6 months into the COVID19 Pandemic in The United States, after months of closures, wedding cancellations, and postponements, things look a little bit different when you’re wedding dress shopping. Luckily, boutiques are opening up again and there is a wealth of opportunity to shop online for your perfect gown (Like Anomalie, but we’ll get to that later). Here are some things to keep in mind when you’re starting your wedding dress search during this confusing time.
Start with Research
The safest way to wedding dress shop will be from your home. Start researching on Pinterest, browse our previous custom gowns, and search instagram to start getting a feel for what you like. Save photos that you like, that you can show your Anomalie stylist or the boutique attendant so you can effectively communicate your vision. If you try on gowns in boutiques, take LOTS of photos. You may feel stressed or rushed in store and having references to look back on will be so helpful.
Plan your Support System
In the “before times”, your wedding dress shopping experience might have included multiple friends and family members coming into the shop with you. Unfortunately, most bridal boutiques have limited guests to 1+ the bride so consider who you might bring and break the news to those who won’t be able to make it. This can be a blessing in disguise, as many of our brides found that shopping in store with their whole bridal party a stressful or overwhelming experience. The phrase “too many cooks” comes to mind. Even if you’re shopping online, you can still include your loved ones, like your mom or mother-in-law-to-be, in the process. If they need a bit more reassurance about the concept of buying a dress online, let us chat with them! We love being able to talk to moms, aunts and other loved ones- give her our number (XXX-XXX-XXXX) to text us so we can provide more information.
Stay Flexible
With things changing so fast, you want to make sure you can plan for what you want while remaining flexible to changes. If you’re ordering a gown that has a super long delivery timeline (standard is 8-10 months in many high end boutiques) you won’t be able to make changes if there is a change of venue or date. Go for shorter, guaranteed timelines will ensure that there are no surprises and no potential supply chain delays.