Your sweetie popped the big question, gave you a beautiful engagement ring and you're ecstatic! So much planning to do, but try as hard as you might, can you stop yourself from thinking about wedding dresses first?

If you're like most brides, that's uppermost in your mind. Oh how I remember my daughter right after she got engaged: every day she'd come home with the latest bridal magazine, (many of them showing the same dresses I might add) and she'd pour over the photos of the gorgeous models in beautiful gowns for hours. Sound familiar?

You're forgiven! Choosing your wedding gown is one of the most emotional and personal parts of your wedding planning. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most frustrating and expensive parts. Everyone's there to give advice, tell you what you should wear, what looks good, what doesn't, and no-one's more willing to help you choose than the patient sales lady in the wedding dress salon. Of course! Her job is to make you choose one of her gowns over someone else's. Will it be the Maggie Sotero? Or how about Christina Wu? Why not that lovely Alfred Sung? She'll be sure to tell you "That's our very best gown...you'll impress everyone in that dress!"

But while you want your wedding dress to be admired, what's more important: the beautiful dress or YOUin the dress? Do you want to hear "What a beautiful dress!" or "You look beautiful in that dress."

Whatever gown you choose, make sure it's you. Don't be swayed by salespeople: if they could, they'd sell you the most expensive gown in the store. After all, they are in business. No wonder some girls spend more on their wedding dresses (that get worn for one day only to be boxed later)than on say, wedding photos, which will be looked at over and over.Mom will get teary-eyed at anything you put on. That's what we mothers do. But don't let mom choose for you. Ditto your bridesmaids. You must pick the dress that is truly YOU, regardless of whether it's a designer label or not. Designer labels mean nothing if the dress doesn't suit you. Does it fit you well? Does it flatter your body? Does it bring tears to your eyes when you look at yourself in it? And is the price tag in line with your budget?

You don't have to spend a fortune to hear "What a beautiful bride!"

Copyright © 2006 Viga Boland