When to look for wedding dress?

random10

How long before the wedding should you start looking for your wedding dress? 6 months??

louise5754

My sister was told to give herself 4-6 months for it to come in when its ordered then it will need to be altered a bit. I couldnt believe it I thought we were being over cautious looking 10 months ahead! She didnt see anything she liked the first couple of times and because Saturday was the only day she could go look it was nearly a month before it was decided on and ordered.

BC

Most bridal shops need 6 months notice to order a dress, then allow time for alterations.

Obviously if you buy high street (e.g. debenhams) or buy in a sample or something you can do it quicker.

Gatica

Are you looking for shortest time possible or a general time-frame that most people go by?
I got mine over 1.5years before our wedding! and I'm delighted I did. I got it on sale and it was still not cheap, so I've been paying off a bit at a time without forking out all the cash at once. It's getting made in a couple of months and I can't wait to try it on.
Some people worry about liking another dress more than the one they got if there's a big gap between getting the dress and the wedding. So it's up to you to decide if you want to go ahead anyway. I knew I wouldn't find anything like it and so for me it wasn't risky However, I do avoid looking in shops now, just just just in case!
If you buy off the rack, you probably won't need as big a gap as all you need are a couple of alterations. However, if you're getting it made, they usually want a few months to do it.

orlaithd

Hey ya
I'm getting married next Summer and currently looking.

I advise do homework well in advance otherwise it can get stressful.
Having said that my sister got her dress 3 weeks before her wedding so no time limit before- but remember the closer the time the more the places can sometimes charge as its a "rush order". For her wedding she was engaged only 6mnths and some places wouldnt even let her look at some gunas as they had long lead in times- so added to her stress so I didnt want that happening me so getting in early

I've found though even though I'm in early I'm not really as some shops have a 3 week wait on appointments (I currently am on a waitlist for an app for January for one place!!!) so I'm glad I'm doing it now as opposed to leaving it closer then feeling stressed I cant even get into the shops.

I would say to avoid stress get in early!

random10

Getting married next November so after Christmas will be ok then, I won't be laughed at?

orlaithd

yes after xmas would be fine- although I'd still say get in now ish if you can- some winter style dresses will be dressed on mannequins cos of the time of year now- so good for ideas

Acoshla

I'm getting married in 2013 and I went dress shopping today, never too early, you never know what you might find in the sales. I want to be organised and want an accurate budget so I wanted to see what kind of price I'd be looking at for what I want.

Gatica

I didn't realise some places would be that booked that you'd need to wait 3 weeks! wow... I think I made most of my appt's during the week for the following Saturday.
If you're finding it hard to get appointments in your area, try making a trip somewhere and booking several shops, e.g. in Cork or in Galway. Once you order you won't need to be making too many trips til it's time to try it on and get measured for alterations.

deskgirl

you have me thinking now - best make my appointments in advance!