By now, you've likely given some thought as to what kind of wedding you would like to have: traditional, informal or a theme wedding, perhaps.
Here are some general guidelines:
In formal weddings, brides generally wear long white/cream-colored wedding dresses and a veil, perhaps a train and, of course, gloves.
In semi-formal weddings, brides generally wear long white/cream-colored wedding dresses, a veil and gloves if desired.
In informal weddings, brides have more flexibility. Only then is it time to shop for wedding dresses and wedding accessories to determine which ones match your theme!
As you can see, the most important aspect to consider when selecting wedding dresses is your own sense of style.
For specifics on what's appropriate to wear for each type of wedding, I recommend Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette, which devotes an entire chapter to wedding dresses and other fashion dos and don'ts, or Vera Wang on Weddings, in which Wang shares her vast fashion expertise with you as you plan your wedding. Many online stores offer you discount wedding dresses because of their vastly reduced overhead costs!
Narrow down your search to a handful of wedding dresses that make your final cut.
When you've gone through all these steps, you're certain to have accessed all the wedding dresses available to you -- and you will very likely save your hard-earned money if you end up finding discount wedding dresses available only from an Internet vendor.