What To Do If You’re Second-Guessing Your Wedding Dress

Hello there! Welcome to the club. It’s packed in here. Quick, someone crack a window.

Seriously though, if you’re second-guessing your wedding dress, it’s safe to say you’re not alone. In fact, it’s hard not to doubt your decision when you’re probably being bombarded with alternative options to the outfit you chose every time you scroll your phone.

It’s the blessing and curse of social media. Instagram might’ve influenced your dress decision and now it’s making you question it. *shakes fist*

Did we question our wedding dress choices after we bought them? Absolutely. But know this: you were in a stable frame of mind when you chose it. You liked it. Enough to potentially fork out a not-insignificant amount of cash.

As time goes on, new things naturally become less shiny in your mind, so it stands that your wedding dress (or outfit) might’ve lost its sparkle months or even years down the track. But of course, it’s your wedding day and you want to feel sparkly. Your “best self” as they say, and there’s no doubt that what you wear plays a big part.

Given most of us aren’t in a position to just turf an expensive garment and buy a new one (nor would Mother Nature approve), it’s reasonable to try and work through these *very normal* feelings and see if you can’t reignite the warm and fuzzy feelings you had when the outfit first caught your eye.

Read on for some advice on what to do if you’re second-guessing your wedding outfit.

How to remedy wedding dress FOMO.

To reiterate: wedding dress FOMO is basically a rite of passage for anyone getting married. If money grew on trees, we’re certain we would see a lot more couples seriously re-thinking their outfit choices. Take a breath, be kind to yourself – it’s going to be okay. These tips should help:

• It can be helpful to go back to the original place you purchased the dress for another try-on to get that original feeling back and have people that aren’t personally connected to you reaffirm that the dress is amazing on you.
• Remember that fashion trends change faster than we can say “Remember when we thought belly chains were cool”. Even if you were to replace your wedding dress with something more “current” it’s almost inevitable that you’ll become somewhat disenchanted with your wedding dress choice at some point in the future. Sorry to burst your bubble but it’s a helpful perspective to keep in your wedding toolkit.
• Show a friend and get their reaction. You might be surprised by how effective this is.
• Also keep in mind that you haven’t yet seen the dress in all its glory. What we mean by that is you’ve only ever tried it on at random times and without all the add-ons (hair, makeup, tan, jewellery, flowers, veil, shoes etc.). Once it all comes together, you’ll probably feel your “best self”.

No, I really hate my wedding dress. Help!

If you really do decide you’re no longer into your original choice, here are some options:

• See if you can sell the dress on a platform like Wedshare (but bear in mind that might not happen in your preferred timeframe as you’re waiting for someone to come along that loves it and is the right size).
• Alter the dress so that it feels a little more like what you want to wear on the day.
• Wear the dress for your ceremony and some of the reception and then have a fun party dress to change into later.
• If you’ve got the money, purchase something else and consider donating your original wedding dress or outfit (any easy way to seek redemption).

Ultimately, the ball is in your court but our take home advice if you’re second-guessing your wedding dress is to see if you can’t fall back in love with it first. Sometimes, it’s just the nerves casting doubt over your decisions and at the end of the day, your partner would marry you in your pyjamas (which come to think of it, isn’t an entirely bad idea. Any takers?).

Featured image: Madeline Kate Photography.