Is it too early to try on dresses?

I wouldn't.

Start with a budget and finding a venue/catering. Then you can look for an appropriate dress.

Otherwise you might end up with a dress that you love but doesn't fit your venue. Not the happiest situation!

Happy planning!

I don't see anything wrong with looking and trying them on. It should be a fun experience.

My sister also lives out of town and she had to make a trip because she really wanted to be there when I looked at dresses. So if you want her there then take advantage of her being in town. But also consider, will she be able to be there every time you go shopping? Does she want to be there when you find "the one"? If you don't find the dress on this trip, is she willing to make several trips throughout the shopping process? These were some of the things I dealt with.

From experience I wouldn't start looking until you are ready to commit to a dress. You don't want to possibly find one you love and then decide to hold off ordering it only to find later that the dress is no longer available. In addition, if you order now and your dress is delivered soon, those things take up a lot of room and you will have to "store" it until its time to begin alterations. I know its an experience you want to have with your sister but maybe you could arrange to Skype/FaceTime her when you do go shopping.

It would be a fun experience with your sister and you can try on different styles to see what looks good on you, however, if you are an indecisive person you may end up with some dress regret between now and next October. It is really up to you and whether or not you are willing to potentially commit to a dress this early.

Too early. Find a venue and set a date. You only need about 9 months for a wedding gown to come in and complete alterations on the high end. Most are about 6 months. Plenty of time. Look around online at the boutique and find ones that you would like to try on. Keep in mind when you do go that the original style you pick out may not be the most flattering on you. Have fun, but don't rush it.

I first started looking at dresses three months ago, but chose not to buy anything until last week. I don't think it hurts to start looking a little more than a year away, because sometimes you do need to take a break, evaluate, and go back out again. However, here's the dangers of going too early:

1) It's too early to order a dress because you don't know if your weight will change between now and your wedding. Dresses can only be altered so much before the dress completely loses it's intended shape. Usually, a dress can be taken in roughly two dress sizes before you have issues.

2) Your tastes could change in the next 1.5+ years before your wedding. You could get stuck with a dress you either don't like anymore or one that won't work with your venue.

3) Dresses get discontinued. What if you go out now and fall in love with a dress, but decide to wait until you're under a year away from your wedding date to order and purchase it? Some designers discontinue a design if they feel it isn't selling well anymore. Unfortunately, you can't ask the salon to call you up if this is going to happen to the dress you think you like. They don't get advance notice of a designer's decision to discontinue a dress. Instead, they get a message after the designer has made this decision and are told they can no longer place orders for that particular dress. On the bright side, some designers never discontinue their designs. The consultant you work with at a salon can tell you which designers in their store do and don't discontinue dresses.

Yes.

I wouldn't look until you're ready to commit and buy. You don't want to fall in love with something and then find out when you are ready to buy that it's been discontinued

I wouldn't because its actually discouraging to try on dresses before you can buy. Its like when consultants put brides in dresses out of their budget, and the bride and those with her fall in love with it. Maybe you can do something else wedding related, like go look at venues, or to cake tasting. Something fun.

It's to early. Especially if you don't have a venue. I had a venue. Bought a dress, then lost the venue and wound up scratching a lot of places off my list because I thought my dress would look stupid in a garden setting. So. Budget. Venue. Date. Then the dress.

Yes, find a budget then venue.

I wouldn't only because u need a place to store it if u order it Becuz the store isn't going to do it for you .. Also God forbid u fall in love with something that's discontinued

I just went shopping and bought my dress last week! My wedding is 18 months away. I just love to get a head start on things! If you're ready to buy and fall in love with the dress I don't see why you shouldn't go shopping!

I just got my dress this weekend and started looking early around end of Dec. I found it super fun and helpful! 1- cause I had no idea what looked good on me 2-I'm rarely able to go home and shopping with my mom was super important to me. So I don't think it's too early but I did have a budget and venue - these things were very helpful in preventing me from falling in love with completely unsuitable dresses.

I have my dress already BUT that's after I set the date and a deposit on the venue. It was really hard to wait!

I would not look at wedding dresses until you set a budget and pick a venue. MY dress selection was influenced by the venue I chose.

I agree with other posters that it's too early - set your venue/ date first. If you get a dress it will be a pain to store it. Also, if you're looking at October get on that STAT. I booked my venue in February for October 2017 and tons of places I wanted to see were already booked. We were advised that it has become more popular than June for weddings. Maybe you guys can explore some venues? It's really fun to do the tours. Kinda like a little road trip! ETA correction booked venue in Feb not Jan. What am I saying. All the winter months blend together to me haha

@Sparky, OP's wedding is not this year. She's hoping to get married 13-14 months after you, which is well over a year and a half from now.

I would wait a little while. But you can be searching for styles and such