{Tips, Tricks, & Advice} The "Cardinal Rules" of Wedding Gown Shopping

Since, wedding gown shopping is in full swing and the busy season is upon us, we thought we'd repost one of the most important pieces of advice for shopping for your wedding gown from "Say Yes to the Dress's", Randy Fenoli!  Here ya go, ladies, listen up!

On a recent episode of Say Yes to the Dress on TLC, Kleinfeld Fashion Director Randy Fenoli offered “The Cardinal Rules of Wedding Dress Shopping.” As simple as these rules may sound, following them can help any bride find her perfect wedding dress with out all the stress.

1) “Don’t try on a dress that is outside of your budget”
A bride will inevitably fall in love with one she cannot afford and will be very disappointed when she can't have it.

2) “Don’t keep secrets from the bridal consultant”
If the bride has already seen something somewhere else that she likes, she should let the store consultant know so she can work with her.

3) “Leave the entourage at home”
It’s ok to bring a friend or family member but the more people a bride brings, the more opinions she will hear and the more confused she might be.

4) “Once you find a dress, stop shopping”
Some brides keep shopping because they are afraid they will miss their “perfect dress.” According to Kleinfeld’s, 90% of the brides who keep shopping actually stick to their original choice.

5) “Don’t get your heart set on a dress you saw in a magazine”
The bride should keep an open mind and try on a few dresses. The one she saw in a magazine might not suit her when she tries it on.

and finally.........

6) “Always wear underwear (when trying on wedding dresses)”

{Trend Alert} Reception Dresses

Hey ladies! Alright, let’s all be honest, the wedding industry has changed A LOT since our beautiful mommas walked down the aisle, am I right? And one of the trends that has been on the rise in the more recent years is having a reception dress, along with your ceremony gown, for your big day. Let’s explore that a little bit, shall we?

There are some great reasons to have a separate dress for your reception. Reason number one: if you have always dreamed about having an elaborate, beautiful grand gown gracing your bridal body when you float down that aisle towards the man of your dreams, maybe you haven’t quite considered how hard that baby may be to mingle, dance, and celebrate in at your beautiful reception. So why not have a reception dress to change into? Look at it as a time to show more of your personal style, whereas your ceremony gown may have been perfect for highlighting your bridal style. The reception dress may be influenced by your bridal gown or it may even be of a different style altogether. The reception dress can be long or short, either way. There really aren’t any rules as to what “qualifies” as a reception dress. The main focus here is comfort and hopefully that it does not require help from a bridesmaid in order to use the ladies’ room. Secondly, climate and the theme of your reception are factors that should definitely be considered when choosing whether or not you want to incorporate a reception dress into your special day. For example, maybe you’re getting married outdoors in the Texas summer and would like something a little more airy and easy to party in after you’ve said “I do.” If so, go for it! Here are just a few styles that we have in our bridesmaid collection here at Bliss that we think would be great for reception dresses:

 

WTOO Style 302

 

Watters Style 2252

Watters Style 2258

Watters Style 2412

Let’s face it, some of you will want to spend as much time as possible in your bridal gown on the day of your wedding, which is completely understandable!  The way you see it, it is the gown you’ve chosen to get married in and since it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, no one will be able to pry that thing off of you until you’re boarding a plane to your Honeymoon! If this is you, then GO GIRL! A reception dress is not for you and that's perfect!

All in all, the question that will ultimately make the decision whether choose to have a second dress or not is quite simple: "Do you want one?" One of the most exciting things about planning a wedding nowadays is that you can personalize and tailor your wedding to pretty much anything you want to do, as long as it fits in your budget. So, as always, stay true to your vision, and remember that your dress (or dresses) is/are no exception to that rule!

{Vendor Spotlight} Arden Prucha Photography

Here at Bliss, we work closely with many fantastic wedding vendors and we know how important it is to find vendors that you can really trust.  And we also know that your choice of photographer is one of the most important decisions in making your day everything that you dream it will be! Today, we are featuring one of our favorite photographers, Arden Prucha of Arden Prucha Photography!  She is the full package with an amazing talent, creativity, passion and personality!

Here are a few words from Arden, herself:

"I never thought I would be a wedding photographer. I was scared of being in charge of such a monumental task… documenting one of the most important day in a couple's life! After I photographed my first wedding I was thrilled and ready to photograph more. Capturing love, bliss, romance, fun and intimate candid moments was something I've fallen for. This year we have traveled all over the nation and down south of the border to capture our clients exchanging vows, kisses, and having a blast with their friends and family. These celebrations bring joy to my heart and I am honored to be chosen to celebrate with them! I am proud and humbled to call this a job and I am grateful that Bliss has featured my work. I love this industry and I love Fort Worth!"

Here are a few examples of Arden's amazing work:

These next two images feature our very own Bliss bridal consultant, Tiffany and her handsome hubby, married recently in the beautiful Texas Hill Country!

Aren't these images stunning?  So, if you are still in need of a photographer, contact Arden Prucha Photography and let her help you document the magic of your wedding day!

Email: arden@ardenprucha.com

Website: www.ardenprucha.com

Phone: 817.690.1572