How soon should i get my wedding dress?

Going dress shopping next month is totally fine, you’ll be good! I am getting married in December and ordered the dress 8 months before and the dress is said to come in in July so still plenty of time for alterations and what not.

You absolutely can order this far out. You don't want to wait long because gowns can take as long as 6–8 months to come in. With COVID there are supply chain issues and some of the Chinese factories shut down, so don't wait too long!

I think ordering a dress around a year ahead of time is a good idea! Many dresses take 4-6 months to arrive, and then you'd want to plan for 2-3 months for alterations. COVID caused many delays, so ordering around a year out should leave plenty of time. I don't think you need to rush to buy one, so don't force yourself to buy one next month just to get one, but if you do find your dress next month, go ahead and buy it!

I think it depends on where you want to purchase your dress. I ordered mine online from David’s bridal and it came in like 4 days! (During COVID) If you’re going to buy from a boutique then maybe take the previous poster’s advice about supply chain issues because those dresses are not in stock, they have to be made to order. (Keep in mind they are not made to your size, you’d still need to get it altered.)

Most timelines recommend 8-10 months so that you ensure enough time to get the dress in AND get it altered. When I ordered my dress they estimated 6-8 months for it to arrive (turns out it only took 2 weeks haha because my size and color was actually in stock). I went shopping in October of 2021 for an August 2022 wedding.

Our original wedding date was July 2020. so when we were planning our wedding , I was supposed to get my wedding dress by September 2019. So that's 10 months before. I purchased my wedding dress end of August and picked it up in September 2019. I went back in around December 2019 to get alterations made. I picked up my wedding dress altered February 2020.

So, 8-10 months before your wedding is a good timeframe. You want to have plenty of time to go wedding shopping and make the time to select the right wedding dress/outfit for you. It's a very personal experience. And also you want to give the wedding dress shop/vendor enough time to get your dress in and make sure you have enough time to go for alterations too.

I think now is a good time to look. It seems everyone’s dresses come in different times. I ordered from a small boutique and got it in 2 months but you also want time to get it altered. The places I’m looking need like 4 months as they’re very busy

I just wouldn’t start making appointments for the next several months. I would look to order sooner rather than later. You’d rather have your dress early than trying to fit things in last minute

I went dress shopping last year and my wedding is next year. Sadly with everything going on with COVID and now the war taking place it might affect how soon the dress will be ready/arrive. For me, that is an added stress that I could avoid so I went earlier rather than later. I did however have our venue booked so I knew the season and location we were getting married. If that is at all something you want to factor into how you choose your dress.

Good Luck and have fun!

I would go shopping ASAP. I got engaged in August and went shopping in October and my dress isn’t expected to arrive until the end of May. And as with everything, I expect delays. Wedding is in September so I should be fine but 🤞🏻🤞🏻

Now is definitely the time to go dress shopping! Many dresses can take 9+ months to come in, and you will want to leave time for alterations as well.

The sooner the better so you have time to get what you want and do any alterations with enough time

I went shopping in July 2021 for my June 2022 wedding. The dress came in after Thanksgiving and my first fitting was Jan 2022. Second fitting Feb and I pick it up in April.

It all on depends the designer and for them to ship it,but prayer where it's coming from that will be stuck in customs to they are really the ones to hold up the process and for it to get to the store where you got your dress from. Mines and my bridesmaids dresses except came very quickly. My appt of in February and I received my dress in June . Now still waiting on one of my bridesmaids dress was the wrong size. So now waiting

You can take your time! I just got my dress and my wedding is in October of this year. Yes, some designers are backed up, but usually no more than 6 months. Most dresses I inquired about was only like a 4-8 week turnaround. Don't rush it because then you'll settle for one and then regret it. You'll know when you find the right dress cause you'll compare all the other dresses to that one! Lol! I tried on dresses at 6 different places before buying mine and happy I waited!

I heard of brides shopping for their dresses a year out and I thought that was a long time out. Come to find out that that’s actually the norm. I’m getting married in October and I bought my dress this past October. They estimated that it wouldn’t come in until June. Factor in time for alterations as well and that’d put me right up to my wedding date. (My dress actually came in early but that’s not always the case). So I’d say you can most definitely start shopping!

I agree with everyone else about finding one sooner than later, but don't rush into settling!! I think yes, rush to get the appointments in and figure out your likes and dislikes. You'll possibly still need some time to decide on one. Luckily I had very specific ideas in mind and found mine on only the second appointment, but in case that's not you, more time is better. 😊

Hi, I went dress shopping yesterday for my wedding that is 15 months away and was told by that dress store that it takes 6 - 8 months to get a dress with no alterations but to add about 3 months to that if I am going to get alterations. So I would definitely try to make sure to order no more than 11 months out just to give some extra time for the just in case. Congrats on your engagement and have a wonderful wedding!!

I think the general gist here (and also in my experience) is start looking/shopping/trying on as soon as you can so that you have time to shop around as the shopping and finding part could take one day or it could take 4 months! and then you will still have the luxury of picking any dress you want , without any constraint on time. It wouldn’t be fun if you started shopping at 10 months out , took 2 months to find your dress, then come to find out delivery will take 8 months. There goes ordering your dream dress.

Like everyone else said, sooner is better. I bought and ordered my dress in July last year and it's nearly April and it's still not in. I think it depends too on the boutique. Large chain stores like David's may have more stock available than a smaller local boutique, but a smaller boutique may have more variety and options overall for what you want. You can also call around to your local bridal shops to see what their average timeline is right now.