A lot of grooms WANT to be surprised when they first see their bride in her wedding gown as she walks down the aisle. You’ve all seen those “first look” photos, and we just LOVE them! The expressions on his face are usually priceless. Several of our grooms have cried when they saw the love of their life walking down the aisle.

Some brides have even threatened their fiancé that “If you don’t cry when you see me, I’m turning around and going back out until you do!” No one has tried it yet, but there’s always a first time.

Some grooms, though, want to see the dress as soon as she buys it. They’re just excited. They’re curious. They’ve heard her talking about wedding gown shopping with her friends, and as much as she’s said about how much fun it was, and how perfect the dress is on her, well, they just want to see what it looks like! Especially if the wedding is several months, or even a year, away. Curiosity, and all that….! Some grooms actually go wedding gown shopping with their bride-to-be, and help pick out the dress. We saw just such a couple at the bridal salon when we were shopping a few months ago. And if that’s what they both want, that’s fine!

Personally, we still subscribe to the idea that the groom isn’t supposed to see his bride until she walks down the aisle in her wedding gown. Which means he’s not supposed to see the DRESS until then, either! We’re not saying it’s bad luck like the old superstition, which actually grew out of the time of arranged marriages and trying to prevent the groom from seeing the girl he was marrying until the last minute, so he wouldn’t try to run! We just like the idea of keeping him in suspense! That may sound like a simple matter to accomplish, but it’s not always as easy as you think. With all the camera phones around today, everyone is taking at least two pictures of every dress the bride-to-be tries on! (Sometimes covertly, because some of the bridal salons don’t allow pictures to be taken! Like that stops the girls!) And sending them to friends to get their opinions, who probably send them to their friends as well!

Then when she finds the perfect dress, well, the cameras are going even crazier, and so are the text messages back and forth with pictures! Hopefully Instagram and Facebook and Twitter won’t be included, because if they are, well…..the secret isn’t a secret any more, and the world has seen her in her dress before she even gets it fitted!
And then there are the pictures on those cell phones! Very easy for someone, including your fiancé, to pick up the phone before you’ve even thought about deleting the pictures, and he “accidentally” sees them (especially since he knew you were going wedding gown shopping!). Or he picks up your best friend’s phone, and there’s your picture in your dress, as her wallpaper! Oops….. Guess it’s back to the store to pick out a new one?!
A lot of the bridal shops aren’t storing the wedding gowns for their brides once they arrive at the shop. There just isn’t room. So what’s a bride to do? She has to bring it home and store it in her closet. After she finds the room in her closet where it’ll be safe. We’re talking precious and valuable one-of-a-kind clothing here! It can’t just be stuffed in the back of a closet, even in an opaque garment bag! It has to have its place of honor! You don’t want it wrinkled and smushed up!
Or even worse, you DON’T want your fiancé to find it! Because if he does, more than likely, even though he says not, he’s going to want to open that bag and take a look! Locking the bag won’t help either, because it’s really easy to cut open a garment bag if you really want to! Unfortunately the dress might be cut as well…. And then….what if he sees it and he doesn’t like it!? And he tells you? All the wedding insurance in the world isn’t going to fix that one easily! So what’s the best way to handle this situation?

Before we give our suggestion, we have to share a story (yes a true story) about our favorite father-of-the-bride when our daughter brought her wedding dress home a few weeks ago. He was very concerned about where to store it. Not only because he didn’t want it to get wrinkled, but he and a friend of his were also concerned about what they could do to keep the moths away from it! Fortunately I set him straight before he started buying mothballs and stuffing them in the garment bag…. It’s going to be a long year until her wedding…..

But the easiest thing to do for your dress, besides not worrying about moths, is to store your dress at a friend’s or family member’s house, if possible. If they want to take the responsibility, that is. Chances are, they’ll be glad to help. Just don’t tell him what you did! Then….have a little fun. After all, if you can’t have fun planning your wedding….. Go out to the nearest thrift store, and pick up an inexpensive wedding dress…something you’d never wear, that doesn’t even look like your style! Maybe even add some gaudy bling or huge fabric flowers to it. You know, really make it look, well, as tacky as possible! It doesn’t even have to fit, in fact, if it doesn’t that’s even better!

Then hang it in your closet in a garment bag from the bridal shop. In plain view, of course. Of course, since you’ve been talking about your dress shopping, and how much fun it was, and how your dress has already come in and you have to pick it up, he’s naturally going to know there’s one around somewhere! Not that he’d ever go searching, but at some point, either by accident or by snooping, he’s going to see that garment bag, and he’s going to open it! Don’t you wish you could have a picture of that moment! When you think he’s actually seen it, and of course you’re going to make sure to give him every opportunity, start talking about how excited you are about your dress, and how you really wish you could show it to him, but you just can’t…. Really lay it on thick, and watch him get nervous! And the closer it gets to the wedding, the more you play it up, and see what happens! Oh, we can just imagine. Think he’ll let on what he did?

And just imagine the look of relief on his face when he sees you in your real dress on your wedding day! That will be a “first look” photo that will be absolutely more than priceless!

Photo Sources: 1st Row: kernphoto.com; wanieeey,blogspot.com – 2nd Row: girlywedding.com; katekylejoeelario photography via huffington post – 3rd Row: bbc.co.uk – 4th Row: personal files – 5th Row: glamour.com – 6th Row: newstalkkit.com – 7th Row: source unknown – 8th Row: personal files – 9th Row: greenhousegypsy4lifestyle via bostonglobe.com – 10th Row:styleunveiled.com; PatchworkPhotography.com – 11th Row: Patchwork Photography.com