The Blogging Bride: Finding the Perfect Wedding Dress

There are a number of pressing items that should fall before bridal fashion on your wedding planning to-do list. Booking the venue is one. Finding a photographer, another. But just try telling that to a bride-to-be. It's hard to figure out a vision for your wedding if you don't actually see yourself as a bride. For me, that didn't happen until I was in a bridal shop, standing in front of a wall of mirrors in a bridal gown and veil. It feels really good. I mean, I almost (almost) understand why Beyoncé felt the need to incorporate a crazy bridal outfit into her tour wardrobe.

My mother initially convinced me to go to a few nearby bridal shops just to try on a few things and figure out which styles I like. Of course, I ended up not only finding the perfect dress -- one of the consultant's picks that I didn't even want to try on -- but I buying it two days later. As luck would have it, the store was having a trunk show for the designer of my dress, and it was 15 percent off. Who can argue with a sale? I had the best case scenario -- my dress shopping experience was short, sweet and relatively pain free. The second wedding gown I tried on turned out to be "the one," and, thanks to a trunk show, the dress ended up being close enough to my original budget that I didn't feel guilty about splurging a little. For those of you who are beginning the dress finding process, here are some tips and tricks I picked up along the way.

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While on a family vacation with Tom and Suri, Katie Holmes hit the beach near Rio de Janeiro in this blue one piece.

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Rihanna hits the stage at the NFL Pepsi Smash Super Bowl Concert in a pair of knee-high black boots. What do you think about the pop singer's look?

Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images for NFL

Mischa Barton wore this Elie Saab couture mint green gown to the Fashion Dinner for Aids at the Pavillon d'Armenonville. Is Mischa's look a hit or miss?

Eric Ryan, Getty Images

Heroes star Hayden Panettiere arrives at the NBC Universal Pre-Super Bowl event at Portofino in a black tuxedo jacket and dress with a plunging neckline. Is the Hollywood starlet hot or not?

Gerardo Mora, Getty Images

Diane Kruger wore Nina Ricci for the Fashion Dinner for Aids at the Pavillon d'Armenonville. Is her dress a mess or amazing?

Eric Ryan, Getty Images

Kim Kardashian opted for this floral strapless Tracey Reese dress for the 2009 Moves Magazine Super Bowl Party at The Venue Club. Let us know what you think about Kim's look.

Tim Boyles, Getty Images

Burlesque beauty Dita Von Teese wore an ice blue Elie Saab (left) satin dress at the Fashion Dinner for Aids at the Pavillon d'Armenonville.

Dominique Charriau, WireImage

Spanish actress Penelope Cruz appeared at the the 2009 Goya Cinema Awards in Madrid in this black lace Chanel gown. Is it a win or a loss?

Carlos Alvarez, Getty Images

Amy Adams wore a Jasmine di Milo gold and silver sequin backless dress and Christian Louboutin heels to the 61st Annual Directors Guild of America Awards.

Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

Being thousands of miles away didn't stop Meryl Streep from celebrating the inauguration. The actress wore this Catherine Malandrino flag dress to the Paris premiere of Doubt.

Julien Hekimian, WireImage

Plan ahead: Finding a dress isn't the first thing to do on a wedding timeline, but it's still good to start looking sooner rather than later. Depending on where you purchase your dress, it could take several months to come into the store. After that, you have to take into account the time it will take to complete alterations. Experts say you should try to pick out a dress a good six to nine months before the wedding. Of course, some people don't even have six months to plan their weddings, so that's not a hard and fast rule. There are plenty of opportunities for a bride-to-be to buy a dress off the rack, but if you have the time you should explore all of your bridal gown options.

Don't go to high end stores first: I made this mistake. I tried on dresses at a higher-end bridal store before going to a store with lower-priced dresses. The dresses at the more expensive store were made of materials that were higher quality, and the designs were more intricate. This spoiled me for the dresses at the more affordable store, even though some of them were gorgeous and much more wallet friendly. I think if I had started out looking at less expensively-made dresses, I would have been more receptive to them.

Trust your salesperson: I walked into the store with a list of specific dresses I wanted to try on, and I really wasn't trying to hear her suggestions. I know my taste, I know my body type and I knew what I wanted. If she hadn't insisted that I try on this one dress that she thought would be perfect for me, I would still be out there looking. I thought I knew what was best, but she actually knew better. Trust in your salesperson's expertise -- she knows what she's doing.

Don't try on dresses that are outside of your budget: I broke this rule, but thanks to a handy trunk sale it all worked out. Still, you should make it a general policy not to try on a dress that you can't afford. You'll fall in love with something you can't have, and nothing else will measure up. Avoid dresses that are outside of your price range and you'll save yourself a lot of frustration.

Don't be afraid to buy used: I didn't go this route, but I was definitely giving it some thought. In these tough economic times, more and more brides are turning to eBay or sites like OnceWed.com and PreownedWeddingDresses.com to find gently-used designer gowns at slashed prices. These sites are also something to consider if you do fall in love with a Vera Wang and you have a David's Bridal budget. After your wedding, you can sell the dress to recoup some of your losses.

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