From The Straits Times    |
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style bridal and beauty.jpg
Sequinned and beaded lace and tulle gown, from STYLE BRIDAL & BEAUTY. PHOTO: Her World Brides June – August 2015.

Determine your budget early
Check with relevant bridal salons, websites and online forums to get an idea of prices. Always bear in mind that dresses with more details or intricate designs will inevitably cost more. Dresses made from fabrics like duchess satin and silk organza will also be pricier than plain satin sheaths. Once you have a rough idea of the prices, you can set aside a realistic budget; this will help you save time by focusing your shopping to certain shops or websites.

Start 6 months before your wedding
If you’re planning to have a made-to-measure gown, you should visit your designer at least half a year before the wedding. Depending on the design, fabric and handiwork required for your dress, some designers can take up to four, five months to get a dress done for the first fitting. 

If you’re ordering a dress from an international designer at a local bridal salon, it takes about half three to four months for the gown to be delivered in time for the first fitting. Alterations may take up to another month. Even if you plan to rent a gown first hand from a bridal salon, sometimes alterations can take up to two months for a dress. So it’s best to have more time set aside for last minute emergencies.

Decide on the gown style and design
Have a good idea of what dress style will suit you best. If possible, try on some of the more popular gown silhouettes before you decide on the final choice. Some of the more popular designs include the mermaid style, the A-line dress, the empire gown, the ballgown and sheath. Once you have confirmed the style of your dress, you can focus on the other details like trims, embroidery and fabrics.

Do more research 
Look to the Internet, Instagram and magazines, and find the design, trims, colour, theme and even accessories that you like for your wedding dress. Create a folder of your favourite looks and use it as a reference guide for your designer or when you go gown shopping.

Less is more 
You may want to restrict the number of people you bring along when shopping for your dress. Too many opinions may confuse you. Bring along two good friends or family members who opinions matter and who you can trust. But you should trust you instinct and choose the dress that you love most, even if others don’t agree with your choice.  At the end of the day, it’s your wedding so you should wear the gown of your dreams.

Try different options 
Shopping for your dress should be an exciting and fun experience – it’s like when you’re shopping for a pair of jeans; even though you know what cut fits best, you may want to try other designs, or ones you think you would never look good in. In the same vein, the dress that you would never have considered, may actually be the dress that fits you best. So even though you have in mind a certain design for your wedding dress, give other styles a try – you may be surprised by the results!

Feedback please 
Bridal consultants, or designers, are the experts in helping you find your dream dress. When trying on dresses at the bridal salons, give feedback to the consultants and designers on what you like and dislike about the design, trims, fabric or cut. This will help them narrow down your preferences and help them in choosing, or design, the ideal dress to fit your criteria.

The ideal time 
If you wish to have more time to vet through and try on dresses without the crowd, it’s best to do it during a weekday afternoon. Weekends and weekday evenings tend to be the busiest time for most bridal salons. Take a day off and take your time to really go through the gown selections at the bridal salon, or to spend more time discussing with your designer.  

Comfort matters 
Never ever compromise on comfort when deciding on your wedding dress. You may love a particular design but if it’s too tight, or you have trouble moving around in it, ditch the gown! You should be able to move around easily while wearing the dress; remember – you would probably be rushing from one place to another on your wedding day. Bring a long a pair of heels (the actual ones you will be wearing on the day of if you can), see how the dress looks with the shoes on, and how it feels moving around. Being comfortable in your dress ensures that you will look at ease in your wedding portraits as well.