Wedding dress - when/where to look

I would go ahead and start looking now since you're about 10 months out. Some dresses can take 6-8 months to arrive. I would check out DB and local boutiques. Check their websites for promotions or trunk shows. You can also sometimes get a discount if you buy a sample dress. My best advice is to reach out to shops before scheduling appointments and simply let them know what your budget is and see if they have dresses that will fit it.

View Quoted Comment Thank you!!! I have looked up weddings dresses to get an idea of what I want, but definitely want to give it enough time to be altered and whatever else if needed!!

My dress was just under $700 at David's Bridal and is taking ONE MONTH to come in! I was astonished. The brides I know personally had theirs come in within 3-4 months. I would definitely go ahead and start looking, not necessarily buying if you don't find the right one. Definitely try to choose one before the New Year, just in case the one you want takes up to 6 months. In my experience (and that of the previous brides I know), with our kind of budget I don't think we'll be getting a super designer dress that takes up to a year to come in or anything.

View Quoted Comment Perfect!!! I’m currently saving slowly and will keep putting money away. That gives me a bit of hope! I don’t want anything fancy, but still want to feel beautiful!

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If you do have a David's Bridal in your area, they offer 12(I think?) month financing with no interest as long as the balance is paid off by then. Just thought I'd let you know in case that was a good option for you!

I went to local boutiques and looked for stuff they had for sale off the rack. I got my dress for $530 and it fit almost perfect so I only needed minor alterations. See if any places are having trunk sales too.

View Quoted Comment There is one that is about 45mins away! That is good to know about the finances!! Thanks for the tip!

View Quoted Comment Awesome! I’ll have to search local! Quite a few came up when I searched “wedding dresses”. Is there a different term I should search for?

View Quoted Comment Bridal salon. Bridal boutique... bridal always seems to help. Also, if you have a seamstress in your town, they will have an idea of places.

I’m getting married a month after you and just bought my dress from a small shop and they said it coming in January. Also stating that it gives them the perfect time to do advisements.

I think David's Bridal is a fantastic option for you. I also found quite a few dresses under $1000 (my top budget) at local boutique stores as well. Some have beautiful discontinued dresses (you can't order anymore) that have been hardly tried on and are super discounted because you have to buy that exact dress. You'll have plenty of options!

I agree with PP to definitely start looking now to check out what you like and don't like. You can do it!

I would suggest looking at David's Bridal for sure but there is a website that has preowned dresses that brides are putting up for sale. https://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/

It's a great site and you can see what you like and don't like and can put in the price range you are looking for.

I would definitely start looking now. Gathering ideas of what you like, and looking at dresses that are within your budget. Make sure that you are aware of the refund policies of the bridal shops. Most shops will not accept returns/ exchanges, so keep that in mind. Best of luck to you!

I'm getting married next month. I started planning in May of last year and didn't even bother looking for dresses until April of 2019. If you're absolutely sure you're losing weight, I say you can wait. But you also need to prepare yourself for the possibility of the dress not being available in time or for having to pay a rush fee to get it in time. I waited and I'm glad I did, I got mine from a mom & pop shop and only waited about 2.5- months for it. Ordered in early april and arrived mid June

Definitely start looking around now as dresses can take a while to come in. As a fellow plus size bride, I feel your pain. We were lucky to have an exclusively plus size bridal shop in our area, but David’s Bridal always has beautiful dresses and I’ve never had issues trying stuff on there because I know they will have stuff to fit. Take a relative or good friend with you to calm your nerves and think through your opinions with. As another option, try Azazie as they let you try on dresses at home for $20 I believe. Then you don’t have to do it in front of others

When I went, the dresses I looked at took 6-8 months to come in. I almost wasn't able to get the one I wanted because of this. I would start looking now.

I got my dress on sale from David's for $750; ordered it about 8 months in advance from the wedding.

My wedding is in October 2019 and I started really looking in November/December. I went to David's and they have a few options under $700, and often have sales or deals. And if $700 is going to include your alterations, make sure you consider that when looking at the initial dress price. And tell them wherever you go what your max is. I forgot to mention it and just pulled dresses on my own that were cheaper. Then the salesgirl pulled a dress that I fell in love with that was well over my dress budget and just barely under my total budget for the whole ensemble.

As for losing weight, I feel you. I wanted to lose weight, tone up, get at least my arms in shape, but I just haven't been able to. But the dress I found is very flattering and I feel comfortable in it even at my absolute biggest I have ever been. I would say with only 10 months left, you might be better off finding a dress you feel beautiful in and go from there. If you are successful in slimming down, they can always do some alterations (as long as it's not a drastic change).

Thank you all! I have taken all the advice/suggestions into consideration! Going to set up an appointment soon! Just finished discussing with my mom about it. I appreciate you all!!

I'm getting married the same day you are (cheers! ) and just bought mine last week. At a small boutique, they're expecting a November delivery for my dress, which is a few months faster than they initially thought it might be. They also mentioned that dresses can typically be altered down by as much as 2-3 sizes, so I wanted to pass that along.

I told both places where I had dress appointments that I wanted to be comfortable on my wedding day - not self-conscious or fidgeting with my dress, worried about what certain parts of my body look like, etc. - AND feel beautiful, and they both did a great job of finding dresses that fit that description for me. I'd recommend going into your dress shopping experience with an open mind and picking a few key things that are most important to you, and letting the stylists do the rest. They are amazing at their jobs, and at making sure you find your perfect dress.