Guide the sales consultant: Bring to the appointment the dress pictures you've pulled from magazines. If you have tried on other dresses, tell the sales consultant which styles you've liked. This information will help her pull the dresses that match what you're looking for. Also, be honest about your budget. The last thing either of you wants is for you to fall in love with a dress that you can't afford.

Let her guide you: The consultant knows her inventory of dresses well, so be open-minded to what she suggests. Of course, if you feel the consultant is really not zoning in on what you're looking for, be sure to assert yourself in a nice way. If you don't, you'll be wasting your time and hers.

Sizing: For some reason that I have never been able to figure out, bridal dress sizing is not true to today's standard. They are smaller! So know that if you wear a size 6 in regular clothing but they order your dress in a size 10, that's perfectly normal.