Dealing with wedding dress retailers and flagship stores delivery times and limited selections.

You’ll probably need to buy something off the rack. I wouldn’t look at anything on your own with your timeframe. Let boutiques show you things that they have off the rack or can be rushed.

As PP mentioned, if you are tight on time and looking to purchase from a brick-and-mortar bridal salon, off the rack is the way to go. Keep an eye out for sample sales, but styles and sizes are quite limited to what the store already has in stock. Unfortunately, most dresses must be ordered a few months in advance because they don't start production until the order is in. 😕

Wedding dresses are costly to make and store, so retailers only hold samples. Manufacturers are only going to make what they need because - again - they don't want to be stuck with overstock. As a result, it takes 5-8 months for a dress to arrive after ordering (my daughter's was almost exactly 8 months from order to delivery).

As a PP said, if your wedding is November as your profile indicates your best bet now is off-the-rack. Some places have sample sales. Major retailers like Davids Bridal may have more 'in stock' than other boutiques.

Call shops to see if they have samples (or discontinued dresses would be even better because those you could get at 30-50%+ off). Sometimes they have discontinued dresses in the back so ask.

Hi Tiffany! Unfortunately, the pps are correct about the delivery times for dresses ordered from bridal salons. Have you visited any salons and tried on any off-the-rack dresses?

What style of dress are you looking for?