5 Tips for Buying a Wedding Dress Online

We’ve all spent lazy weekends watching ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ on the couch, so there’s a part of us that thinks that’s what wedding dress shopping HAS to look like; champagne, an overly opinionated aunt, and tears when you find ‘the one’. But so many modern, relaxed brides are foregoing all of that and opting for the ease and convenience of buying their wedding dress online.

Has this crossed your mind too, but you’re a little bit scared to take the plunge? Here are our top five tips for buying your wedding dress online to take the fear out of it!

It’s all about the fabric.

Read the description of the dress to see what fabric it is made from and how it does up. Your more traditional gowns made from rigid fabrics are more risky purchases as they don’t have room to stretch and fit perfectly on your body if the sizing isn’t spot on. Stretch materials are our favourite to work with, as they allow for an ease of fit and body contouring to hug you in all the right ways and allow you to dance the night away.

Go by your measurements, not your dress size

Not only do you have to face international sizing conversions if you’re buying from an overseas designer, but bridal sizing in general, can be totally different from regular fashion. It’s important to take your measurements and follow each designers sizing charts as they all differ. If you’re in between sizes or confused about where you fall on the size chart, just get in touch! We’re more than happy to answer any of your questions and to help put your mind at ease.

Search it on socials

Head over to social media to see how dresses look on different body types and in real life, away from studio lighting and highly curated editorial shoots. Seeing dresses on real brides is one of the best ways to get a feel for a designer’s work!

Too good to be true?

Be cautious of online promising high-end designer gowns for unbelievably low prices. Pay attention to the URL, vague or poorly written product descriptions and the overall look and feel of the online store. If it looks too good to be true, it often is.

Read the fine print

Lastly, don’t forget to read the fine print on return policies, taxes, shipping costs and turn around times. Bridal is often made-to-order so it’s not like regular online shopping where you can expect your pieces in the mail later that week. If you’re buying internationally, you may be stung with import taxes, so be sure to suss this out too, especially if you’re working to a budget.