How to Shop for Your Gown Like a Pro: Part 9

After you Shop: Try on Appointments

Eventually, after all that waiting, a wonderful thing is going to happen. You'll be minding your own business when out of the blue you'll get a call from your bridal consultant letting you know that your gown has arrived! Oh joyful joyness! Oh happy day! Here's what will happen next:

1. You'll pay the remaining balance. You can do this over the phone when she calls or at your try on gown appointment (see 2)

2. You'll schedule a Try On Gown appointment. This appointment is not a fitting - you won't be meeting with a seamstress, you won't be getting your gown altered. You'll simply be going to AniA to see your actual wedding dress in person, try it on, and talk to your consultant about where to go from here. Maybe you'll look at veils. Maybe you'll try it on with the shoes you bought and see if they match. Maybe you'll just take pictures and jump up and down a little. Either way, this is a fun appointment - enjoy it!

3. You should know that the following things are really, really, really normal at Try On Gown appointments:

The gown doesn't fit perfectly - Only about 1 out of 100 women are perfect standard sizes. Your gown has been ordered to fit the largest part of you - it will probably be too big in some places, and sometimes life happens and it might be a touch small (though your consultants do recommend going with the larger size to avoid that). It is incredibly unlikely that it will fit perfectly, and it will probably look a little funny. Don't worry! You're normal! That's what alterations are for! We're going to hook you up with a seamstress who takes incredible care of you, and that dress will fit like a glove by the time you walk down the aisle.

The gown is too long - Most bridal gowns are long enough for a 5'10" model. If you're any shorter than that, your gown will most likely need to be hemmed. I know it looks impossible with all that lace and beading, but just you wait - seamstresses are magical folks.

The gown seems slightly different - It's okay if it takes you a minute to remember what your gown looks like. 6 months is a long time, and you won't be the first bride to have forgotten there was lace on the neckline or beads on the bodice. Don't panic. You have pictures to compare, if anything is amiss we'll help you fix it, and you bought this dress because you love it. A few minutes of mirror time and you'll be madly in love with it all over again. And if you ever lose faith, come visit it again!

4. Decide where to store your gown. At this point, once your balance is paid, the dress is yours, and you can take it home if you want to! If you'd rather not because you have a cat or a toddler or limited closet space, we will happily store it for you free of charge until you're ready for your alterations. Just let us know!