Show off your curves with a mermaid gown that hugs the waist and hips and flares from the knees. These fit-and-flare showstoppers highlight your slim waist and embrace your natural shape. A dress with a crystal beaded embellishment at the hip will add a touch of glamour.

Lenya | Gesinee | Faith | Melissa

Photo by: The Pink Bride

Photo By: ​Abbott’s Bridal

When working with a budget, finding an affordable wedding gown (that doesn’t compromise on style or quality!) is all about shopping smart. If you’re starting your search online, use terms like “affordable” and “budget-friendly,” rather than “cheap wedding gown” or “online wedding gowns,” and keep an eye out for these common signs of counterfeit products and scam sites:
Designer products labeled as “cheap wedding dresses” (beware of deep discounts!)
Unrealistic shipping and delivery claims
Poorly designed websites (loading errors, misspellings and grammatical mistakes, dead links, etc.)
An online “storefront” that claims to be an authorized retailer or stockist of a designer product, but that doesn’t appear on the designer’s Store Locator page.

Odd dress imagery, blurry photo resolution, and/or models with cropped heads
Convoluted or unverifiable payment processes
By steering clear of scam sites and ecommerce, you can find an affordable wedding dress through a legitimate channel, such as an Authorized Retailer. A brick-and-mortar boutique with good reviews is the safest (and most enjoyable!) way to find your dream wedding dress at the perfect price point. Authorized Retailers of Maggie Sottero Designs products can guarantee:
High-quality products

Accurate delivery times
Warranties (contingent on the store’s policies)
Stable price ranges

An expert alterations process, or referrals for alterations
And best of all, our Authorized Retailers offer a personalized, once-in-a-lifetime shopping experience for you and your bridal party! Now, speaking of fabulous style on a budget, take a look at some of our favorite Fall 2017 gowns by Rebecca Ingram below.

​Although finding the perfect dress is a huge part of a successful wedding for any bride-to-be, it’s only one of many stresses you’ll have to deal with during the planning period. You can’t focus all of your energy on dress hunting - even if it’s important. If you want to have an easier time finding the right gown, heed these tips.

​Sure, you may be excited about the dress purchase and you may have a lot of friends and family who want to accompany you on the shopping trip. But you should be wary of bringing along too many people with too many opinions. As the decision-maker, it’s tougher to assert yourself and express your true desires if you have a dozen people pulling you in different directions. RealSimple.com suggests only bringing a handful of people - at the most - with you while you shop/try on dresses. They also suggest making your future mother-in-law one of those people - it’ll help start the bonding process. 

​When setting a budget for your dress, it’s important to factor in all the “hidden costs” associated with it. As TheKnot points out, these include the costs of alterations, possible shipping, your veil, shoes, jewelry, etc. Once you have that budget, it’s counterproductive to look at dresses that are clearly out of your price range. Stick to what you have allotted for yourself and find the best option within those constraints. The faster you start looking within your price range, the more likely you are to find something you love there. 

​Sure, you can go into your hunt with an idea in mind. You may know what style of dress you think your prefer. But don’t limit yourself to whatever’s in your head. “Some dresses look like paper bags on the hanger and drop-dead gorgeous on your body. With that in mind, don't turn your nose up at anything until you try it on,” says Martha Stewart Weddings.
 
Bottom line: You never know what you may like until you try it on. Don’t reduce your pool of possible dresses by limiting yourself to a specific style from the get-go. 

​Alterations take time. Shipping a gown from a dressmaker takes time. Making a final decision takes time. Wedding dress shopping is not something you can do last minute. Try to get ahead of the curve and begin your search at least six months before the big date.
 
But on the flip side of that, don’t start too early. This can also be detrimental. It helps to know what the rest of your wedding will look like before settling on a dress. For instance, you don’t want to buy a super formal dress early on and then look out of place at your more casual ceremony. 

​Easier said than done, right? Prepping for a wedding is one of the most stressful periods a person will ever go through. The desire to make it perfect in every way possible often makes us unable to make decisions, for fear they will be the wrong ones. While hunting for your dress it’s vital that you take time to relax. Overwhelming stress can cause us to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms, like overeating or too much drinking (check here for some tips on overcoming that particular temptation). Take some time to meditate, do yoga, or simply practice some focused breathing while you shop.
 
In the end, just have fun. It is certainly stressful, but it’s also an experience you don’t get to have many times in life. Take a small crew with you, stick to a budget, don’t limit your style options, and take time to relax. You’re well on your way to finding the perfect dress.