Anxiety-Be-Gone! Your Pre-Wedding Dress Shopping FAQs, Answered

A friend of mine texted me before her first wedding dress shopping appointment to ask if I had any advice; apparently, her “anxiety had anxiety.” 

She’s not alone. According to The Knot, wedding dress shoppers have fears about budget, fit, and finding “the one” (aside from their betrothed, of course) in addition to pleasing others. 

The easiest solution to fight anxiety? Information. And the easiest way to get information before your bridal appointment is to ask relevant questions. Here are the top ten most important things to ask before your bridal appointment–at our shop or anywhere else–according to our customers and The Knot.

1. Does it cost money to try on dresses? 

tl;dr Nope! At Down the Aisle, styling services are complimentary. 

Wedding planning is expensive, and it’s important to know where and when all of your money is being spent. That’s why you should be sure to call ahead and ask if there is a charge for salon try-on appointments. The good news is, at Down the Aisle, we don’t charge for our professional styling service. You will work with our owner, Rachel, and our bridal stylists, Kira and Kelsi, free of charge to find the dress of your dreams. 

Meg (R, plus-sized) shops for a wedding dress with her best friend, Elizabeth (L, straight-sized) at Down the Aisle

2. Do you carry samples in my size? 

tl;dr Almost certainly! Bridal samples are available in sizes 4-30 and can be ordered in size 0-44. 

There’s nothing more alienating than going to shop for the most important garment you’ll ever wear–your wedding dress–only to find there’s nothing in the store to fit you. No matter where you shop, you’ll want to make sure that there are sample gowns (dresses available for trying on) available in your size. Do this by checking the website and calling ahead to ask specifically how many styles of sample gown they have available in your size. Don’t be shy, and don’t let the person on the other end of the phone get away with saying they can clip you into a gown that’s too small to “get an idea” of what you want. If you’re seriously shopping–and, let’s be real, wedding dresses are a serious expense–you should be able to try on the dress completely rather than just shimmying it up around your hips and hoping for the best. 

3. When should I start shopping for my wedding dress? 

tl;dr Yes! Ideally, you’ll purchase your wedding dress twelve months before your wedding date. 

In the wedding planning timeline, the first big thing to nail down is your venue–which solidifies your wedding date. Once you have your date, the rest of your timeline falls into place, including when you should start shopping for your wedding dress. To make sure there is time for your dress to be manufactured and then altered to your specific measurements, we recommend you purchase your dress a year before your wedding date. 

Running short on time? Check out one of our sample sales to get your dress on the day of purchase. 

Smaller groups are generally recommended for dress shopping appointments.

4. How many people can I bring to my bridal appointment? 

While we don’t place a hard limit on bridal appointments, we do recommend smaller groups. The reason is simple: too many competing opinions can confuse the process. The opinion that matters the most is yours. Bring yourself and a few trusted loved ones to cheer for you on one of the most exciting days of your life. 

5. Can I request a sample gown if you don’t carry it in-store? 

tl;dr We will order bridal samples for a $100 fee per gown

Maybe the location of the store is right, but they don’t carry the dress you’ve been eyeing since before you got engaged. (We’ve all been there.) If this is the case, ask the store if they’ll order a sample gown for you to try.

We get it at Down the Aisle–sometimes, you start dreaming of your wedding gown before you actually start shopping. This means that you may have your heart set on trying something on that isn’t available as an existing sample anywhere close. Central Illinois brides shouldn’t miss out on the opportunity to wear their Pinterest dresses just because of geography, though–which is why, for $100 per gown, our owner Rachel will order sample gowns specifically for your shopping experience. 

Down the Aisle will host a trunk show for the Eddy K Dreams and Italia fall lines this November.

6. Are any trunk shows coming up? 

Trunk shows are when our store gets the opportunity to feature a specific designer’s entire line for the year in-store. It means that there are more styles available than normal, giving you the opportunity to purchase a more unique wedding dress. Our shop has featured trunk shows by designers like Eddy K Italia, Eddy K Dreams, and Eddy K Curvy; Mori Lee; and Allure.  

7. Are there any sample sales coming up? 

At a sample sale, a dress shop sells off their stock of try-on dresses to make room for next year’s sample gowns. This is a great opportunity to score a budget wedding dress, as the garment may be lightly used and is technically last year’s design. Plus, if you buy at a sample sale, you take home the gown that you try on the day you buy it. If you’re in search of a classic wedding gown at a great rate, or you need a dress in a rush, a sample sale is a great option. 

8. What is the typical deposit on a wedding dress? 

Dresses are usually paid in full at the time of purchase. Gowns in our shop range from $1,100-$3,500. 

According to a budget breakdown at The Knot, your wedding dress typically ranges between 6 and 10% of your total wedding budget. However, this is based on national data, where weddings can average as much as $80,000. Never fear–your budget is customizable to what is important to you. 

For example, one of our bridal alums, Meg, spent a total of $8,600 on her wedding, reception, and rehearsal dinner. Of that cost, her dress was $1,100, or about 13%. A percentage breakdown of the cost for her wedding to husband Kels is below. 

Meg & Kels's Wedding Cost Breakdown. About 20% of all costs went to apparel.

9. Are alterations included in the cost of the gown, and what do they average?

We do not do alterations in-shop, but we provide recommendations for seamstresses near your hometown. Our owner, Rachel, has curated relationships with many alterations shops throughout central Illinois and is happy to recommend a professional in your area. 

Alanna Nuñez for Zola writes that most standard alterations range between $150-$800. The cost of your alterations will depend on the complexity of the job and of the garment itself. For example, heavy beading or patterning on a bodice or skirt can increase costs. Modernizing a vintage gown (say, a mother’s or grandmother’s) can cost even more. 

10. How many dress fittings can I expect before I can take my dress home? 

After you say yes to your dress, we don’t usually see you again until after your gown arrives. Then, you’ll have a fitting appointment, where you’ll try on your wedding dress for the very first time. This can be as casual or as celebratory as you want it to be; come by yourself or with the friends and family who could not attend your shopping appointment as our owner Rachel suggests alterations to make your dream dress absolutely perfect for your shape and your day. 

Booking Your Appointment 

Now that your burning questions have been answered (or, at least, you know what to ask), it’s time to book your appointment. Work with one of our empowering stylists in our size-inclusive shop to answer your other questions and–yes–find the wedding dress of your dreams.