Bridal sizing is very different from street sizing; even different bridal designers can vary a lot in their sizing charts. We encourage every bride to trust our size recommendation; this is based on your individual measurements of your dress designer's size chart. Please try not to focus on the number size you're recommended and how that compares to your everyday clothing, as they do not compare. If you are still very concerned about it, call us! We can walk you through the measurements or have you come back in to retake them and look at the size chart together. But again...please DO NOT fixate on the number, we just want to make sure we are making the best selection that will result in the least cost in alterations.

Girl, this is a COMMON question with brides. Here are my best recommendations on exercise and how it will affect your body:

Cardio only - you will lose inches - now, where you lose those? Everyone is different, so don't get disapointed if it doesn't come off where you want it to come off. You may see an increase in your calf size, but that won't affect your dress.

Lifting weights - this one can be TRICKY. Because you will actively lose fat, but you are actively gaining muscle, and in certain areas of your body that means that your measurements will INCREASE. We have seen this particularly with brides that focus on leg workouts because that means you are working those thighs and, well, your booty, and they will get bigger. This can cause a problem if you are wearing a fitted dress, but will not affect you in an aline or ballgown. If you have a dress with sleeves, be careful of those biceps too!

Video workout series - If you are working out at home with video series this is awesome, just be careful specifically on those booty workouts if you have a fitted dress, like I said above. You are probably doing a combination of cardio and things like squats, lunges, etc. Those squats can really cause for a surprise when you come to try on your fitted dress when it comes in! And we don't want you to get that surprise.

As always, if you have questions or are nervous about something, just let us know!

Once your dress is purchased and paid in full, we will place your order with the designer. It can take about two weeks for us to receive a shipping estimate from the designer, and we will text you with an estimated ship date at that time. Remember that the timeline we give is an estimate, not an exact date.

Our promise to you is that your dress will be here in plenty of time before alterations need to begin. One of the common reasons that we see delays may be because your wedding date is way far out and there is a bride that is getting married much sooner and they need to reprioritize the gowns in production to make sure that brides gets done. I know that can be a bummer if we have to tell you that yours is delayed, but we always try to keep the perspective that it's great that our designers do this to make sure ALL brides are getting taken care of!

We will for sure reach out to you from time to time simply to check in, make sure you are keeping on track with your wedding timeline and to ask how we can help! As far as order updates from us go, we only receive notifications from designers if an item is going to be delayed or when it ships. So, when it comes to updates from us you should consider no news to be good news! 

If you purchased the Diamond Package we will simply start storing your items for you, once your dress is in we will need to schedule a time for you to try that on, but then it will go into storage with all your other items.

If you did not purchase the Diamond Package then, for insurance liability reasons, you do need to come pick up your items within 10 business days of us receiving it. If you would like us to ship items to you just let us know and we can arrange that, although we do really want to see you in the store to try on your wedding dress!

Once your items are home with you I highly recommend buying either a plastic tup or a firesafe box that you can just place all your wedding items in, and your gown can simply hang in the bag that we provide in any closet. Just try to keep everything away from smoke, constant sunlight, water or dampness (no basements) and animals....yes we have had a cat ruin a brides veil...

When your dress comes in, we will text you to let you know it has arrived and to find a time to schedule your pick-up appointment (or try on if you are a Diamond Bride). We have a 10 day window with each designer to report that your dress has arrived, you've tried it on and the design is correct. This may seem scary as you think, "do they not come in correct???" Our designers have a quality control process and we do as well when your gown comes in. However, we have to remember that HANDS not machines are making your dress so there is a very very small chance that there would be a fit issue that needs addressed that we would never know until you have tried it on.

Don't fret, this has only happened 3 times in the 11 years that Adore has been open, and the designer has ALWAYS made it right, but that is why we have that timeline and urgency for you to come try on your dress!

I know, I may have just made you start to panic in that last question, but being prepared is never a bad thing! First, we have to determine what the fit issue is...remember how I talked above about those workout programs and what they can do to our body?

So yes, we will need to retake your measurements, compare to the originals and we will also take measurements of the dress. We then start out work with the designer. Providing them with all the information as well as pictures that we take of any flaws or discrepancies in the dress. The hardest part about this process is that it can take about a week for them to process this information and come up with the solution. So we have to be patient and wait. What we want you to know is that they ALWAYS come up with a solution!

Once they have given us their options or solutions we will provide those back to you so that way you know what to expect next. Through this process you can always feel free to contact us with questions, I know it can be hard waiting, but we do ask you to trust the process...we have never left a bride without her perfect dress for her wedding!

You get to try on YOUR wedding dress! We will have your dress ready & waiting for you when you arrive, one of our squad members will help you into your dress in our pick-up suite. We will place your gown on the floor, leave the room for you to undress and step into it and then come back in to zip you all up! Remember, that all dresses need alterations, your dress may fit perfectly at the waist but need to be taken in at the bust. Or maybe you were right in between sizes and the entire dress is a half a size too big, which is way better than a half a size too small!

During this time we get to celebrate YOU and would love to help you find a veil, jewelry or other accessories, if you haven't already purchased them yet, to complete your look. The BEST time to make these decisions is while you are standing in your dress!

These appointments are not available to schedule online, we will text you when your dress arrives and can schedule these via text. Please know that we have a 10 day window with each designer to report that your dress has arrived, you've tried it on and the design is correct.

If you purchased the Diamond package, it comes with gown storage until you start alterations with a seamstress.

If you did not purchase the Diamond package, you will take your dress home with you.

If you have not selected a package, these will be presented to you at your pick-up appointment one last time for consideration. 

If storing your dress at home, keep your dress in the cloth gown bag inside of a closet away from pets. Your dress should be hanging with three hanger straps at all times (1 in each armpit and 1 in the train), these keep the weight off the straps of your dress.

An even better choice is to actually let the straps of your dress hang down off the hanger, it doesn't look pretty but it keeps ALL weight off of them and reduces the risk of any beading that may be on your straps rubbing on the hanger.

We also do not recommend keeping your dress in a basement closet because of potential dampness.

Yes, Adore Bridal Illinois carries Mother's dresses! Mom can shop in our dedicated Mother's suites, try-on their favorites, and take their dress home same day! No appointment needed, just stop in anytime during our regular business hours. Our mother's dresses range in price from $150-400. See more information here 

Yes! Read more about our tux styling appointments here. We have worked hard to curate a suit/tuxedo rental process that is the least stressful for our brides and grooms and although it's different, we promise you will love it!

We do not carry flower girl dresses at Adore Bridal. There are just so many cute options available online at prices that are unavailable to us as a small business. If you are struggling to find something and have a certain look you are going for let us know, maybe we can suggest a few places to look!

We do not carry bridal shoes at Adore Bridal. And trust me, if we could offer shoes in a way that gave you the choices that you need at a price that is reasonable we would be all over it, because our owner, Janice, is a HUGE fan of some great shoes! Locally to us, DSW in Peoria, Von Maur in Bloomington or even David's Bridal is probably going to have the best options. But there are so many online retailers that have AMAZING bridal shoes as well.

We no longer carry bridesmaids dresses at Adore Bridal. We found that our brides were mostly shopping online for their bridesmaids and totally get it. You want the best price that you can find because there are so many expenses with being a bridesmaid! There are a lot of great websites out there for bridesmaids dresses, just be careful of knock off sites. Let us know if you want some guidance on where to look!

No, we do not have an on-site seamstress. The BEST seamstresses in the area have their own businesses instead of being someone's employee. Makes sense doesn't it?!?! And we only want to send you to or provide you with the best! See more on our alterations recommendation in the "When should I?" section below.

Your veil, headpiece and belt should be ordered about 5 months before your wedding date. Other jewelry - earrings, necklace, bracelet - should be ordered about 3 months before your wedding date.

That being said, the best time to order these things is when you are physically wearing your dress. So if you didn't purchase those when you bought your dress we highly recommend buying them during your pick-up/try-on appointment. However, if that appointment is less than 3-5 months from your wedding we do recommend that you set up a separate accessories appointment to make those selections. If we still have your gown in stock we will pull it for your accessories appointment, but it is possible that it is no longer in the store.

If your wedding is in less than 3-5 months don't panic, we can help! Just give us a call and we will get you all taken care of.

Adore Bridal does not have an on-site seamstress, after the purchase of your gown we will send a list of recommended seamstresses in our area - you are also encouraged to do your own research and choose a seamstress with bridal experience. We recommend contacting the seamstress of your choice to determine the best timeline for your wedding date. Seamstresses recommend their first fitting timeline based on whether they are in busy season or not and your unique situation. We have seen some seamstresses recommend starting 5 months out from your wedding and others 2 months out. 

Once again though, we cannot emphasize enough that when choosing a seamstress, PLEASE make sure they have bridal experience. Bridal alterations are very different from other clothes tailoring.

Absolutely yes. Your dress will not come with a bustle, as that is custom to your height; a seamstress can install a bustle as you will not want people walking on your dress all night! Your wedding dress will also likely need, at least, a little bit of adjustments to make it perfectly fit your body.

6 months before your wedding date - schedule a tux styling appointment with us here! After 5 paid rentals, your groom's tux is free!

During the tux styling appointment, we will help you & your groom determine the fit, colors and overall look for all of your guys. We will also help to set you up an account with out third party rental website - where your groomsmen will be able to submit their measurements and pay for their rental with a few clicks!

Before the wedding, their suit rental will ship right to their home, and will come with a prepaid shipping label for their rental to be returned after the wedding! More information here

Have someone come with you to your final fitting to learn how to bustle your dress. We highly recommend this not to be your mother, as she will have many other things going on that day. Any of your bridesmaids is the best choice, because they will be most likely to be with you at the time that your dress needs bustled.

There are so many different kinds of bustles so you should never assume they will just know, and you will have too much going on to try and instruct someone! 

IF it is just not possible to do that, take a video at your final appointment of your seamstress putting up the bustle. Then have someone come over and watch the video and practice on your dress before you bring it in for your final steaming. If your seamstress has steamed your dress, just make sure that the video is watched before the wedding and available to watch as a reminder while your dress is being bustled!

If you purchased a package that includes full steaming of your dress & veil, there is no additional cost to you. Please contact us 3-4 weeks before your wedding date to schedule your full steam & press. We will want you to bring in your dress about 1 week before the wedding (no less than 5 days before the wedding) and pick up preferably 2 days before the wedding. The only reason we prefer brides not to pick up the day before their wedding is because that is a very busy day and yes, it has gotten to the end of the day and we have had many a bride forget to come get their dress!

If you did not purchase a package with steaming included, and would like to utilize this service, please reach out to us.

The first thing that is UBER IMPORTANT for you to know is that yes, we are steaming your dress, and if you have a veil that too....but we still recommend that every bride has at least a hand steamer for their wedding day. Although we will make sure your dress is perfection ✨ the reality is it's still going to have to be placed back into a bag 🎒, gonna travel in a car 🚗and be carried around by humans 💁🏻‍♀️You can get steamers at Walmart or Target, easy peasy and it's gonna make you less stressed on your wedding day!

After your dress has been steamed by Adore Bridal:

• Your dress will be hanging on a bust form by the hanger straps on the dress. The train will be clipped up on a separate hanger.
• When traveling, lay the gown bag flat or hang from the side hook/handle in your vehicle.
• Once you get to your destination, hang your dress high. Let your train down & out of the bag. Keep your dress on the bust form until you're ready to put it on for the big day
• (If wearing a veil) We steamed your veil & trapped it in steam, you may see some condensation in the bag; this is normal. Leave your veil in the bag until the night before your wedding; when you take the veil out, remove any extra clips and hang it high.

Bring a steamer, even if it's just a handheld one to your getting ready location, this will help get out any small wrinkles that happened in the bag or during travel. It will also be super handy for your bridesmaids and even your groomsmen on your wedding day!

After you put your dress on, have a friend pull down the lining and/or crinoline (the stiff tulle-like fabric that gives the dress its shape) under your dress to accomplish a seamless look. When putting your dress on, these layers tend to get bunched and twisted.

These scissors are for a couple reasons:

1. Once you are ready to put on your dress, cut the hanger straps located in the armpit area of the dress. You don't want them to be seen in pictures!
2. Your dress was made with thousands of threads, we clipped any threads that we could see during steaming. These small pair of scissors will help you snip any we may have missed!
3. We do also recommend at this time clipping off the train hanger loop, if your train goes just the right direction this loop can sometimes "peak out" and that's not the look you want captured in pictures!

After your wedding, we recommend having your gown cleaned & preserved. Our gown preservation service takes your dress + one accessory through a cleaning process that will get most stains out of your wedding dress. It will also preserve the fabric so it does not weaken and is guaranteed against yellowing for 100 years! 

If you purchased the Diamond package, or other package that includes gown preservation - there is no additional cost! You can drop off your dress, plus one accessory, anytime during our regular business hours - no appointment needed. We will have your gown cleaned & preserved, and then shipped directly to you when it is complete.

If you did not purchase a package that includes gown preservation, this can be purchased ala carte. Bring your dress to our store anytime during our regular business hours - no appointment needed.

If you have or want more than one accessory to be cleaned and preserved with your dress, this is also available for an additional cost.

It happens, someone tears the bustle, or maybe puts a hole through your train. When you bring your gown in for preservation we can mark those places. The company that we work with also does repairs, they will provide us with a quote on making those repairs and you can decide if you would like to add that service or if you would like them to simply proceed with the cleaning and preserving.

Great question! No, the preservation process takes your dress + one accessory through a cleaning process, and then preserves the fabric so it does not weaken or yellow for 100 years.

We want to showcase our #adorerealbrides on our website, social media and blogs! We would love for you to share your wedding story & photo gallery with us.

Submit your story & photos here!