Last Updated on 2018-05-15 , 2:00 pm
In Singapore, there are a few special occasions that cannot be screwed up for the ladies.
Such as getting married.
And when it comes to getting married, you can never screw up the wedding.
From banquet locations to wedding dresses, everything must be perfect. Or you might find yourself cringing at your wedding photos a few years down the road.
But here’s the thing: to get everything perfect, you must go through stress, multitasking and heartache.
Especially when it comes to your wedding dresses.
You need to spend a lot of time reviewing shops, going around to places, worry about the costs and what not.
But don’t worry because we, at Goody Feed, are here to help.
Here are 8 things every bride-to-be (or hubby-to-be if you’re tasked with getting the wedding dress, like me) needs to know before renting a wedding gown.
1. To rent or to buy?
Are you going to rent a gown off the rack, or buy a bespoke gown?
Depends on what you’re going to use it for. If you want to keep this special dress and pass it to your daughter, by all means, buy them.
But I don’t think she’s going to appreciate it much, though.
Just take note that it might be troublesome to maintain.
Renting is so much cheaper, and it’s easier to get in Singapore. Most bridal shops specialise in wedding gown rental.
Plus, it’s highly likely that this is a dress you’ll only wear once in your entire life. After which, it’ll be thrown to the side to rot.
Here’s the downside to renting a gown though: You might not find the exact dream gown in your mind that you’ve seen on Pinterest or Google.
The dresses will be reused for other happy brides-to-be so only minor alterations can be done to them. In other words, you can’t really tailor the dress to fit your killer curves.
Then, you ask, but there’s Taobao what. It’s cheaper to buy from Taobao then rent.
Which brings me to my second point.
2. Always try the wedding dresses before paying because pictures and actual dresses may differ
With the advent of online shopping, people have been buying clothes online. And just as many people had clothes coming to them in the wrong sizes.
Either because they screwed up the measurements or the sellers are just screwed up.
Or, the wedding gown looks gorgeous online, but when it reaches your hands, the low-quality material looks depressingly cheapo. #TrueStory
So our number two tip is: always try on and see if it’s worth the price.
Bridal shops in Singapore allow you to go to the shop and try the dresses on before renting one.
So visit countless bridal studios and try the dresses on mercilessly.
Getting a wedding gown isn’t as easy as you think it is.
You spend hours after hours visiting different bridal studios tirelessly. Sometimes, it gets so bad your man lose his patience.
And you guys argue, just before your big day.
Sounds bad, right? Don’t worry we’ve got the solution for you.
Visit bridal studios online, shortlist a few and visit only the shortlisted ones in real life.
Here’s a nifty online website that operates like an online shop but gives you the chance to try on the dresses before making a booking.
Their goal is to make a wedding dress and suit rental as hassle-free and transparent as possible for brides-to-be.
And they’re pretty affordable with prices starting from $99 for a 4-day rental.
3. How early should you plan and go around?
Now, here’s the golden question: How long before your wedding should you go and rent a wedding dress.
There’s no golden time but you might want to start looking around a year before it begins.
As someone who has been through the process of looking for a wedding dress (I did it in two months), I’ll say it’s highly possible.
But for those who want to get the best deal or the best dress possible, or have preferred a gown that you saw, then you might not want to try it my way.
It really depends on the date you need the dress for. If your date happens to fall on the peak wedding season at the end of the year, in June or any other huat dates, better start now.
4. Get everything in black & white and be very wary of hidden costs
When it comes to a wedding, one experience that most people will have is of getting ripped off.
Because hidden costs, yeah?
No matter which wedding studio you go to, you have to take note of any hidden costs.
You don’t want to pay a lump sum for an all-in-one package. Then be told that this and that item is not included only after signing up.
Sometimes, they might even deny giving any perks that were offered during the signing before and ask you to pay for them.
Always try to look for wedding studios who are as upfront as possible.
And if you can’t trust any one of them (and you shouldn’t), make sure that everything is recorded down in black and white before you pay for anything.
Alternatively, check out the online wedding dress shopping website we mentioned above since they have listed all the prices and cost upfront for you.
5.  Make a Wise Choice
…unless you have to get a dress for your wedding that’s happening tomorrow (good luck, buddy).
You’re going to have to put in some groundwork. Do some research on wedding studios and their reviews.
Shortlist the wedding studios base on your budget, the work quality and your personal preferences before you make any wasted trips.
Go to two or three shortlisted bridal studios and go crazy trying out their wedding dresses.
Then, make your choice after thinking about it.
Don’t be afraid to say no, even if their sales tactic is aggressive. It’s your special day, you’re supposed to be the lady boss.
Plus, make sure that the bridal studios can be trusted by reading about their reviews on wedding forums.
You don’t want to waste 3 hours going to a shop that CMI, right?
6. Different Wedding Dresses Suit Different Silhouette
Did you know that depending on the type of body shapes you have, there are different types of dresses you should get?
Banana Body Shape
Do you have waist measurements less than 9 inches smaller than your hips or bust measurements? Sorry to say but you have a banana-shaped body.
Now before you give up on life and start chugging papaya milk like nobody business, this body shape is also known as the model’s body type.
You should go for Mermaid wedding dresses
The sheath wedding dresses
Tea-length wedding dresses
Apple Body Shape
If your upper body is broader than your hips, you have an Apple-shaped body.
You should go for A-Line wedding dresses
Pear Body Shape
If you’re bottom heavy, meaning you have a bigger hip than your bust, you should go for Ballgown wedding dresses
And A-Line wedding dresses
Hourglass Body Shape
If you have this body shape, good for you.
Basically, most type of wedding dresses will suit you but these are the best for you.
A-line wedding dresses
Mermaid wedding dresses
Ballgown wedding dresses
7. Renting the wedding dress alone vs buying an entire photo shoot package
Another golden question: should you shell out for an entire wedding shoot package including a prewedding shoot and actual day photography? Or just get the gown only?
Here are a few questions you need to ask yourself.
Do you have any friends who are professional wedding photographers? Or even friends who are really good at taking photos? Are you able to get them to do it for free?
If you do, then you’re better off getting just the gown itself and getting them to help you out.
Otherwise getting entire wedding package is popular because they’re cheaper than if you were to get photographers, makeup artists and videographers separately.
Just take note that you also save the hassle and time needed to coordinate the wedding details by yourself since the wedding studio will have everything planned under one roof.
8. Useful Websites For Brides-To-Be
Last but not least, in case you couldn’t tell, this list isn’t exhaustive.
It contains the essential things brides-to-be need to know about wedding gowns, but there are a lot more you have to know to plan out the whole wedding.
Here are a couple of sites we’ve found that’s pretty useful.
For agar-ration of Banquet Table Prices
List of Wedding Ang Bao Rates by Singapore Brides
This is a bit out of the blue but if you’re looking to throw a wedding banquet, this list of wedding ang bao rates is going to be very important.
Instead of calling up every restaurant, shortlist the restaurants within your budget and check out their prices.
Trust me, this isn’t just for people going for wedding dinner, it’s for the couple as well. #BeenThereDoneThat
For wedding reviews
Before signing up for any packages, do a quick search on Google and search for reviews.
Singapore Brides Wedding Forum
Just like online shopping, one way to make sure that you’re not getting ripped off is to hear about other people’s experiences with wedding studios.
Singapore Brides Wedding Forum is a place for brides and brides-to-be to gather and complain/praise different wedding studios in Singapore.
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For Wedding Tips and Tricks
Want tips and information from the professionals instead? Read up The Louvre Bridal’s blog where they give useful guides, tips and everything you need to know about making your dream wedding come true.
For Online Wedding Dress Catalogue
If you’re someone who values transparency, hassle-free renting of gowns and suits, then this is the website to go to.
On the site, they show you all the dresses available, if it’s available on your wedding date and transparent pricing too.
Plus, it’s super affordable with prices ranging from $99 to $499 for a four-day rental.
And you can always try on the gowns here in our hometown anytime since Brides, The Label is a subsidiary expanded by The Louvre Bridal Group, a well-established bridal studio in Singapore.
So there you go, 8 things you need to know about renting a wedding gown in Singapore before you even start looking for one.
You’re welcome! 😉
This article was first published on Goody Feed and is written in collaboration with Brides, The Label
