After helping thousands of brides over the past 20 years, we've discovered that very few women regret the wedding dress they chose. Instead, believe it or not, the biggest regrets usually come from the decisions made before they found their dress—shopping too early, bringing too many people along (and opinions), waiting too long because they weren’t the weight they had hoped to be, and overthinking their decision. The good news? Every one of these mistakes is avoidable I feel.
In This Blog I'll Cover
- Why brides rarely regret their wedding dress
- The 8 most common wedding dress regrets
- Expert advice from our 20 years in bridal
- How to enjoy a stress-free dress shopping experience
Planning your wedding is one of the most exciting times of your life, and choosing your wedding dress should be one of the highlights.
After more than two decades helping brides at Abigail's Collection, we've shared thousands of emotional 'yes' moments, happy tears, hugs with mums and best friends, and unforgettable celebrations.
We've also had countless conversations with brides after their wedding day. One thing has become incredibly clear. Very few brides tell us they regret the dress they chose with us. The regrets almost always centre around how they shopped for it. If you're about to begin your bridal journey, here are the biggest mistakes we see-and how you can avoid them.
1. Shopping Before They're Really Ready
It's completely understandable that you want to start trying on dresses the moment you're engaged. For many of us it’s one of the most exciting things to do with your wedding planning. But shopping before you've secured your venue, chosen your wedding style or even decided on the season can make choosing a dress soooooo difficult!
Think of it this way; a glamorous ballroom wedding often calls for something very different from a relaxed garden celebration or a beach ceremony abroad. Without the bigger picture, it's easy to fall in love with a dress that no longer feels right once the rest of your wedding comes together.
Our Advice
We usually recommend beginning your wedding dress search around 12–18 months before your wedding. This gives you plenty of time to enjoy the experience, order your gown, complete alterations and avoid unnecessary stress. You’ll have the pick of any dress designer too as all of them will be able to manufacture your gown for you within that timeline.
2. Bringing Too Many People
This is one of the biggest causes of bridal confusion and bridal meltdowns known to brides, we see it a lot! Usually (we find that) everyone who comes with you genuinely wants the best for you, but the problem is that everyone has different tastes and ideas. One person loves lace. Another prefers clean satin. Someone else wants to see you in sleeves, and someone thinks fitted dresses are a better idea than a full ball gown!
Before long, you're no longer choosing your dress—you're trying to keep everyone else happy and bouncing from one opinion to the next without really listening for your own inner voice. Over the years we've found that the most enjoyable appointments often involve a small group of trusted people who know you well and understand your style. Ultimately, the only opinion that truly matters is yours.
Our Advice
We recommend bringing no more than two or three of the people whose opinions matter most to you. Choose people who know you well, understand your personality and will support your decision rather than trying to influence it. If someone is likely to make the appointment about what they like instead of what you love, it may be kinder to involve them in another part of your wedding planning instead.
Remember, your bridal appointment isn't a committee meeting—, it shouldn’t be a team decision, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience that should centre around you and your loves and dislikes! The more relaxed and focused the environment, the easier it is to listen to your own instincts.
3. Falling in Love With Something Outside Your Budget
This is one of the hardest situations for any stylist. And we really do everything we can to avoid this including having a chat about your preferred spend way before you start trying on dresses. Unlike many other bridal stores we’ll always dissuade you away from a dress that’s outside of your budget because it's heart breaking when a bride has fallen completely in love with a gown that simply isn't realistic financially, we do .
That's why we always encourage an open conversation about budget from the very beginning. Your stylist isn't trying to restrict your choices. They're trying to help you find the perfect dress within a budget you're genuinely comfortable spending. There are beautiful gowns available across a wide range of price points, and an experienced stylist knows exactly where to guide you.
Our Advice
would be to be completely honest about your budget before you begin trying on dresses. Don't feel embarrassed if you have a spending limit – every bride does, and it's our job to help you find a gown that you absolutely love within that budget.
An experienced stylist will know which designers and dresses are most likely to give you the look you want without stretching your finances. Remember, the perfect dress isn't the most expensive one in the boutique; it's the one that makes you feel incredible while allowing you to enjoy the rest of your wedding planning without financial worry.
4. Waiting Too Long
One of the biggest misconceptions is that wedding dresses are sitting in stock waiting to be delivered. Most designer gowns are made to order. Depending on the designer, production can take several months (sometimes 8-10) before your alterations even begin. Leaving dress shopping until the last minute can mean:
- fewer choices
- rush fees
- unnecessary stress
- limited alteration time
Giving yourself plenty of time makes the whole experience far more enjoyable. One common reason we often see brides delaying their appointment is because they're hoping to lose weight before they start shopping. It's a completely understandable concern, as women we are naturally insecure about our shape and so sadly we hear this regularly. Every bride wants to look and feel her very best on her wedding day.
However, waiting for the scales to reach a certain number can sometimes mean delaying your search for months, only to find yourself with less choice, tighter timescales and far more pressure than necessary. Wedding dresses are designed to be altered, and your experienced bridal stylist will order the most appropriate size before your dress is expertly tailored to fit you beautifully closer to your wedding day.
Our Advice
We always recommend starting your wedding dress journey around 12 to 18 months before your wedding where possible. This gives you the greatest choice of designers and styles, allows plenty of time for your dress to be made and altered, and means you can enjoy the experience without unnecessary pressure. Also, please know that wedding dresses are magic and often they offer so much construction and they really can be so flattering when you are in the right design! It is true that so often we hear a bride say ‘I actually don’t think I need to lose weight now, this dress looks great just as I am’
If you're hoping to lose a little weight before your wedding, don't let that stop you from booking your appointment. We'd much rather help you find the dress you absolutely love now than see you miss out because you've waited too long. Alterations are a normal part of the bridal journey, and our recommended seamstress will ensure your dress fits you beautifully when your wedding day arrives.
5. Continuing to Shop After You've Already Found 'The One'
This happens far more often than you might think. A bride finds a dress she absolutely loves. She steps out of the fitting room smiling from ear to ear. She cries. Her mum cries. Her friends tell her she's glowing. Deep down, she knows she's found something special. Then, almost inevitably, someone says, "Well... you've got two more appointments booked, you may as well go to them just to be sure."
While that advice often comes from a good place, it can actually create far more uncertainty than confidence. Instead of confirming you've made the right choice, those extra appointments often lead to massive comparison. You begin comparing dresses that are completely different, questioning details you hadn't even noticed before and wondering if there's something even better waiting elsewhere.
This is known as 'dress fatigue' or we’ve nicknamed it ‘too-many-dress-itus’ and it's something we see regularly. The more dresses you try on after finding a special favourite, the harder it can become to remember why you fell in love with it in the first place. What started as excitement and emotional connection can quickly become overwhelm, leaving you feeling confused rather than confident.
One thing we've learnt after 20 years is that finding your wedding dress isn't usually about discovering the 'perfect' dress out of hundreds. It's about finding the dress that makes you feel like the very best version of yourself. Once you've experienced that feeling, chasing another option rarely makes it any stronger. If you genuinely can't stop thinking about one particular dress days later, keep comparing every other gown to it, or find yourself looking back at its photographs over and over again, that's often your answer.
Our Advice
If you've found a dress that makes you feel confident, emotional and completely yourself, don't let the fear of 'what if' take away your excitement. Trust how you felt in that moment rather than convincing yourself you need to keep shopping.
Of course, if you're genuinely unsure, it's absolutely fine to sleep on your decision or return for a second appointment to try your favourite dress on again. But if you're continuing to visit boutique after boutique simply because you think you should, you may only be making the decision harder than it needs to be. Remember, tune into the emotional aspects, you're looking for the one that ‘feels’ perfect for you and makes you feel incredible, trust your instincts—they're usually right.
The Most Important Thing We've Learned After 20 Years
If there's one lesson we've learnt after helping thousands of brides find their wedding dress, it's this: The brides who have the happiest experience don't necessarily spend the most money or choose the most elaborate gown or visit the most boutiques! They're the brides who trust their stylist and their own response and gut instinct. They trust themselves. They stop comparing and they enjoy the journey rather than overthinking it all. So we want to encourage you to allow yourself to feel excited rather than overwhelmed. Your wedding dress is one of the few purchases you'll remember for the rest of your life and we promise to help make that life moment really magical.
Why Trust Abigail's Collection?
Choosing your wedding dress is a huge decision, and we believe expert guidance makes all the difference. For more than 20 years, Abigail's Collection has been helping brides from across Essex and beyond find the dress they've always dreamed of. During that time we've welcomed thousands of brides through our doors, built relationships that last long after the wedding day and earned over 600 Google reviews from happy couples who trusted us with one of the biggest moments of their lives.
Our experienced bridal stylists aren't here to sell you a dress. We're here to listen, guide and help you feel confident, relaxed and excited throughout your bridal journey. Whether you find 'the one' during your first appointment or need a little more time, our goal is always the same—to ensure you leave feeling supported, informed and one step closer to your wedding day. If you're ready to begin your search, we'd love to welcome you to Abigail's Collection and help you create a wedding dress experience you'll remember for all the right reasons, head to book appointment to secure your appointment with us or reach out via email or insta DM with any questions or queries. We cannot wait to welcome you!