So, let's talk Pinterest. We love it with a capital L! It's a great way to share ideas and illustrate your personal sense of style and can be very handy when shopping for a wedding dress. Many brides find it useful as a visual tool when trying to communicate their vision of their perfect dress to their wedding gown consultant. As they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words". However, there are a few important things to consider when using Pinterest, to ensure your inspirations don't set unrealistic expectations and lead to possible disappointment later on.
Elements and Impressions
Pinterest is a great tool to communicate elements you like from a variety of gowns that you find photos of. Many brides pin photos of dresses that they like, and gush over specific elements like the bodice, or the lace details...etc. Talk to your bridal consultant about these elements and show them your photos. This gives the consultant great impressions of your sense of style and hints at what you envision wearing on the big day. Keep in mind, however, that the store you go to may not have that EXACT gown. Consultants use impressions from your photos to show you gowns with similar elements and details. Keep an open mind. Your consultant may find something you never dreamed you would wear that is more perfect that the photos you share.
Missing Information from Photo Descriptions
One thing to keep in mind is designers post photos of designs from their newest collections to promote,but often do not include prices. Sometimes, the dresses in the photos are not in stores yet. Many international designers like Anna Campbell have stunning photos on Pinterest, but descriptions don't include all the facts. For example, dresses from Anna Campbell are only available in Australia and select international cities, with their collections ranging from $3,000 to $15,000. Similarly, some gowns on Pinterest are couture only, and cannot be ordered at regular boutiques. If you find a dress you love, do some research on the source before going to your dress fitting. This will help clarify what elements you like and availability of the original design, while keeping to your price range. Researching photos can save you from unexpected disappointment at the time of your fittings.
Couture and Custom gowns
If you find a dress photo on Pinterest, and do your research only to find you cannot get the gown in your country or price range, you might have to adjust your vision a little. If you go to a Ready-to-Wear bridal boutique, they can find similar designers and dress styles, but they might not be 100% the same as the photo. Another, more expensive, option is to look for designers who are open to customization and do Made-to-Measure gowns, like Stephen Yearick. These designers can tweak current styles to get a closer version of your dream dress. However, most designers like to keep their design aesthetics and will not recreate a gown 100% to the original. Keep an open mind if you decide to customize a gown, as the designer might have construction and style advice that you hadn't considered that can improve upon the original idea.
Pinterest is great, and we heartily encourage brides to use it to help find their dream gown. To avoid disappointment, remember that photos don't tell the entire story, and your dress should speak to your personality. Due to availability and price, tweaks and flexibility may be required. So keep an open mind, and keep on Pinning those dresses that inspire you!
