Dress buying question

Faith

So we're planning to emigrate in September of this year, and will return for our wedding in August of next year. I want to go dress shopping with mum and bridesmaids while I'm here. If I find the dress in Ireland, can I buy it and take it away with me and have fittings in Canada? Or would the dress have to be ordered in in my size, which may take ages, and I'd be tied to the bridal shop for fittings? Or would it be best to go shopping here and pick out the dress, but wait to buy it until I'm in Canada (and just hope I can find the right one over there!)?

seosamh1980

Taking a wedding dress with you and back again before the wedding would be shockingly awkward wouldn't it? I deal with a lot of brides living abroad and coming home for their wedding, most seem to either buy the dress where they are and bring it home for the wedding, or pick the dress here when home/before they go and have alterations done in the 2 weeks before the wedding, as most come back with that window of time before the wedding.

Unless you're buying a sample dress most dresses will have to be ordered in and take 3-6 months to come in. They usually only have sample dresses in stock, maybe an odd few others in storage.

You don't have to stick with a bridal shop for fittings as a btw, you can take the dress to a dressmaker/alterations person, bridal shops can sometimes fleece you for alterations.

Moonbeam

I think it would be easier to get in Canada or buy one off the hanger here.

Faith

Okay, it definitely seems easier to buy abroad so and just bring it back for the wedding. I plan to have 2 weeks before the wedding, but I think I'm too highly strung to leave alterations that late!

I just hate the idea of going dress shopping alone . Although that's another 6 months down the line - who knows, some friends might decide to emigrate too!

biddywiddy

Faith wrote: »

I just hate the idea of going dress shopping alone .

I know what you mean. I am living abroad and am facing into looking for a dress on my own. A friend visited a few weeks ago and we tried one shop here - it was helpful in that I now realise that what I thought would be perfect doesn't really suit me, but now I'm starting from scratch again.

I'd love to just order something online and hope for the best, tbh.

Michellenman

I was at a wedding recently where the couple were doing the same thing as ye re; emigrating and coming back for the wedding. She bought her dress abroad, had all alterations done there but also mentioned that it was a bit of a bummer not to have her mam and bridesmaids with her, she did skype them from the bridal shop though She also booked the dress a seat on the plane to avoid any loss of important luggage, just something to keep in mind for your return journey! Enjoy!!

Faith

biddywiddy wrote: »

I know what you mean. I am living abroad and am facing into looking for a dress on my own. A friend visited a few weeks ago and we tried one shop here - it was helpful in that I now realise that what I thought would be perfect doesn't really suit me, but now I'm starting from scratch again.

I'd love to just order something online and hope for the best, tbh.

I suppose with such mass emigration that it must be a common enough problem . Whereabouts are you living?

Michellenman wrote: »

I was at a wedding recently where the couple were doing the same thing as ye re; emigrating and coming back for the wedding. She bought her dress abroad, had all alterations done there but also mentioned that it was a bit of a bummer not to have her mam and bridesmaids with her, she did skype them from the bridal shop though She also booked the dress a seat on the plane to avoid any loss of important luggage, just something to keep in mind for your return journey! Enjoy!!

Ohh, a seat on the plane, that's a good idea!

biddywiddy

Faith wrote: »

I suppose with such mass emigration that it must be a common enough problem . Whereabouts are you living?

In the US (Midwest). So getting the dress its own seat on a flight would prove costly!

ABajaninCork

I did the same but in a smaller way. I was living in London and was moving here when I got married. I did think about buying the dress here, but decided against it because of the high prices and cost of going back and forth between London and Cork.

In the end, I bought my dress in London, had all the fittings there and bought a wedding dress box to transport the dress in. I made sure to book an Aer Lingus flight so that I could carry the dress box on as hand luggage. No way was I risking it on Ryanair!

Would the same work for you? There's loads of nice wedding dress boxes on eBay and are fairly inexpensive. Bring the box to the shop and ask the ladies to fold and pack it for you.

ABajaninCork

Something like this perhaps?

Faith

That's a good idea!

Toots

My cousin lives in the states but got married in Spain, she bought the dress in the states and did all the fittings there and used the dress box to transport it over. She went Aer Lingus and said they were so helpful when she explained it was a wedding dress she got first dibs on the overhead bins on the first leg of her flight, then on the second leg the flight wasn't full so they moved her seat so she could keep the box on the seats next to her.