Needless to say, finding a wedding dress is not as easy as choosing your everyday outfit. There are thousands of designs to choose from, and pinpointing your personal bridal style can be one of the hardest things to do on your wedding planning journey. Plus, given social media and the endless inspiration ideas available on each platform, nailing down what to wear can be nearly impossible.
Before you get totally overwhelmed, though, we’re here to assure you that your social media timeline can be used as an asset rather than a source of stress. Between Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, there are various ways to help streamline finding “the one” dress for your big day. What’s more, TikTok, the most recent social media phenomenon, not only offers viral bridal moments but provides real-life inspiration from actual brides and fashion experts.
Meet the Expert
Kennedy Bingham is a Los Angeles-based stylist, influencer consultant, and founder of Gown Eyed Girl. She has over 976K followers on TikTok, and features a variety of videos that focus on bridal style and inclusion within the wedding space.
In fact, this highly viral and entertaining platform might be the personal fashion stylist you’ve been yearning for. “Most brides aren’t familiar enough with wedding dresses to know what kind of dress they like or what would look good on them because it’s something they’ve never had to do before,” notes bridal stylist and influencer consultant, Kennedy Bingham (also known as Gown Eyed Girl). “TikTok is a great way to get exposure to tons of different kinds of dresses. Because it’s a video-based platform, it’s a great place to go to get an idea of how a dress moves and how it’ll look in a less edited format.”
We spoke with Bingham to help break down the best practices when it comes to using TikTok for your bridal fashion needs. Ahead, keep reading for her four-step method to personal styling that you can start right now with only your phone in hand.
Embrace Your Search Bar
First things first, in order to find wedding content you need to search for it. To start with the basics, begin by typing “wedding dress” or “wedding stylist” into your TikTok search bar. Once you find a video or account you like, keep watching similar content to help curate your algorithm. From there, Bingham advises that you personalize your search by looking up more detailed keywords that interest you, like “boho weddings” or “princess dresses”.
“The great thing about TikTok is that everyone is so focused on aesthetics, and that’s what makes it so much fun,” she shares. “On TikTok, you can try more niche keywords. For example, if you’re interested in something like a fairy-core wedding dress, you’ll probably be able to find it. You’re able to get much more niche than somewhere like Instagram.”
Tailor Your FYP
The FYP (“For You Page”) is the first thing you’ll see when you open TikTok and is important when searching for anything on the platform, especially bridal fashion. “TikTok’s algorithm is really amazing. The more you look at TikTok, the more the FYP becomes tailored to your personal interests,” Bingham explains. “If you want to make your FYP more wedding-specific, interact with content about weddings. Every time you save, share, or comment on a video you like the algorithm will pick up on it and try to show you more.”
Engage With Curated Playlists
If there’s a style of dress or a video you’re interested in, check to see if the creator made a playlist of content on that related topic. “I have playlists for everything,” Bingham notes. “If you look on my profile there’s ‘Elopement Wedding Dresses’ or ‘Dresses Inspired by’ or ‘Non-Traditional Wedding Looks.’” Additionally, you can find playlists sorted by different brands, stylists, and local boutiques, all of which offer an array of diverse content for brides of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds.
Another great functionality you can use through playlists, or any video, is the geotags. If there’s a dress you like within a specific video, check to see if it’s been tagged to a brand or boutique. This is a great way to find gowns in your area since the platform now supports Designated Market Area (DMA) geotargeting.
Use Multiple Social Media Platforms
TikTok is a great first step to figuring out your personal style, but Bingham notes that it doesn’t necessarily matter where you start your search. “It’s less about starting on the right platform, and more about being diligent in allowing yourself to naturally gravitate towards things that pique your interest,” she notes. “For me, each social media platform offers a different approach.” So when you find an account that you like on TikTok, another idea is to check out their Instagram page for further inspiration.
“Instagram is a great way to see even more detail. In my case, I’ve even included mood boards in my stories and highlights. It’s like a blog. I can explain by writing more of my thoughts in detail,” the stylist continues. “Pinterest is more conceptual, a culmination of every idea you could think of organized into neat little boards. I use each platform to showcase different kinds of content, so if you like a creator’s TikTok page, I would explore the other platforms they have linked.”
