When Should I Order My Wedding Dress?

This is a question that is almost as old as language itself and it can and has, been asked in many different forms, since bridal boutiques began.

“How long in advance should I order my wedding dress”?

“How much time do I need to buy my wedding dress”?

And so on…

Let’s dive in to the world of wedding dresses and shed some light on the different ways to buy your wedding dress including off-the-rack vs made to order, and made to measure wedding dresses. In this article we will also cover alterations and take a look into this process, why they are so vital to your wedding dress journey and why they can be the subject of so much confusion.

There is a lot of contradictory information out there on when the best time to buy your wedding dress actually is. It normally varies from business to business and boutique to boutique. The rule of thumb for you moving forward should be, ‘it’s better to be early than be late’. Here are a few common misconceptions that brides often think and the reality of wedding dress shopping…

What Brides Often Say to Me…

1)     I would never order my wedding dress a year in advance. What if I don’t like it in 12 months?

2)     I’m planning on losing weight before I go bridal shopping so I want to wait until a few months before the wedding to start looking.

3)     My friend bought her dress 2 months before the wedding so that’s what I’m going to do.

4)     I’m buying a made to order wedding dress so I won’t need alterations.

The Reality….

1)     Falling out of love with your wedding dress within the year, provided you haven’t experienced any major life changes, is highly unlikely. This kind of approach is going against the advice of almost all boutiques who order wedding dresses day in and day out. This is the time to listen to the expert, heed their advice and trust the process. It might not be the ideal option in your mind but it is the reality of wedding dress shopping.

2)     Weight loss is always something at the forefront of a brides mind (rightly or wrongly). Society puts so much pressure on us to be the ‘thinnest’ version of ourselves for a day that is supposed to be about absolutely EVERYTHING else other than your body. Nevertheless, a lot of brides that I meet want to wait until the last few months before their weddings to start dress shopping. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS. All you will find is that you have been left with little to no options to choose from and it will make everything ten times harder and ten times more stressful. You should start wedding dress shopping 10-12 months in advance of your wedding and if you lose weight, you can simply have your dress taken in when you have your alterations.

3)     Don’t base your wedding dress journey on the journey embarked upon by your friend. Off-the-rack purchases should be made a minimum of 12 weeks in advance of your wedding where possible. Your friend may have chosen a ready-to-buy bridal shop specifically but these are not representative of all bridal boutiques. The majority of bridal shops in Surrey and indeed the UK (excluding the sheer amount of WED2BE stores out there), require several months for your dress be made and then altered to fit your body perfectly.

4)      This is where a lot of confusion can occur. If you’re ordering your wedding dress from a boutique, it will be made to order. However, this is NOT the same thing as having a custom tailored gown made with your exact measurements. The likelihood is that your dress will be made in a standard size – UK8, 10, 12,14 etc and then this dress that has been made for you, is then tailored for you with one of your boutiques recommended seamstresses. Bridal alterations are a crucial part of this process and 99% of brides will require some form of altering to ensure that the dress is a perfect fit in every way – length, hips, waist, shoulders, bust, arms. All of these little adjustments will ensure that your dress will fit to perfection.

 How Long will my wedding dress take to arrive?

This is a really good question and one that unfortunately isn’t as straightforward as we’d like it to be! However, I always say that it’s better to have more time than not enough. Nothing is worse than leaving it too last minute and worrying that your wedding dress will only arrive a few weeks before the big day. Timescales vary designer to designer but the general rule of thumb is that dresses will take between 4 and 6 months to be ready. Your alterations will then begin anywhere from 6-12 weeks before your wedding depending on the availability of your seamstress and yourself. Many designers offer rush services, although post covid this was seriously affected and many stopped offering this service. We have waited as long as 8 months for a dress in the past, so it’s always better to build in contingency time in case your dress is delayed for any reason.

What is the difference between a made to order wedding dress and an off the rack wedding dress?

Let’s start with the simplest answer. An off the rack wedding dress or ‘ready to wear’ wedding dress is a dress that you can purchase same day from a bridal shop. There are some specialist shops out there who only sell ‘off the rack’ dresses at reduced prices, making this a great option for last minute brides looking for something to wear imminently. These dresses are often ex-sample or pre-owned dresses although some chain stores are offering brand new wedding dresses for same day purchase. This is a great option for some but chain stores are likely to lack variety in both style and size and you are unlikely to receive that intimate and personal touch during your appointment.

Made to order wedding dresses are completely different. If you are ordering your wedding dress, you will be trying on the bridal shops’ samples in store. These are dresses that the store owner has chosen for their boutique and bought to hang on their rails. On some occasions, the store owner may have purchased the same dress in two different sizes or colour ways, but on the whole there will only be one sample in one size that every bride will try on. It’s totally normal for sample dresses to big either too big or too small btu it is up to the store owner to buy a range of dresses in a variety of sizes to make sure that they are accommodating a wide variety of brides (a practice that is a little too rare in my opinion, but that’s for another time!) Once you have chosen your dress, your stylist will take your measurements, discuss your colour options or any additional fabric you may want for custom additions to your dress (sleeves or straps for example) and your dress is then made to specification. Your wedding dress will then arrive at your bridal boutique for you to collect and begin the process of alterations as advised by your bridal stylist.

Alterations

Let’s dive a little deeper into wedding dress alterations and what this means for you and ordering your wedding dress. Wedding dress alterations should always be carried out by a specialist. It is a lengthy and skillful process that takes time and a wealth of knowledge, as your dress will essentially need opening up and restructuring to ensure it is tailored for the unique nuances of your gorgeous body. It is not unusual for your seamstress to adjust the fit of the hips (for fitted wedding dresses), bust, waist, lift the straps so they are tight enough on the shoulder and adjust the length of the front of your skirt. These are all perfectly normal and common bridal alterations and will need to be carried out on a made to order dress indeed an off the rack dress. It’s likely to be one of very few dresses in your life that will be tailored exclusively for your body, so it’s worth it to get it right!

Alterations can be started at any point prior to your wedding but shouldn’t be left later than 6 weeks prior. This is between you and your chosen seamstress or bridal boutique. Some bridal shops will have an in-house seamstress that will meet you at their boutique and some will recommend local seamstresses who work from their own studios. Often they are actually the same thing and many freelance seamstresses will take on work from several different boutiques. It’s unusual for a bridal seamstress to be employed by a bridal boutique though it’s not unheard of.

Backtracking

Now, I know that I said your wedding mantra should be “sooner rather than later” but don’t jump the gun! Shopping too early can cause more confusion and stress and it’s always better to shop when you’re ready to commit to a dress! Shopping years in advance to ‘find a shape you like’ honestly is fruitless. There are only really 6 shapes of wedding dress and it really won’t take longer than 1, possibly 2, appointments to figure out which direction you’re going to go in! It’s really the style of dress that’s going to take you time to decide. The ‘style’ being all of the detail layered upon the shape – for example, lace, floral applique, chiffon, sleeves, satin, sparkles and so on.

The reason you should avoid shopping before you’re ready to commit to a dress is because sometimes designers will discontinue dresses, sometimes bridal shops will sell their samples off the rack or even stop working with that designer. If you leave months in between and you’ve already found your dream dress, you risk losing it or not being able to order it. Shop when you’re ready to make a commitment and don’t forget, you should be doing that 10-12 months before the big day!

Key Points

• Order your wedding dress 10-12 months before your wedding

• Do NOT lose weight before bridal shopping – it is totally unnecessary

• You will need alterations on your wedding dress whether you purchase an off-the-rack dress or a made to order dress

• Make sure you book a seamstress that has plenty of wedding dress experience and one that is recommended by your bridal shop

• Don’t start shopping before you’re ready to commit to a dress
  

So that’s that! You are now fully informed on when to order your wedding dress and how to avoid some of the common misconceptions about ordering a wedding dress. In our next blog posts, we’re going to go into more specific details about wedding dress alterations, our favourite seamstresses in Surrey and the different shapes of wedding dresses.

Thank you so much for reading and when you’re ready to book your bridal appointment, simply fill in a contact form on our website to begin your love story!   

Written by Hannah Mac Lennan