Find your dream wedding dress (without being a bridezilla)

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Find Your Dream Wedding Dress
... Without Being a Bridezilla


There has never been a more glorious range of choice in wedding dresses than you'll find today. You're certain to find a dress that makes you feel and look fabulous! Here are some tips for a good experience when shopping for your dress.

Shopping for Your Wedding Dress

Shop Early
Think ahead and shop well in advance. Most designers require four to six months to produce a gown so you should be shopping at least nine months in advance. Some brides purchase their gowns as much as 18 months before the big day. Shopping early will give you the most choices.

You'll often get the widest range of choices at an independent bridal salon that can do special orders from designers with distinctive styles, rather than the mass market chain stores.

Appointments
Find out if you should make an appointment with the store where you intend to look at wedding dresses. Many bridal salons prefer to have brides make appointments, and some require it. Find out ahead of time. If you make an appointment but need to cancel, let the store know in plenty of time. If you are not considerate enough to cancel an appointment properly, you are not enough of a grownup to be getting married.

Try-On Fees
Find out if the store charges a service fee for trying on dresses. DressFinder is seeing a growing trend for bridal stores to charge a consulting fee which is credited to the price when you order your dress. This is a sensible approach when you consider the store's costs for providing services. You just want to know what to expect.

No Committees, Please
Go shopping by yourself, or with one or two trusted friends at most. This is YOUR decision, and you need to be able to listen to your own instincts about what dress makes you feel great. It's easier to hear what your heart says if you don't have a crowd with you.

Get a Babysitter
If you or the friends who shop with you have children, arrange for a sitter. This needs to be stressed: a bridal store is NO place for kids. While the adults are looking at dresses, a curious or bored child can cause hundreds of dollars in damages, or even get hurt. If you want to shop for a flower girl dress, arrange a dedicated outing to focus on that, and make your flower girl feel like a princess for the day.

Designer Names
Don't be too dazzled by a big designer name. You can expect top quality from a top designer, but judge the dress, not the label. Your mission is to find the dress that will take the groom's breath away and make him say a prayer of thanks as he sees you come down the aisle. The right dress will make your friends and family think, 'What a beautiful woman!' first, and 'What a beautiful dress!' sometime later.

Grooming
Before you go dress shopping, make sure you're freshly bathed and scrubbed, and wear pretty undies (no thongs, puhleez!). If your undies are too skimpy you might not be allowed to try on dresses. Wear little or no makeup. That protects the gowns, and it also lets you see more accurately which colors will be most flattering to your true skin tones. Avoid hairspray or perfume, and don't apply hand or body lotion unless it will have at least an hour to be absorbed. It's even more important to avoid tanning solutions. They can ruin a gown if the color smears. Wear small button or stud earrings, or even none, and certainly not big dangly ones that could snag. Simple pearl earrings would be ideal. Leave food or drink outside the store.

Shoes
Wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off. Many bridal stores ask customers to remove their street shoes at the entrance, to help protect delicate fabrics and long skirts from picking up dirt.

Most salons will not have you wear shoes while you are trying on the gowns. You will usually be standing on a platform or stool as wedding gowns are cut long. Unless you are 5'9" in your bare feet you will need a hem or you will need to request that your gown be made to the exact length to accommodate your height and shoes (this is called a hollow to hem measurement). The only time you would wear shoes is if you are being measured for a custom length. Most brides will have a seamstress hem their gowns and at this point you'll need to have the shoes you'll be wearing on your wedding day.

DressFinder strongly recommends that for your wedding shoes you stick with medium or low heels, or even wedding flip flops for the reception. You'll be on your feet a lot on your wedding day, and aching feet can ruin your smile!

Stick to Your Price Range
Decide on your budget before you go anywhere near a bridal store, and resist the temptation to try on more expensive samples 'just for fun.' Falling in love with a dress that's out of your price range will either break your budget or break your heart. Try on dresses within the price range that's realistic for you.

Bridal Store Staff
The bridal store staff will wait on you more closely than you're used to when shopping for other clothes. It's their job to help you find the dress of your dreams; it's also their responsibility to be protective about the store's expensive, delicate merchandise. So don't feel crowded if a staff member comes right into the dressing room to assist you. Enjoy the attention!

Comparing
If you end up comparing dresses from different places, make sure you have a clear understanding of what services will or won't be included in your purchase price. Consider all related costs so you're comparing true totals. A price that looks higher might in fact be very competitive by the time you add up all related costs.

Commitment: Final Sale
Be sure you understand that when you order your wedding dress it is a final sale (bridesmaid dresses too). Buying a wedding dress is not like buying a mass-market T-shirt that you can return if you change your mind. Take that seriously, but don't let it scare you. If you can commit to a man, you can commit to a dress!

Guarantees and Service
Be aware that many designers will only guarantee their gowns if they are purchased through an authorized full-service bridal store. There are too many fakes in circulation for them to take any other approach.

Something else to remember is this: the majority of local bridal stores are independently owned, and each store's first responsibility is to their own customers. Do not purchase your dress from one place then expect another store to serve you if you need help with it. The store you purchase your dress from is the one that should look after you.

Karma
If you're thinking of buying your dress from some discount service, be sure you understand the risks, and don't waste the time of the real bridal stores in your shopping process. If you or your bridesmaids use a real bridal store to try on dresses, then leave and order the same dress from someone else whose no-service price is cheaper, you are not being a clever shopper, you are being a parasite. Your wedding dress is the last place you want bad karma from abusing someone's services. Remember the Golden Rule.

Alterations
Wedding and formal dresses are more closely fitted than ordinary garments. Dresses are made to standard sizes (which can vary from one designer to the next), so unless you're having a couture dress designed especially for you (and paying couture prices!), expect the fit of your dress to be close but not exact when it arrives. It's normal that your wedding dress will need to be altered to achieve the perfect fit for your unique contours. (Bridesmaid dresses, too.)

Allow for alterations in both your budgeting and your time planning. Some bridal stores handle alterations in-store; others will refer you to independent services. Altering a bridal gown is skilled and delicate work, and the seamstress is one of your most important partners. Note that it's the complexity of the alterations that will determine the price, not the amount that a seam has to be taken in. Whether the seamstress takes it in a half inch or three inches the price will be the same.

Be aware that many manufacturers charge extra for larger sizes in certain styles. Be sure to ask about that so you know all costs to expect.

BE REALISTIC ABOUT SIZE. If you have major diet or exercise plans DressFinder.com suggests that you buy your wedding gown at your largest size. All gowns can be made smaller, but the opposite (called releasing the gown) is more difficult, more expensive, and rarely looks perfect. Sometimes, it's not even possible to make the gown bigger as there's just not enough fabric to work with. With all the stress of planning a wedding, weight loss plans often fall short of the goal. You don't need the added stress of a dress that is too small and can't be made to fit.

Even if your weight stays steady, your contours can change because of your activity levels, or even just the time of the month. Try to be measured for your final fitting at the same time in your cycle that your wedding day will fall. That can head off surprises.

Avoid the biggest fitting problem of all: don't get pregant until after the wedding!

Plan B
Have a backup plan for your wedding dress. The majority of dresses arrive on time and in good condition, but supply lines stretch around the world, and things can go wrong with special orders even from famous designers. With a full service bridal salon you'll have an experienced team on your side to solve problems.

Enjoy Your Choice!
Once you've decided which dress is THE ONE, stop looking at other dresses and don't try to second-guess yourself! Have faith in your own judgement, and enjoy the peace of mind that comes from having one of your most special decisions looked after.

Smile! You look gorgeous!



-- Article by Elisabeth Archambault; Copyright Elisabeth Archambault, and DressFinder.com 2007

Revised Policies, 2/27/2010

Due to recent circumstances, we are forced to update our policy on photography in the store. From now on, we must impose a strict ban on photography until a gown has been purchased. In the past, we allowed photos as long as no other patron of our store was in the background. There are several reasons we are forced to change this policy, including:

1. Internet knockoffs....trust me, they are bad news. These scammy overseas factories prey on brides who think they are getting the "real" thing for thousands less than in stores. If it seems too good to be true, trust me, it is.

2. Discount websites- bridal shops invest tens of thousands of dollars a year in inventory, only to be used as a try-on store for unscrupulous no-inventory internet dealers. The time wasted by internet shoppers takes valuable time and attention away from brides who honestly intend on purchasing their gown in a salon.

3. Local ordinance- it is against the law to take a photo in a fitting room, yet this posted policy is continually violated. We see the camera phone flashes, and we hear the giggling. :P

It's unfortunate that the bad behavior of few have altered the experience for others. While we regret that we are forced to make this policy change, we hope that you understand why we are doing it.

Of course, once you purchase your gown from us, you are most welcome to take photos of it.

Bridal friends! Silver Lining supports these vendors...

If you have your heart set on a Maggie Sottero gown, look no further than Rosewood Bridal in Tigard. They've carried Maggie gowns since they came into the states in 1998...."back in the day".... the designers faxed a set of 4 sketches to bridal shops, hoping they would take a chance carrying their gowns. Rosewood Bridal took them up on it, and earned their place as one of Oregon's first and most respected Maggie Sottero dealers. Bonus- they have a flawless reputation, and a great selection. You can't go wrong buying your Maggie Sottero gown from Rosewood.

If your heart is telling you that you want a short and sassy gown, you owe yourself a visit to Magnifique Boutique in Sellwood. They carry Stephanie James Couture. I don't even have words to describe how gorgeous these gowns are! There aren't alot of "cute" short gowns out there, but no worries....Magnifique has you covered! I absolutely LOVE the gown with the pink bow (I would, right?!).....

Let's play a game...

I call this game "Spot the knockoff"....my very own wedding dress version of "Spot the fake" from fakesareneverinfashion.com.....

Picture #1- Bring on the flowers! Which one is the fake? Can you spot the synthetic fabric, or the "not quite right" embellishments? Trust me, if you put the two gowns side by side, the difference is like night and day.

Picture #2...they look pretty similar, right? Maybe on the internet! The real designer gown is made of beautiful silk satin, and is delicately beaded. The knockoff is made of polyester satin, and has bigger beads on it to "take up room" on the gown. Knockoff designers do this to minimize labor- it takes less time to sew gharish, gigantic (cheap) beading onto a dress, instead of taking the time to do it right....Can you spot the fake?

The point I'm trying to make is that there are alot of gowns out there, and there are several that are similar. What accounts for their difference in cost is the materials and workmanship. Cheap is cheap, no matter how you slice it. Don't be fooled by imitations, especially if they are $199 and come straight out of China (or Ebay). If you want the high quality, beautiful, meticulously constructed gown you tried on, leave it to the professionals.

Mother's Gown Clearance Sale

Every mother's style in our inventory has been marked down to up to 80% off! These gowns were originally priced at $190-$800, and are now as low as $90. This offer is limited to stock on hand (no special orders). Once they're gone, they're gone...so if your mom or future mother in law needs a gown, you'd better hurry!

New Arrival!

New gowns arrive every day, but this one is a personal fav. It's by Eugenia couture....gorgeous silk taffeta, and this gown is very lightweight! It's on display right now in our main window. It's priced at $4125, and is worth every penny!

All that glitters...........

So you've found your perfect dress.....but before you walk your gorgeous self down the aisle to your dream guy...you need some icing! That pretty bow on top the "gift that is YOU!" is the jewelry you wear on your wedding day.

Why not have heirloom jewelry?! You can wear it anytime after your wedding to remind you of that day that you made the promise to your beloved...you can pass it down to your kids, or even a sweet little niece! The point I'm making is that if you have quality jewelry, it will stand the test of time. Mall store jewelry isn't meant to be passed down, it's more of a one time deal. If you want heirloom jewelry, come and visit The Silver Lining!

We carry designer pieces from Haute Bride, Erica Koessler, and even vintage pieces from 1890-1950....but we are best known for our custom jewelry :) Perfectly matched to your gown, your tastes, and made of the very best materials. You choose- sterling silver, white gold, platinum, yellow gold...genuine pearls, swarovski crystals, genuine gemstones, even diamonds.....your wish is our command. If you have something specific in mind, we will sketch it out for you, and your dream "icing" will be made to order.

Remember- our annual accessories show is coming up April 2-5, 2010. New shoes, veils, jewelry, pretty much everything you can dream up! Mark your calendars, ladies!

PRONOVIAS 2010 VIP EVENT....DETAILS!

THIS EVENT IS BY RESERVATION ONLY! PLEASE CALL 503-241-7470. ONLY 3 OPENINGS LEFT!

What:

PRONOVIAS 2010 VIP EVENT

Where:

THE SILVER LINING, PORTLAND OREGON

When:

SATURDAY, February 13, 2010 from 9am to 11am

(Showing to the general public after 11am)

VIP perks:

10% off your PRONOVIAS gown purchase

A free veil and shoes with your PRONOVIAS purchase

A goodie bag full of cool stuff

Treats!

*Free veils and shoes limited to stock on hand (don't worry, we have TONS of new stuff!). Total value not to exceed $200.Excludes Benjamin Adams shoes.

THIS EVENT IS BY RESERVATION ONLY!

New @ The Silver Lining- MARTINA LIANA

The gown goddesses have been smiling down on us recently! Just today, we met with a representative of Martina Liana, and their new line should be in the store soon! These gowns are gorgeous- all silks- and surprisingly affordable. You can change from one silk fabric to another at no charge, no pesky petite/plus size charges, and the gowns come in an incredible array of colors! Their gowns are totally customizable, so whatever you dream up, they can do. Here's just one of the pretty-pretties that I ordered today. Enjoy!

PRONOVIAS EVENT FEBRUARY 13TH-15TH

PRONOVIAS BARCELONA 2010 COLLECTION TRUNK SHOW

VIP SHOWING Saturday, February 13 9am-11am

General Showing:

Saturday February 13 11am-6pm

Sunday February 14 12pm-4pm

If you would like to attend our VIP showing, please call for reservations -503-241-7470. All brides purchasing Pronovias gowns during the show will receive a complimentary goodie bag :)

The general showing is on a first come first served basis. Please be aware that there may be a wait for a fitting room, as our trunk show weekends are very popular!