Oct 22 2010
Does it really take a year to find/order/fit a wedding dress?
We just got engaged 3 weeks ago and are planning on an April 09 wedding. When should I start looking for the dress? How many fittings does it take? How far in advance of the actual wedding day should I already have the dress?
Thanks!
18 responses so far
18 Responses to “Does it really take a year to find/order/fit a wedding dress?”
I hope not… getting married in October 2008 and I haven’t even started shopping yet for the dress.
well if your looking for whats in style! you would want to shop for your dress closer to your wedding date, but if you want a dress that appeals to you, who cares about style you could get it now, but take into consideration if you loose or gain weight and all that stuff! so maybe you should wait!
Start looking now! If you’re not too picky it wont take long but you stilll need to get it fitted and stuff plus you’ll need bridesmaids dresses etc. so i would start looking ASAP
I got mine at Alfred Angelo and I think they quoted me around 12 weeks for it to come in, but it showed up in about 8 weeks. Because it was a corseted back dress, it didn’t really need any alterations. My seamstress is just putting in the bustle for me and sewing in some soft cups so I don’t have to wear a bra.
I found my dress in the first weekend of looking. I’d say if you start looking 4 months before your wedding you should be fine.
I went to a trunk show and got a $1200 dress for $130, took it home that day. I went to a seamstress and had it taken up for $100. This was all in about three weeks time.
A girl I work with had a dress designed and made for her and it took about 10 months including all fittings and one re-make due to a mistake by the dressmaker.
Depends… My wife and I set a date, then went to the wedding dress store and found a ready-made dress on a mannequin. Paid $500 for the dress and $100 for altering the length. It was ready in a few days.
But I doubt you get a custom made dress before the end of the year.
Good Luck and Best wishes to you both….
No, It definantly does not take a year…
I became engaged in December. We are getting married in September of this year. I chose my wedding dress in late January (it is important to choose your dress early to know what styles of bridesmaid dresses, and tuxs to look for). I had it special ordered (hand sewn and beaded) and it will be ready in early May. Specialty designers like to have around 16 weeks for a dress. You can go to most any bridal shop and buy a gown “off the rack” or rush delivered. So, depending how you are going to purchase your dress…special order or in a store I would give myself at the most 18 weeks for the dress to arrive and 2 weeks for alterations…
Hope this helps!
I read you should start looking and try to get your dress about 8 months before the wedding.
Most times your dress must be ordered which can take a few weeks and if they do not have your size and it must be made, then it can take months.
Fittings usually happen about 6-8 weeks before the wedding (since its a good time for sizing, you are probably where you want to be size wise for the wedding) and alterations can take about 4 weeks…
So for example. I got engaged June of 2007. I am getting married June 27, 2008 (in 3 months).
I picked out my dress in October. We ordered it but they didnt have my size so it had to be made. If they would have had the size it would have been here in December, but since it was made, it came 2nd week of Feb. I had my fitting done 2nd week of march and my final fitting is April 2nd.
I am getting the fitting/altering done a little early just to get it over with because my weight doesnt fluxuate. But hopefully that kind of helps you see a timeline.
Oh, and I did everything through David’s Bridal. Just for reference.
Good Luck and Congrats!
It can take that long. It depends on how picky you want to get and if you do it online. My cousin just got married not long ago, and I did a lot of the organizing with her. When we went looking at dresses we just took a weekend and store hopped the 2 closest cities around here. They got it fitted, about a month later we went back up to try it on again and walked out with it.
No it doesn’t. We set a date on 1/2/08 – I went to David’s bridal on 1/11/08, tried on several dresses, ordered one. I picked it up on 2/8/08. I just got it back from the seamstress yesterday.
Total time: 68 days – or a little over 2 months.
Good luck, and Congratulations!
I would say start LOOKING now. When you find some that you like, ask the salon/store how long they take to come in. I’d heard that some dresses take a couple months, others just a few weeks. Then ask about alterations. Every place is different and probably has different timelines.
Find out what they are for what you are interested in and do the math.
It took me one trip to find a dress that fits and then to buy it. It depends on where you have alterations done if they are needed. A private seamstress could probably get it done in a few days but if you send it out through like David’s Bridal it could take around 6 weeks to get it back. I wouldn’t worry about having the dress more than a year in advance.
Start looking as soon as you want but don’t buy right away. You might change your mind or your weight. Finding a style depends on the setting and how picky you are. If your dress will need alterations, order it 5 or 6 months in advance but make sure to check with the bridal shop for their time frame. If you order the dress too soon, it might not fit when you need it to and they can only be altered a limited amount.
Once you have alterations done, make sure to maintain your weight as much as possible. Alterations can be pricey and you don’t want to have to pay for them to be done again.
I ordered my dress in September of 2007 (I am getting married September 2008) and it just came in at the beginning of March and they said my first fitting should be no later than May…so I am glad I went so far in advance. It really depends on where you go…I went to a more elite shop, but places like David’s it likely will not take that long at all. It definitely woudln’t hurt to at least start looking now…good luck!
lots of people are going to sat at least 6 months but don’t let it bug you. I went 2 days before my wedding, tried on 1 dress, loved it, bought it and it fit perfect. I am a size 14 so it wasn’t like a sample dress. I don’t recommend waiting until the day before but don’t worry about. You will find the perfect dress.
yes it takes a while, it depends where u find the dress some have to special order, mine takes 4 months to come in and then three fittings, i am not getting married til nov 08 but i have been dress shopping for a while and its hard to decide and pick one!
Depending on the style of dress you want and where you get it, it will take 6 months for it to arrive.
My nephew’s fiance went shopping, found a dress, ordered it and it arrived in about a month.
My daughter went shopping, ordered it early January and it hasn’t arrived yet.
Give yourself plenty of time to look to find THE dress.
we got engaged Feb 2007 and we got married October 2007. that gave me about 8months to prepare. i ordered my dress March 2007. i think you should give 6-8 months when ordering your dress.