While most of us will try to look at our best most of the time, a wedding is a time when we pull out all the stops to try and look the best we’ve ever looked. This is something that will happen once in a lifetime for most of us, and it’s something that we will only ever get one shot at. It is perhaps the only time we’ll ever have all of our friends and relatives together in one place, and it’s a day that will live on in our memories forever in the form of photographs, videos, and happy stories. Our children will ask us about this day, and their children.
Your wedding dress is something that will help to tie all of this together. This is how you are going to remember looking when you reflect on your big day. It is what will inform the bridesmaid’s dresses and probably even the suits that the ushers wear.
This is the only time you probably be able to spend this much money on a dress or spend this much time on your hair and makeup. All eyes are going to be on you.
So, you want to get it right!
Best Places to buy a wedding dress in Austin, TX, and why you should never buy one online?
With that in mind, where you choose your wedding dress in Austin, TX is extremely important. Read on and we’ll find the best and worst places to find wedding dresses.
Why You Should Never Buy a Wedding Dress Online
The first thing we need to discuss is that you should never buy a wedding dress online.
Why? Let me count the ways!
First of all, buying a wedding dress online means that you can’t check the fit. This is a huge deal-breaker, as it means you won’t know precisely what it is going to look like on the day, or even whether you will be able to wear it!
Of course, you will probably be able to see images of what the dress looks like on a model. However, this is not necessarily what the dress will look like when you wear it. This is not only because the model is likely to have different coloring and proportions to you, but also because the model is likely to have been heavily airbrushed and edited.
The same goes for the dress. Simple changes such as increasing the vibrancy of the coloring, or altering the way the dress falls, can be made in editing to make the dress appear far more attractive.
Of course, the argument against this is that most places that let you buy online will also happily exchange any items that you are not happy with. While this is true, it does not solve all the issues. Remember: planning a wedding is a stressful time crunch. You only have a set amount of time to choose an inordinate number of different elements that will make your day special.
The sheer amount of time it, therefore, takes for you to exchange a dress will often prohibit you from doing so.
And that’s assuming everything goes well. It’s assuming that the dress is properly delivered and doesn’t get lost in transit. Also, assuming that the dress isn’t damaged along the way. It’s assuming that the seller is good to their word and allows you to make the exchange in the first place!
How many times can you do this prior to your big day?
Another issue is that a big part of the experience of getting married is getting to try on lots of dresses. Choosing the dress is a ceremony and an occasion that should be memorable, beautiful, and emotional. Simply clicking “buy” online is just not the same!
This is before we even consider that you also need to choose bridesmaid’s dresses to go with this dress!
The Best Places to Buy A Wedding Dress in Austin, TX
So, what is the best place to buy a wedding dress?
The answer is to find a local store, or ideally a high street with a number of different stores. This has the added bonus of supporting local business, but more importantly, it allows you to experience the process of buying a wedding dress as it was meant to be experienced.
That means being able to turn up at the store, being served glasses of alcohol, rifling through dresses, and seeing the tears on your mother’s face when you find “the one.” It means being able to browse for dresses that might match for the bridesmaids, and it means being able to see right there and then how the dress fits (and speak to the seller about maybe having it taken in).
You can find shoes and accessories to match, and you can maybe even cut a deal depending on the item. And when you’ve finally made your choice, you can go out for drinks and celebrate afterward!
Complete Weddings + Events in Austin, TX
Our team of professional wedding photographers looks forward to capturing your special moments on this incredibly special day. Contact us by emailing Jeremy@CompleteTX.com and learn how you can experience our mission of providing extraordinary special event services that deliver joy for generations! Complete Weddings + Events, Austin’s leading provider of event and wedding photography, videography, lighting, coordination, DJ services & photo booth rental.
Kevin Paladino
Chief Vision Officer / Owner
Complete Weddings + Events: Central Texas