Wedding Dress Shopping: What Should I Try On?

The Altar Bridal Barrington, located just north of Chicago, is Illinois’ largest off-the-rack bridal boutique. We have 1,000 dresses in sizes ranging from 0 to 30. We have a dress for every bride, and the best part about our amazing shop is that every bride gets to walk out our doors with their dream dress in hand!

We help hundreds of brides every month find the dress of their dreams. We know first-hand that every bride has a unique story and vision as to what they want their dream wedding look to be. Some may have known what that look will be from a very young age, and some are just discovering what they love and why they love it. No matter what a bride is envisioning, they will never know what they truly love until they are seeing themselves in a wedding gown. This is why it is important to try on many styles, silhouettes, and structures. Brides will never know if they like or don’t like something, until they try it on!

How Many Gowns Do Brides Try on at Their Appointment?

At The Altar Bridal, a bride will typically start with about five dresses in the dressing room. These gowns are usually a good mix of what the bride is envisioning and what the other people at the bride’s appointment want to see. From here, you will try on each dress, learn what you like and don’t like, and your stylist will pull more dresses for you. Your stylist will use their training, experience, and expertise to pull fabulous dresses for you, keeping your vision alive and always considering your likes and dislikes.

By the end of each appointment, brides will have usually tried on about ten gowns. However, this is different for every bride. It could be many more gowns, and it could be less gowns. Keep in mind that the number of gowns that brides try on can also be affected by how many appointments they have already been to, and how many dresses they have already tried on before their Altar Bridal appointment.

What If I Love the First Gown I Try On?

This is such an amazing and special moment when it happens. When brides try on their very first wedding gown and immediately fall in love with it, we will still continue trying on dresses if the bride wishes to do so. Your stylist will offer this because trying on more gowns will reassure you and make sure you are 100% loving that special gown! Again, everyone is different, and some brides may not want to try on other gowns. But most people love the reassurance in seeing themselves in styles that do not contend to their dream dress.

Brides falling in love and purchasing the first dress they try on is much more common than you may think! It happens all the time at The Altar Bridal and if it happens to you, don’t worry or feel like you will miss out on other dresses! Your wedding dress will make you feel such a special way, that no other dress will ever compare.

Should I Try on Different Styles?

Trying on different styles and silhouettes of gowns can really help a bride narrow down what she is looking for in her dream dress. Whenever you try on a different style, you will quickly learn if that style is not for you. Or, you will quickly learn that this style made you open to seeing new dresses. Either way, you learned something important! Every dress will help you learn something new, and there is no way to know what that is until you try the dress on. If any part of you is interested in a dress, it is important to listen to yourself and try that dress on. Who knows…it may even be your dream wedding gown!

Keep in mind though, if you have tried on five ballgowns and know for sure that ballgown is not your favorite silhouette, then do not waste energy looking at more ballgowns. There is no question that all wedding gowns are beautiful, but you are not just trying to find a beautiful dress, you are trying to find your wedding dress. And those can be two extremely different things!

When Should I Start Trying on Dresses?

At The Altar Bridal in Barrington, every single one of our dresses is off-the-rack and ready to be taken home the same day as your appointment. So, brides can come in for their appointment one week before their wedding day, and they can come one year before their wedding. We see every timeline and we always help brides find their dream dresses! Book your Altar Bridal appointment and see first-hand why we are the most special and wonderful place to find the dress of your dreams!