Dani Stephenson Photography: Fond Du Lac Wedding | One Frame Friday | The One

So every week I base my One Frame Friday post off of what inspired me this week or what happened or a convo I had with someone. Something always bubbles up by Friday for me to share.

This week I was chatting back and forth with some 2015 brides, one of the emails subject was "Wedding Help" (I love these) so I open it and it reads:

"Hey Dani,

Hope you're doing well! I am having a hard time finding a wedding gown,and I was wondering if you think you'd be able to offer any insight? You seem to be a wedding guru so I thought maybe if we could have a chat it might help me get a clearer picture of what I want ultimately."

Gasp! me?! A wedding Guru?!, {ummm I looooove that}. Mostly because I live THE most unglamorous life ever. Up to my elbows in sippy cups and board books, tip-toeing around toys, diaper change, diaper change, diaper change and the occasional "Mom! I wet the bed". (Do you think I would change trade all that in for a glamorous life? Not a chance I have never been happier!)

So I felt all warm and puffy reading that email, It's no secret I love weddings, and it's no secret I attend no less than 15 a year so yeah...I pick up on a thing or two and I tell all my clients I am an open book, ask away!

So here are some tips I offered her and wanted to share with all of you: (Take them or leave them)

Go alone or with one friend, not an army of friends/family/ grandmas/aunts/cousins because too may opinions are tough to ignore and you don't want to hurt any ones feelings.

Try everything on! I swore I would wear a paper bag before I wore a strapless sweetheart gown, guess what I ended up with? a strapless sweetheart gown. So it's not about the STYLE it's about what looks good on your body. You would be surprised what that ugly dress on the hanger looks like on.

Think outside of the box, I had a bride who had a custom gown made for $500...no kidding.

Google Once Wed the resell high end gowns for an affordable price, hey if you want Vera Wang that's the way to go!

Etsy I have a bride this year who bought her ADORABLE gown for $150

Not all bridal shops are the same and carry the same brands, instead of picking a bridal store by city, pick a store by the designers they carry, then go to stores that carry different designers so you can try on those dresses otherwise your just trying on the same dresses at different stores.