How to Avoid Being Overwhelmed by Choice: The Wedding Dress Edition
There’s a phrase for being overwhelmed by choice; you know decision paralysis. It happens when we have so many choices that we simply can’t make a decision – we are paralysed. You might have experienced it when you were shopping for groceries before. There are so many different brands for the same item, so many different flavours, and so many different sizes that you just don’t know what to choose. “I just wanted a tin of tuna and now I’m stuck down this aisle for 5 minutes trying to pick which one!”, I hear you cry. Well, the same thing can happen when trying to pick your wedding dress, which you’ve probably figured out by now is a little bit more important than that tin of tuna.
Today we take a look at the best ways to avoid decision paralysis when picking out your wedding dress. It’s quite common among brides, but we know some of the secrets to making it easier.
Start Thinking About Your Dress Straight After The Engagement
Even if you haven’t even thought about a wedding date yet, the earlier that you start thinking about your dress the better. At this early stage of the game, you’ll want to start with asking yourself quite broad questions. These can be questions like:
- Which dress silhouettes most compliment my body?
- Am I more a modern bride or a traditional bride?
- Do I like streamlined or floaty shapes?
- Am I more boho or chic?
These sort of questions can give you a rough outline for what you might like to consider in a wedding dress.
Get on Pinterest
Pinterest is how so much wedding planning happens these days, and is a great resource for helping you with ideas about your wedding gown. Search for keywords (e.g. ethereal, classic) and add “wedding dresses” or “wedding gowns” to your search query. You’ll find boards of other brides and brides to be who have pinned their favourite dresses. If you come across a dress you like, then go ahead and add it to your own wedding dresses board.
Pinterest can also be used for other visual aspects of your wedding, too. Simply set up a board (e.g. floral arrangements, bridesmaid dresses, place holders, etc.) and start pinning.
Research Local Wedding Boutiques
Unless you’re getting a custom gown made, you’ll likely find your dress in one of the many bridal boutiques around. Each stocks different designers, so it is good to get a feel for the designer’s style before you step foot in store – otherwise you may be wasting your time. You can usually find the list of designers stocked in store on the shop’s website. Every boutique where you like the designers, jot the name down on a list. This will be the stores that you end up visiting.
Bring Friends And Family Along
Getting a second, third, fourth opinion on a dress is a really good idea. Although it’ll always be up to you, having friends or family about (where you trust their style opinions) while you’re trying on dresses in a boutique can make your decisions easier. For instance, if a dress you think is quite nice but you’re not sure is “the one” (the other ones were so cute too and now you may be suffering from decision paralysis…) makes your friends and/or family overwhelmed with positive emotion, then it could maybe be the one. Likewise if you’re not sure if a dress is really flattering you, your trusted advisors might tell you “I think the other one looked better”.
Take Time Out
If you’re worn out dress shopping and think you might be suffering from decision paralysis, a good idea is to take a little break from it all. Just a week or two weeks off the hunt can make you come back with a fresh pair of eyes. If you have dresses in a few boutiques that you weren’t sure about, then go and give them a revisit. On the second viewing around you might just find it absolutely stunning.
While it can be stressful, time consuming, and tiring, you will get there in the end – don’t give up. Take heart in the knowledge that many have walked in your shoes. Many women take months and months to decide on the perfect dress for their wedding. Enlisting a stylist is a great last minute option if you end up running out of time too – this is their job. Your dream dress is probably just around the corner waiting for you.
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