For Brides-To-Be! The purchase of your wedding gown may be the most important decision you can make in your wedding planning. It can also be the most disastrous! Here is some advice and a few tips to help ease the stress of this bridal quest! 

So you're getting married? Congratulations! All the details you need to figure out such as flowers, photography and location will make your mind spin and your head ache!

Have I forgotten to mention the most important detail of the wedding? The Wedding Gown! The most intimate, and personal item of all the things you have to remember for your wedding is your special dress!

Here are just a few tips and some advice to help you along your journey for that perfect wedding gown!

1. DO NOT purchase your wedding gown BEFORE you set your wedding and reception location!

Too often we (women), find ourselves at the mercy of our primitive impulsive shopping urges! We buy the first beautiful gown we see! Perhaps it's the long, heavy 20' train that catches our eye. Cinderella never looked so good! Long, puffy sleeves covered in lace and heavy beading, sparkling in the sun....SUN???

Long after the credit card has been swiped and the fittings have been fitted, do you NOW realize you switched your plans from a cool, air conditioned catering hall, to the all famous BEACH wedding!! You can't wear this 80 pound dress NOW! You'll simply melt!!

You will now need to frantically scurry through magazines, shops and the internet in search for a dress less garish, more informal. A strapless with a shorter hem and lighter material for the weather conditions are quite different on the beach then they are in an air conditoned hall!

Don't be stuck like this! It can be a costly mistake! Make sure you plan right and set your location before you get your dress!

So now what do you do with this "unwanted" dress? There is only one solution - EBAY! We all know it's impossible to return a wedding gown - they are NON-REFUNDABLE!!

2. DO NOT pay a lot for your wedding gown!

Ok, this may sound strange, but DON'T DO IT! You don't have to! In today's high tech world, there are alternatives to the traditional wedding boutique where you can spend as much as $1000 to $10,000! Remember what it is...a dress. Not a house, or a vehicle, but a dress you will wear ONE TIME and put away. Save those pennies for a rainy day, or for other wedding details that may need attending to later!

Yes, you will want to pass down a gown that will be exquisite and in pristine condition - and you will! You will take care of your gown whether it cost $20 or $2000, most likely by preserving it after the wedding. You'll tuck it away in a closet, under the bed, or in storage. It's not the price of the gown, it's everything that goes into it and everything you get out of it....a marriage of a lifetime!

So what is the alternative to the boutique and the high prices? How about Ebay? Ebay has now one of the largest variety of wedding supplies, ideas AND gowns to choose from. The options are absolutely endless! Every day, people are deciding to cancel weddings and placing their brand new, never worn, wedding gowns up for prices FAR below the money hungry wedding boutiques.

Go ahead - start searching ebay TODAY! You may just find your dream gown! 

3. Don't Sweat The Small Things!

So you gained a pound or two since the last fitting? Who doesn't! Stress equals food! Don't worry! Just go get another fitting! You DO NOT want to be squishing your bones into a cocoon of lace and beads causing you a day filled with discomfort! Remember, you'll be wearing it ALL day long! You also do NOT want to have it rip, shred or lose a button before you even walk down the aisle! Yes, it's another expense, but if you chose the advice above, you'll find you have extra funds to handle small dilemmas like this! Get that fitting done as late as the week before, just make sure the fitter knows exactly what day you need it back by.

Tips for the Bride to Be:

• Drink plenty of water the week before the wedding. Avoid sodas and other high sugar drinks that can rob you of energy.
• Try to reduce bread in your diet. You should feel less bloated and start to see a difference in your mid-section!
• Excercise 30 minutes a day, 3x a week if you can. Helps to boost your metabolism and release stress!

Congratulations! Remember, your wedding gown is just a click away! Search the halls of ebay BEFORE you shop the boutiques! You may be quite surprised! Good luck!!