Decide the budget 

We all know that a bridal gown isn’t cheap. So the first thing to do is defining your budget for it. This must be discussed with the people involved in the payment of the gown. Each bride must know who must she talk to: the groom, her parents or her in-laws.  

The price of the bridal gown will depend on the type of gown, the fabric and other materials used and the designer. Another important thing is that the bridal gown price normally doesn’t include any of the accessories such as veils, tiaras, hairpicks, haircombs, shoes, lingerie and so you'll have to consider the price for each of them individually . 

It’s important to decide the budget in the beginning because you need to do it before you have the chance to fall in love with a dress that you can’t afford. If that happens, it can affect negatively  the rest of your wedding planning from a financial point of view of course. When you go dress shopping, make sure you stipulate your budget to the assistants and ask them to ensure they stay within that budget.

Where to buy 

There are quite a few choices: buy an off the shelf gown in a number of diferent shops or online or buy a custom made gown. Either way you can start by having a look at wedding dress models so that you a better of what your options are. 

In the Bridal Gowns photo gallery in our Ideas for a Wedding site (http://www.ideas-for-a-wedding.com/en/ideas/bridal-gown/)  you can see pictures of different styles and designers.

When you have an idea of what you like you should visit a bridal gown shop. Try some of the available dresses on an find out which ones better fit your budget and your body. Try to keep your mind open to all types of styles - many brides choose a dress style that they like but it really that doesn't fit them and the opposite can happen too. When you visit a bridal store you should take a bra and shoes as similar as possible to the ones you plan to use on your wedding day, because your appreciation of the dress will be influenced by them. 

When you are trying the gown on, try to get the most information about store policies: payment options, when would the dress be ready, etc. Don’t feel bad for asking so many questions - this is a big buy and you don’t want to have any unpleasant surprises.

Remember that the best wedding dress it’s the one that makes you feel beautiful on your big day without going over your budget.