I always knew that weddings are made up of sacred traditions, bringing two people to become one and joining in celebration with their loved ones. Yet planning a wedding can be very challenging in many ways! Whether it’s about finances / budget, theme & decoration, venue, number of guests, entertainment and so on. Despite the disappointments we had encountered when we shopped around for a venue, thankfully, we both knew what we wanted and were on the same page.

In this wedding series I will share some tips and things that we thought were important in planning our big day. I will first start with my wedding dress.

I was never the type of girl who dreamt about her big day nor about wearing a princess ball gown wedding dress. When we finally found the venue my close friend took me browsing to wedding dress shops. The options were limitless but I had a budget and didn’t want to spend more on a dress I would wear for just one day. I wanted a simple elegant dress that would allow me to dance and have a great time (who am I kidding, wedding dresses are not dancefloor friendly haha.) Also, some people I’d met told me that the feeling you would get when you find “The Dress” is like when you would buy your first home/car (I was searching for that feeling too hard until I gave up ha!)

Our ceremony took place at a Cathedral and after I’d tried enough dresses I concluded that I wanted a long train with a drop veil. I tried one dress with a removable train and it was as heavy as the dress itself and cost almost the same. So when I found my dress, the sales person suggested a two layer tulle train which was simply made but would cost around $500. Mom and I left with the dress but without the train. I did a good amount of research and my mom and I made the train, the drop veil (inspired by Princess Kate’s veil) and the shoulder cover for the church. We bought about 8 yards of tulle (colour: diamond white) and worked on all three pieces every day after work. It was frustrating at times and I often thought this was a bad idea, but looking back on it now I wouldn’t have had it any other way. We made such fond daughter-mom memories and I proudly wore all three pieces on our big day. 🙂

If you’re getting married this summer, don’t panic, you still have plenty of time. Here are some tips that you can consider when looking for your dress:

• Have a budget in mind and be realistic. Keep in mind that there are hidden costs that add up very quickly such as alterations (that could go up to $1k), jewelry, shoes, veil (unless you make your own) and makeup/hair artist.
• Shop for your body and find the right dress silhouette. Take a couple of your girlfriends, shop around and find the silhouettes that you like, that fits your venue/wedding theme and that reflects your personality. 😉
• Limit your entourage! You’ll look beautiful in all dresses but you don’t want to be pressured by too many opinions. Also, don’t bring your mom (or mom in law) until you find the dress you like. (I say this because moms will love every dress you try on and will convince you to get it haha!)
• Don’t tell-all to your husband-to-be. Don’t forget that your husband-to-be might not share the same enthusiasm as you and your girlfriends (i.e. the daily dress updates haha.) Also, keep the rest of the details (of the dress) for him to see on the day of. 😉
• Go dress shopping on a week day. The sales person will be more patient with you and have more time to pull the dresses that you like. It might be worth taking a day off work for this!
• Don’t get discouraged. If you reach this point then try to find smaller boutiques.
• Find your own seamstress. The designer stores might offer their alteration services but there are better and cheaper options.
• Enjoy the process. We get caught up with planning and stressing over the littlest things that have to do with our big day. Whilst I’m so happy that it’s all behind us, I’m also happy that we got to enjoy the process. Have fun and enjoy! 🙂

XO Dalia

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