-my mom feels like she missed out on the experience a bit
I made a few trips with my family, but I ultimately found my dress by myself. I didn't really plan to find it that day, but it just worked out that I was alone...I think I could just worry about my opinions that way, and not have to impress other people. Then when I thought it was the one, I brought my family with me, and tried on that mixed with other dresses that I sort of liked...they all picked the one I loved, and I didn't have to tell them that was it. So, going alone might feel counterintuitive...but go for it! It can't hurt!
I found Both of my top 2 choices ALONE! I say go for it! Don't feel weird. It's actually pretty nice. Then, you can bring someone back with you to see your top choice.....
At the very beginning of my search, I went with my mom once, and with my FI once. I liked having each of them there (at separate times) just to have the experience, and also to have as a sounding board to start narrowing the focus of what I did and did not want.
My last three outings, though, I've been by myself. I know what I like and don't like and it's easier to zip through the definite "no's" when you're alone. I found my dream dress today and although I wish I'd had my mom and FI with me, mostly I felt that way because I was really excited and not because I needed any validation, if that makes any sense! :-)
The cool thing though is that bridal salons are much more lenient with taking pictures than they used to be, so you can always take pictures and e-mail them to whomever you want to get feedback. This will be my second marriage and the first time around, about 11 years ago, I remember that it was usually verboten to take pictures in the salons. I had to be sneaky, and even that didn't usually work because the consultants were always right there in the dressing room with you...
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Hey Girls! I just got engaged back in July and I am finally doing something about it! I figured the first step would be to go dress shopping. A few weeks ago I went with my MOH and her Mother. It was a lot of fun but I felt pressured! I accidently made plans to go shopping with my one of my bridesmaids - ashley - this Tuesday and my FMIL next week... I am starting to think that was a bad idea! But I would feel really wierd going dress shopping alone (I thought about just going alone, finding dresses I like, then having friends/family give me support after I decide the ones I am close to picking)
... Any input?