How to Follow NYBFW Like a Bridal Editor

2. Take in the Whole Show

Editors are taught to question everything at a show, and that attention extends well beyond the dresses. The venue, model casting, lighting, styling, hair and makeup, even the music all influence how a collection is received. As you watch, consider what’s making a particular look so appealing. Would you love the gown as much with a different veil, your own hairstyle, or a simpler backdrop?

The setting can also help you picture a dress at your own wedding. It’s a rare opportunity to see gowns in situ, whether in a Plaza-worthy ballroom or an airy, sunlit space. If the surroundings resemble your venue, notice how the proportions and details look within them. Save a few wider shots alongside your close-ups, and think about which parts of the presentation you’d want to bring into your own look.

4. Picture Yourself in It

Bridal editors are also thinking about how a gown will translate from the model to the women who will actually wear it. As you watch, imagine yourself in the dress for more than the walk down the aisle. Would you feel comfortable sitting through dinner in that bodice? Could you dance in the skirt? If you’re unsure, make a note to ask about it when you try something similar.

This is where knowing what you love wearing comes in handy. You might admire a neckline on the runway while remembering that you’ve spent entire evenings adjusting it yourself. Keep that in mind without dismissing the whole gown: perhaps it’s the lace or the shape of the skirt you love, and those details are worth exploring in a cut that feels good on you.

5. Bring It Into the Fitting Room

Once the week wraps up, revisit your saves and choose a handful to bring to your first appointments. Share what you love about each with your bridal sales associate, along with your wedding date, venue, and budget. If a newly debuted gown is among your favorites, ask when it will be available to try and whether its ordering timeline works for your plans.

At a Galia Lahav appointment, those references can help your stylist pull gowns you’re excited to explore—or advise you on how to secure the very one at the top of your Pinterest board. Try on the silhouettes that caught your eye, walk around in different skirt shapes, and see how the fabrics feel against your skin. After a week spent admiring dresses on other women, you get the pleasure of discovering what you love on yourself. That’s the magic of New York Bridal Fashion Week: discovering something entirely new that becomes part of your wedding—and your memories of it forever.