Too early to look for wedding dress?

For the experience, I don't see a problem with going to look early so that your family and friends can enjoy with you. You don't have to purchase right away, but you could do it strictly for the experience. If you happen to find the one maybe you could purchase in a size up in case of weight gain? Obviously that means more costly alterations though.

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That makes sense! Honestly, going to a bridal store for a fitting is giving me major anxiety so I would really love some support from my loved ones at least for the first experience. Thanks for the advice!

View Quoted Comment Yes there's no way I would've been able to do it by myself and love the experience. Having support just made it that much more special. You're welcome & goodluck with everything!

The kinds of dresses, shapes and styles and fabrics are not familiar to many people unless they have worked where there are formal events, or theatre. You may have seen a flamenco dress before, but make it of white satin and call it a fit and flare , or trumpet skirt with a front cutaway, and petticoats ... can you imagine how that would flatter or look awful on the body you have?
Do you know what a pickup skirt, or wedding cake, looks like? On Cinderella, yes, but on you? Of if a ballgown overwhelms your tiny figure, but you have always wanted formal and dramatic, do you know to ask for an asymmetric, dropped waist skirt, with ruching? To see what half as much fabric as a ball gown, and a longer body hugging top will make of your figure, with some of the ballgown feel, scaled down? ......
This, you learn from trying on dresses, usually with only 1 or 2 people with you. Make an appointment for a weekday the first couple times if possible. Tell them, you want to start by trying on one of each major type, or silhouette, and different fabrics. You likely want to do it in more tham one shop. Take someone flexible, who shares your taste in clothing, the first times. Wait til you narrow it down to a couple types you are sure look good on you, before getting sentimental and bringing mom. ...Your worry about changing sizes is spot on. When you change 2 sizes or more down, you don't just shave it off your hips. The neck opening might be 4 inches too big, and the armholes in the wrong places, and the skirt hanging with the waist at your hips. Gain 2 sizes, and you need more fabric to make things bigger, if you can at all. And since half the dresses made are only out 18-24 months, a dress you get now, may not have matching fabric you can biy, to add straps, or sleeves, or a skirt panel.... But looking now, and trying on types, you can do before you travel. Both American and European styles will be available where you are going, many actually sewn on Asia or Eastern Europe. ... If you do not know many gown makers, go to :
"Wedding Dresses | The Knot" https://www.theknot.com/fashion/wedding-dresses
They own WW too. Go to filters. put in a silhouette, and your price range. You will get a few of the many dresses by a lot of designers. Any you like, press the link to the website. Build up a list. In every website, there is a retailers/ our stores page. look up what salons near you carry their dresses. If you find a salon that carries 3-5 designers you like, and in your price range, you know where to start.

I personally think its too early, but it's truely up to you and your past patterns with making decisions. For example, if I decide on something not life altering such as which venue or which dress to marry in, 2 years ahead, I'll likely have second thoughts and doubts and will end up changing my mind, ESPECIALLY if I receive negative feedback. I purchased my dress about 6 months out and I'm so glad that I did because I lost about 12lbs prior to that.

You could always go and look and see what you might like, but I would hold off on buying anything. Like you mentioned, weight can easily change during that and it would suck if you bought a dress and it ended up not fitting. Another concern is dress regret. You'd hate to purchase a dress now only to realize closer to the wedding that it's not what you want anymore. Not sure why you plan on moving overseas, but with Covid I'm not sure how feasible that's actually going to be.

It wouldn’t hurt to look. You do have plenty of time. Depending on what you want, it could take months for them to make it. I bought my dress in June for my wedding this April. Once I bought it, I took it home with me so there was no delay in that process. Plus you don’t want to have dress regret.

I would wait to buy until closer to the date, but there's no harm in going to look and try on dresses with the people that you want to share that experience with.

I ended up purchasing my dress about a year out. It was a sample sale that would need to be altered down, so I wasn't too concerned about weight changes -- until the alterations process started, haha! (That process began about 3 months out.)

If you're ordering new, some dresses can take 6-10+ months to come in, with a possible need for alterations as well.

I think it is too early and, personally, I would wait. Styles will change within the next 2 years, as might your body and wedding plans. I think shopping closer to your wedding (they suggest 10 months out) would be a better option.

What part of the world are you going to?

I think that it is too early for you to start actual shopping for a wedding dress in that time frame. Maybe go ahead and get ideas (browse and look at pictures) as to the fit/shape, style, color, material, etc of what you want for your wedding dress. But as for shopping I don't think it is a good idea, like a point you had mentioned the possible change in weight during that time or even the fact that as designers come out with new dresses later on one might really speak to you then.

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Wow! Thanks for all this info! I'll probably go in just to try on some dresses to figure out a type/silhouette, but hold off on any real searching until closer to 1 year.

Hi everyone, thanks for all the feedback! I guess I should have clarified - a major reason I'm giving myself more time to find a dress is because I'm focusing on buying used/consignment. I figured 1) I could look at dresses now and keep an eye out for them later when people try to resell them, and 2) it might take more time for me to find a dress on consignment because sizes & styles are a bit more limited since i'm buying used.

Another big constraint is my budget... I'm looking for a dress for $300 or less. Given my budget, I'm 99% sure I won't be able to afford a newer style, so I want to give myself as much time as possible to find a dress I like.

I haven't fluctuated weight too much beyond +/- 8 lbs over the past 5 years... the weight worry is just part of my general anxiety, lol.

I have done a lot of online browsing to figure out what I might like, but one thing I have learned about myself is that I gravitate towards styles that DO NOT look good on me in person. So I'm worried I'm spending my time browsing through dresses that will not flatter me at all.

And we're hoping to move to Australia! I'm applying for their 30 & under working holiday visa, which will no longer apply to me in the fall of next year so I am keeping my fingers crossed they are accepting immigrants by summer of next year as this vaccine starts to get distributed.

All that said... I will maybe go to a shop to try on a few styles, just to see what might look good on my body type and then really start shopping 10-12 months out.

Did you look at Azazie.com? they only sell online, but are one of the few reputable ones. And they make to measure. Look at dresses you may want, which people have bought over tge past year, and will be putting up for sale soon, in stores. It will help your search immeasurably. But it will also help when a brand or a salon has a clearance. 25-40% off a $400-$500 pricetag is in your range. Also consider Asazie. And as if your salons sell private label. Generic, by some of the same factories that make designer dresses, but with their own people making designs that are classic or common. Cheaper, profit is from volume. And tagged Bonita's Boutique, or Sweet Things Bridal for the store.
Azazie search dresses $200-300 filter price
https://m.azazie.com/all/wedding-dresses/with/price/price200-300?page=1&view_switch=smallerAlso check out their ready to ship, dresses they got stuck with, already made. get a $500 for half. https://m.azazie.com/all/ready-to-ship-brides?current_in_stock=yesThey are lower end dresses than any you get on second hand sale. But except for the ready to ship, they are made to your measurements under 4 months from the wedding and can be bought from anywhere.

One of my favorites on my niece is in a sample sale, some all sizes!

I should never look at these after someone has made their purchase.

Honestly there are countless posts of brides who picked a dress and then decided they didn't like it anymore with months to spare. For an Oct '22 wedding, do not start actively shopping (trying them on) until January '22. You can browse styles online to get a feel for what you like but don't buy one yet. Plus, there will be dozens more styles available by then.

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I haven't really looked into budget retailers, mostly because I'm also eco-conscious, so I actually thrift most of my clothes and home goods and I'm trying to do the same with the wedding.

But if I really come up short on the consignment end, good to know that Azazie is an affordable back-up option!

View Quoted Comment I applaud you for caring. I bought mine new, not many pale gold dresses
( ethnic traditional) out there. And had a detachable train made.
My cousin, 8 years younger and my mother's goddaughter ( orphaned at 16) wanted to wear it but not the train, saving money for school, home/ tent wedding, so dress would have been the biggest single bill. Later My sister wore just the pale gold train, to go with a white dress with gold beading Them a cousin from Denmark came over to her wedding, and the airlines lost hers, turned up in a month. She wore mine, with train. Then a clise friend who is a Social worker, daid the collections the SW have had none in the size of one of her clients who grew up in foster care, marrying and on her own at 28. Last I saw it. Thank you, Maggie Sottero, it repeatedly looked perfect after cleaning. For anyone not keeping it for a relative later, I do not see why people keep them in a box or closet forever, as some do. Also, I remember when most unsold gowns and samples that would not be perfect, were destroyed deliberately, not sold. Happy they are sold now.

Hey! I bought a wedding dress six months before the wedding. First, we decided on the style of the wedding. Then I started looking for a dress and bought it here https://www.cathytelle.com/. I also want to give you some advice. When choosing a dress, do not listen to someone's advice. Each person has a different style. This is your day. And you must choose a dress with your heart.

My wedding is this coming April, but we've been engaged since June 2019. My mom came to visit me (I live overseas) in October 2019 and we went dress shopping together then for my first experience trying on dresses, but with no expectation of buying my dress then.


By chance, there was a black Friday sale in November 2019 that I decided to check out just because why not (by myself), and I knew I found my dress the second I put it on. I bought it that day off the rack. I'm now back from my 2nd alterations fitting, and I still love my dress. It also gave me almost 18 months to lose a few pounds (although I would have been fine if I hadn't, that's what alterations are for!). Dress shopping by myself was actually quite nice, and once I knew I found the one, I did a quick video chat with 2 close girlfriends while I still had it on.