6 Things to Do After You Say “Yes” to the Wedding Dress
You found your wedding dress! YAY!
After all the wedding dress shopping, bridal appointments, trying on dresses & wondering how you'll ever know when you've found THE ONE...you did it.
So, what happens now?
Ahead, I’m sharing six things to do after you say “yes” to the wedding dress, from planning your alterations and other wedding outfits to figuring out what happens to your dress after the wedding.
Shop 'Couture' collection wedding garter styles →
After more than 20 years in the wedding industry here at The Garter Girl, hand making wedding garters & bridal heirlooms and working with thousands of brides, I can tell you that finding the wedding dress feels like a HUGE item to check off your wedding planning list.
And it is! But your bridal fashion planning isn't quite finished yet.
Here’s what to do next...
1. Book Your Wedding Dress Alterations
Once you’ve found your wedding dress, one of the next things you’ll need to plan for is making sure that gorgeous dress actually fits YOU.
Wedding dress alterations are everything.
Your bridal shop should let you know what happens when your wedding dress arrives and when you should begin alterations. Some bridal shops handle alterations in-house, while others may give you recommendations for a bridal seamstress or alterations specialist.
Before you leave the bridal shop, make sure you know the next step.
Ask when your dress is expected to arrive, when you should schedule your first fitting and whether there’s anything you need to bring with you.
And when alterations time comes around, don't skimp on the fit.
You already spent the money on the wedding dress. Now make sure you feel AMAZING wearing it.
2. Help Everyone Else Find Their Wedding Outfits
After you find your wedding dress, you can start thinking about what everyone else who needs an outfit for the wedding is going to wear.
This might include bridesmaids or other wedding party members, your partner, parents, flower girls, ring bearers or anyone else who needs a little direction from you.
You don't necessarily need to choose everyone's outfit yourself.
But if there are colors, dress codes or other wedding attire details they need to know, now is a good time to communicate them.
Your original bridal fashion timeline included both helping everyone else with their outfits and deciding how formal you want guest attire to be.
The important part?
Don't get so busy planning everyone else's clothes that you forget you're allowed to be DONE with decisions that don't actually matter to you.
Shop this Mini Champagne Bottle Labels made by xoxo Sugarplum →
3. Decide What You’ll Do With Your Wedding Dress After the Wedding
You haven't even worn your wedding dress yet, so I know thinking about what happens AFTER the wedding feels a little premature.
But once you’ve purchased your wedding dress, it’s worth having at least a general idea of what you might want to do with it afterward.
- Will you have your wedding dress professionally cleaned?
- Do you want to preserve it?
- Would you consider selling or donating it?
- Do you hope to keep it for a future child or family member?
Or maybe you'd eventually like to repurpose part of your wedding dress into something completely new.
You don't have to make the final decision today.
But if preserving the dress or its materials matters to you, knowing that now can help you take better care of it on and after your wedding day. Your original timeline made this one of the six immediate things to think about after finding the dress, and I still think it's worth considering.
4. Start Planning Your Other Bridal Outfits
Finding your wedding dress doesn't necessarily mean you’re finished planning what you’ll wear for the rest of your wedding events.
Maybe you're planning outfits for your engagement photos, bridal shower, bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, welcome party, wedding morning, after party, honeymoon or something completely different.
Or maybe you're wearing clothes you already own and buying absolutely NOTHING new for half of those things.
Also an excellent plan.
Your original timeline called the wedding dress “just the beginning” and encouraged brides to think about their other wedding outfits next.
I would tweak that advice today: Your wedding dress can be just the beginning.
You don't need a brand-new white outfit for every wedding-related event simply because you're a bride.
Think about the events you're actually having, decide which outfits matter to YOU & spend accordingly.
Shop this Rehearsal Dinner Dress made by Well U Design →
5. Decide Who Gets to See Your Wedding Dress
Once you've said “yes” to the wedding dress, you'll probably have people asking to SEE IT.
So...are you showing them?
- Maybe you want your wedding dress to be a complete surprise until you walk down the aisle.
- Maybe you've already texted a photo to 14 people from the bridal shop dressing room.
- Maybe your partner is absolutely allowed to see the dress.
- Maybe they are ABSOLUTELY NOT.
There is no right answer here.
Your original guide simply said “share it...or not,” and I still stand by that.
It's your wedding dress. You get to decide who sees it and when.
6. ENJOY Finding Your Wedding Dress!
After you find THE dress, please give yourself a minute to actually enjoy the fact that YOU FOUND YOUR WEDDING DRESS.
Don't immediately turn finding your dress into another list of things you need to do.
Take the pictures. Go to lunch. Have the champagne. Call your best friend.
Celebrate with the people who came shopping with you. Or go home, put on your pajamas and stare at pictures of your dress on your phone for the rest of the night.
Finding your wedding dress is a BIG moment in the whole getting-married experience.
You don't need to rush past it just because there are more things on your wedding planning list.
Here' a little extra time from me to you... Once you've bought your wedding dress, STOP SHOPPING FOR WEDDING DRESSES!
Pinterest, Instagram & bridal designers will happily keep showing you thousands of other gorgeous dresses. You already found yours. Let yourself be excited about it.
Shop this Bridal Clutch made by Luna and Stone Co →
What Happens After You Buy Your Wedding Dress?
Once you've bought your wedding dress, the next few months are really about keeping track of what happens next without letting bridal fashion take over your entire life.
Know when your dress is arriving. Make your wedding dress alterations appointments. Plan the accessories and other outfits that actually matter to you. Keep track of what you've already purchased & what you still need.
And then... Enjoy it.
You don't have to keep searching for something better. You found THE dress.
Your Wedding Dress Is Planned. What About Everything Else?
Finding your wedding dress is a BIG piece of your bridal fashion plan, but there are still alterations, accessories, beauty, other wedding looks & your bridal fashion budget to think about.
The Bridal Fashion Fix helps you organize all of it in one place, with my best bridal fashion advice, planning tools, the BFF Budget & Spending Tracker and a customizable Bridal Look Book to help you actually SEE your wedding looks come together.
Spend on what matters to you. Skip what doesn't. And stop wondering what you're forgetting.
And Now for One of My Favorite Wedding-Day Details...
Once you've found THE dress, you can start choosing the little bridal accessories that make your wedding-day look feel like yours.
For more than 20 years, I've been hand making wedding garters, something blue garters, and bridal heirlooms for brides, including completely custom wedding garters made from mothers' and grandmothers' wedding dresses, veils & other family materials.
Whether you want a little something blue underneath your wedding dress or an heirloom made especially for you, I'd love to make yours.
P.S. Some of the above product links are affiliate-connected and purchasing through these links helps to support the blog.
