A top bridal expert reveals the most common mistakes brides-to-be make when choosing the all-important gown for their big day. Ready? Here they are!

1. Unrealistically Insisting On Wearing A Particular Wedding Gown

Before you insist on choosing a particular wedding gown, you have to consider many factors, such as the type of wedding venue, the comfort levels of the gown, the theme of your wedding, and many more. For example, you might be considering a long-sleeved gown that comes with a satin skirt.

However, if you are marrying outdoors in Singapore and wearing this type of gown, you can be sure that you will spend the whole wedding feeling angst, as buckets (note that the word ‘beads’ isn’t used) of perspiration pour down your back, as you frown under the sweltering heat. Instead of glowing with radiance, you might find yourself undergoing a slow roast, and there will be a layer of shine pasted all over your complexion. Not a good look.

2. Choosing A Wedding Gown That Simply Doesn’t Fit

Often, brides tend to think that they are fat because they are unable to fit into a wedding gown, or because the reality of it is far from their expectations.

First of all, stop beating yourself up for not ‘looking as good’. It is absolutely ok to not be able to fit into a wedding gown. Just because a wedding gown complements a bride’s figure doesn’t necessarily mean the same for you. Why is this so? Simply because every bride has a different body shape and proportions!

Also, it is normal that a certain wedding gown style looks better on you compared to other brides. So don’t be so hard on yourself just because you don’t ‘fit’ into a wedding gown the way you have envisioned.

3. Going On A Crash Diet

Due to the intense fear of not fitting into a wedding gown, it is very tempting to go on a crash diet, restricting all forms of carbohydrates and ‘fattening’ food.

Sure, you might be able to shed a fair amount of weight within a short space of time, but the results are never always good. When a person loses weight too rapidly, the skin is unable to shrink at the same rate, resulting in saggy skin. At the same time, brides who undergo an extremely strict diet not only end up feeling miserable but their overall complexion, energy levels and health also take a nosedive.

Instead of completely cutting food off (which is impossible with all the delicious food in Singapore), you can opt to stock up on healthier snacks and food, while giving yourself a cheat day to indulge in your favourite sinful snack. You can consider going on a juice diet for a month to fully detox your body. Not only will you be less tempted to munch on unhealthy snacks but your skin will also glow, as the toxins in your body are purged out. However, it is best to consult your doctor before attempting any form of diet.

4. Not Caring About The Colour Of The Wedding Gown/Evening Dress

A fatal mistake in selecting a wedding gown or evening dress is choosing an unsuitable shade, which doesn’t complement the skin undertone. For example, brides with warmer skin undertones look better in an off-white wedding gown, while brides with a cooler skin undertone look better in a pure white wedding gown. Doing the opposite will only make the bride appear washed out and, trust us, no amount of make-up can hide that.

Another aspect to consider is hair colour. Although Singaporean brides are usually born with dark brown or jet-black hair, some brides do dye their hair another colour, such as brown or red. Hence, it is important to select an evening gown that suits your hair colour, as well. For example, if you have red hair, it wouldn’t be a good idea to wear a green evening dress (unless you want to look like Poison Ivy from Marvel Comics!).

5. Trying On Way Too Many Gowns

It seems like a dream come true to try on several dresses, twirling in every wedding gown and feeling like a true princess. Little do brides know how exhausting and time consuming it actually is to change in and out of several different bridal gowns.

What’s more, trying on too many wedding gowns doesn’t actually help you select the right wedding gown – the one that makes you feel the most confident. Rather, it usually confuses the bride. It is advisable to stick to trying between four and seven wedding gowns if you can. Also, shortlist some styles that you may prefer.

Look out for Part 2 of this article, where we look at the best way to shortlist some styles, and discover the other mistakes to avoid making when choosing your wedding gown.

Visit La Belle Couture page to find out more about Peiru’s work.

_{This post was first published on La Belle Couture blog and has been reposted on Executive Lifestyle with the permission of the author. Image from La Belle Couture
Edited by Nedda Chaplin}

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