Bride's Guide: Q&A for the Big Day

May 3, 2010— -- I had my final wedding dress fitting last week, which was wonderful and sad all at the same time.

I'm at the point in the planning process when I don't want the wedding day to come, because then it will be over. So I found myself standing on the pedestal in the fitting room, looking in the mirror and not wanting to take the dress off, because I'll only get to put it on one more time. The seamstress almost had to kick me out.

I was very lucky when it came to finding my gown. I bought the first dress I tried on. My mom started to tear up when she first saw me in it. It fit perfectly from the very beginning. I haven't had any second thoughts.

But that doesn't mean it's a simple process.

There are entire chapters of bridal guides, websites and television shows dedicated to helping you find the perfect dress. Many women say they don't feel like "a bride" until they find their wedding gowns, and some agonize over the decision. Anyone who has ever been in a waiting room at a bridal salon for alterations knows that things can get very tense.

Celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss has lots of great advice in "The Wedding Book" about finding the right dress and what to do at your fittings. She shared some tips with me about the final dress fitting in particular, but first, I wanted to share one piece of advice of my own.

At my second fitting, I managed to cut my leg with the heel of one of my new wedding shoes while stepping into the dress. I panicked for a moment, but luckily the seamstress didn't bat an eye and assured me that she could get the blood out of the lining of the dress, which she did.

So here's my one piece of advice for other brides for dress fittings and the Big Day: put your shoes on AFTER you put on the dress.

Mindy's chapter in "The Wedding Book" about the dress is fittingly called "Finding 'The One.'"

She says the first considerations when choosing a dress should be "season and location, formality, budget and body type." The right dress for a church wedding would be out of place at a ceremony on the beach.

Her book offers a detailed guide to dress silhouettes, necklines, waistlines, fabrics, laces, trains and more, and is a great primer for anyone getting started with the process.