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Shopping for your dress is a unique experience. Here's how to decide where to shop, and what to expect when you get there.

The wedding gown you select will probably be the most meaningful—and expensive—piece of clothing you’ll ever own. Therefore, shopping for your gown can be not only a highly charged emotional experience but also a serious financial commitment. It's also likely to be an entirely different kind of shopping experience than any you've ever had (unless you're lucky enough to order couture or custom-made clothes regularly). Here's our advice on how to make the gown shopping process enjoyable and successful.

More than 3,000 different bridal gown styles are created by more than 250 nationally recognized designers each year. These gowns are available through about 7,500 bridal shops, salons, and department stores across the country. In addition, hundreds of regional and local designers and dressmakers contribute at least 2,000 more styles to the bridal gown design pool. While this proliferation of gown styles and retail resources means you'll almost certainly be able to find your ideal dress, it also can cause tremendous confusion about where and when to shop.

Finding the one store where you can purchase the perfect gown can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. It can lead to a shopping experience that's frustrating and stressful, or it can lead to the kind of pampered, exciting, and fulfilling experience you’ve dreamed of. For the most part, the difference depends upon the time you invest in obtaining information and evaluating your options before you cross the threshold of even one bridal store.

Do Your Homework

Before you start to shop, take the time to study Bridal Guide magazine and any other bridal publication available to you—both articles and advertisements. Review the websites of as many designers as possible. Web addresses usually are available on magazine ads. Take notes. Make a list of the designers you like best, the specific styles that appeal to you, and the retailers who are authorized to sell the gowns you prefer in your local area.

Next, ask as many people as possible for retail store recommendations in general and specifically about their experiences at the shops included on your list. This will help you narrow your list of shops to visit.

While some resource books suggest that your decision regarding where to shop should be guided by information obtained from the Better Business Bureau, it's important to understand the limitations of this type of information. Consumer complaints to the B.B.B. are filed against virtually every retail store in the country, and bridal stores are no exception. You'll place unrealistic restrictions on your options if you avoid any store that has ever inspired a complaint. If you do check B.B.B. records, closely evaluate the number and the nature of the complaints and decide whether they're significant enough to eliminate the store from your list. Again, your best bet is a word-of-mouth reference from a friend, a friend of a friend, or anyone with a recent experience with a retailer.

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