10 Tips to Find Your Catholic Wedding Dress
It is so exciting to see the bride coming down the aisle and everyone’s first reaction. As Catholics, everything we experience helps reveal the truths of our faith.
The Catholic wedding dress is something that can help reveal the beauty and joy of our faith.
Let’s talk Catholic wedding dress shopping & bridesmaid dress hunting.
Always exciting, but probably becoming more of a headache than expected. Why?
Why is finding a Catholic wedding dress or bridesmaid dress so difficult?
One reason is there aren’t a lot of modest options out there. Especially when trying on dresses at shops or if there aren’t a lot of bridal shops nearby.
Let’s bring back the intentionality and modesty. The dress reveals something of the bride’s creativity and personality, while also presenting herself to her husband as his wife.
“The body expresses the person.” – St. Pope John Paul II
I once had a bride who had purchased her wedding dress. Shortly before her wedding, her mother found another beautiful dress at a thrift shop. Her mother purchased it, just in case. The bride-to-be put it on and found it a near perfect fit! With a slight alteration, it was the one.
Here are my 8 quick tips:
Don’t overthink it. If it is an amazing dress, get it.
If it isn’t you, don’t get it.
Make sure it is modest. Just think about how it will be in your photos FOREVER. Double check your dress thinking of the perspective of your grandkids flipping through your photo album.
Don’t take a million people with you dress shopping. If you go in person, take one or two trusted ladies and leave the rest at home. You don’t need to bring 5 people who have 15 opinions.
Get inspired by other Catholic brides I have photographed. Look to other Catholic brides for a style you like, then use Google Image Search to find similar options.
Consider the season you are getting married in, rather than the current weather.
While it is difficult to imagine in the heat of July that it will ever be cold again, be forward thinking about the style of your dress (this goes for you, too, bridesmaids).
If you do fall in love with a summery bridal dress for your January wedding, maybe the addition of sleeves or a white fur coat will cozy up your look. Consider fabrics that go with each season, such as velvet and fur for winter and chiffon for summer.
Here are some ideas of vendors and shops to help spark your creativity. I give full credit to the Brides of the Catholic Bride Facebook Group for these ideas.
Utah based My Amazing Wedding Dress – custom dresses and modest options here!
– after, you can always find inspiration and search Poshmark & Mercari for lightly used gowns, or check the Catholic Bride Facebook group for any sales
Military and first responder spouses can get a free dress from Brides Across America
Using your mom or grandma’s dress and doing some alterations if you can
For Brides local to the Central Valley of California, here are some in person options:
Bridal Vault – Jamestown, California
KC Bridal Co. – Oakdale, California
Elizabeth’s Bridal – Merced, California
Find some inspiration here on my Pinterest for all things weddings, but don’t get sucked down the Pinterest rabbit hole. Sometimes it is just too much. Set a timer and remove yourself when it is overwhelming!
Best wishes to you in your search!
Prayer before wedding dress shopping from Spoken Bride:
Lord, as I go to try on wedding dresses today, I pray this is a joyful time, and I offer you the anxiety I may feel.
Help me to experience joy in this process, and find a dress that will make me feel beautiful inside and out.
Thank you for my groom, who values my heart over my body. Help me to remember he will find me radiant no matter what I wear and that my smile is all he needs to be happy.
Guide me to the dress that will mark our new beginning, that will exhibit my love and joy in this vocation and make me feel like Your beautiful, beloved daughter. Allow my dress to glorify You, oh Lord, and praise you for the gifts you’ve given me.
If I am worried about my looks, help me see past my self-perceived flaws, to see me as you see me, and remind me that my true beauty lies not in the standards of this world, not in the clothes I wear on the outside, but in the way I live my life, and in the joy I exhibit in your Presence and in the presence of my beloved.
Amen.
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