After your man pops the question, the first lap for your wedding preparation begins - budgeting. Everybody contributing to the wedding kitty should sit down work on the budget to prevent nasty surprises later on. At this point choosing a bridal boutique is not yet a priority; first, agree on the budget, and wedding date. The rest can be sorted out later, following a system to keep sane all throughout the wedding preparations.

When the budget is all laid out, start looking for a bridal dress. This is the second lap of your preparations and the first item to look for because a wedding dress has to be ordered six months before the wedding. Most brides choose a small bridal boutique because of the personalized service. This is understandable because during the preparations, brides are highly strung what with the whirl of activities and things to do to stage a perfect wedding.

A bridal boutique should have everything you might need - wedding invitations, crinolines, tiaras, jewelry, shoes, and the shop should offer alterations and gown cleaning if you have decided to rent a gown for yourself and your bridesmaids. The shop attendant in a small boutique also understands you don't want to be a cookie cutter bride, so you should be in good hands.

There are a number of shops catering to wedding gowns. They offer hundreds of designs from traditional to the unusual and top designer labels. There are big shops, small shops, online shops, and basement shops. You can even find some thrift shops that have wedding dresses in mint condition, which you can alter to make it truly yours.

If you have a bridal boutique in mind, check out if it has an online shop so you can leisurely view what they have for sale. Perhaps you can also catch discount offers and extra service without exorbitant fees. Check out other online bridal shops so you can compare products and rates for custom-made or rental gowns.

Whether you are shopping in a big store or a small bridal boutique, you have to make an appointment. This prepares the sales staff for your request to look at dresses within a price range; this also eliminates wasted hours in showing you dresses you are not going to get anyway.

If there are something nice you like in an online bridal boutique, visit the shop to see more of their wedding dresses. Bring a bridal magazine and the shoes with the heel height you are going to wear with the bridal dress.

Don't be surprised that if you are a size 10 the clerk will give you a size 12 gown. This is the usual route because the wedding is 6 months away. There will be numerous fittings and alterations during the period until you get the exact fit before your wedding day.

Now you know why a bridal boutique should be your first stop for your wedding shopping.