Your wedding will definitely be one of the most important days of your life - but naturally, there will be a bit of stress involved. Luckily, you'll find many experts available to help you through tough times, especially in locations where wedding venues abound, such as Richmond. Bridal salons here know plenty about weddings, having seen so many of them happen and you can benefit from their expertise.

Here are five things Richmond bridal experts advise to help make wedding dress shopping a little easier.

First Things First: Settle On A Budget

While you may be very excited to run into your nearest Richmond bridal salon and try on everything in sight, it's better to know what kind of price range you should be looking at when you do. It's a lot better to fix your budget first before you go falling in love with dresses that are too expensive and then being disappointed. Or worse, blowing your entire budget! If you do find yourself unable to live without a dress style that's beyond your budget, ask your designer if there are any alternative means to bring down the cost - such as less expensive fabrics, simpler details and more.

Start Early

This shouldn't be a hard one to follow - chances are, you've already decided what kind of dress you've wanted long ago - perhaps even since you were a child. Dress designers say, however, that what stops most brides-to-be from starting early is the idea that they will still be losing a lot of weight for their wedding. What many don't realize is that chances are, their body will still have the same proportions even when weight is lost, so deciding on a style early shouldn't hurt. Plus, it's a lot easier to have clothes taken in than expanded - gowns are often scheduled for first fittings between six to eight weeks before your wedding date, but it's the pinning down of the final design that can take longer.

Bring A Support Person Or Two€¦

If you don't know where to start wedding gown shopping in Richmond, bridal decisions can be less stressful with supportive companions - but limit them so there won't be too many opinions! Choose friends or family that clearly know what you want and what your budget is.

But Trust Your Instincts

You're the only one who truly knows what you want and what your vision is of how you'll look when you walk down the aisle of that church, palace, garden, or mansion. You're your designer what you want but be guided by their expertise. If you have to be convinced a dress looks good on you, take it off and move on. Also, you should consider visiting the bridal salon alone first to form your own opinion about what you like, without your mother or entourage to cloud your judgment.
Have Fun, Take It Easy
It's your wedding, and chances are, no one - not your mother, not your fianc© or anyone else - is putting more pressure on you than yourself. You should plan on being happy on your big day (as well as for the rest of your married life of course!), so there's no better time to start than now, in the planning stages.