The Physical Things

  • Right underwear. Seamless, nude or close to your skin tone, and for most silhouettes, strapless. If your usual bra has obvious straps or visible lines, it will fight every dress you try on.
  • Shoes near your wedding heel height. You don’t need the actual wedding shoes yet — bring something with a similar heel. A floor-length dress looks completely different in flats versus heels. If you haven’t decided on heel height, bring a medium pair so we can show you how the dress sits at different levels.
  • Hair pulled back. Loose hair during a fitting is distracting and keeps you from seeing the neckline clearly. A low ponytail or bun is enough — we’re not doing your wedding hair yet.
  • Light makeup, or none. White and ivory fabrics mark easily. Bronzer, foundation, lipstick are the usual culprits. Keep it minimal or be ready to wipe off before trying anything on.
  • A small reference set. Five to ten dresses you love, on your phone — not fifty. Five with reasons beats fifty without.

The Less Visible Things

  • An open mind. Most brides discover that the dress they walk out wanting is not the dress they walked in expecting. Pinterest and the body are different jurisdictions. Be willing to try the silhouette you think you don’t want — it’s a free hour, you might be surprised.
  • Restraint about your own opinions early on. The first dress of a session is rarely the chosen one. Treat the first hour as a calibration round, not a decision round.

Who to Bring

One to two people, maximum. Bridal fittings are deceptively emotional, and they get harder — not easier — with audience size. A larger group means more opinions, and the people who love you most are not necessarily the people who help you choose well in this particular room.

The right people to bring are the ones who will (a) tell you the truth, and (b) let you decide.

What to Leave at Home

Last weekend’s hangover, your mother’s opinion if you brought her and she has strong ones, perfumed lotion (it transfers to fabric), and any expectation that you’ll “just know” the moment you see the right dress. Some brides do. Most don’t, and that’s also fine — knowing usually arrives between dresses, not on a dress.