Wedding dresses??

Definitely be open minded when you look. Because even if you have something in mind, it’s nice to try on other styles just to see what it looks like on yourself. December would be fine to start looking.

I recommend to start looking at least 9 months out. I have a very unique frame: no hips, no backside, but a DD/DDD bust and I'm petite (5ft1), and unfortunately, I have not been able to find a dress that I like. The few dresses that I did like costed about $6,000 and I really wanted to stay within my dress budget which was a small fraction of that price. I've lost momentum to keep looking, but my FH and I have decided that a more casual, offbeat wedding was the best route for us. So, I'll likely not even wear a wedding gown.
I wish you the best on your dress search. Keep in mind that my situation is not the norm.

We are getting married on the same day! Lol.. I already found my dress the store told me it can take like 6 months to come in and a few months for alterations so I wanted to get a jump on it. I did a lot of research and had an idea of what I wanted. But what I got was no where near my idea lol. The style dress I wanted just didn't look good on me and it made me feel fat. I chose my dress because it made me feel beautiful and excited and I was wicked hyper all day because of how great I felt in it. No other dress made me feel that way. Have an open mind when trying on dresses and trust your consultant they really do know what they are doing and may pull something you wouldn't have thought of that will look amazing on you.

Try on all different styles, even the ones you think you won't like! Dresses look so different when tried on vs. on the hanger. So many people (myself included) end up buying a dress they initially didn't think they'd like, but ended up loving. Research dress styles ahead of time, go in with an open mind, and have fun!!


I think now would be a good time to start researching dresses online, just to get an idea of what's out there, and I'd recommend buying one at least 8-9 months ahead of time. They can often take 4-6 months to arrive, and then up to 2-3 months for alterations. Happy dress shopping!

I was kinda easy to please. I had a low budget and common taste. I also am 5'7 and needed the most common off the rack height of a dress.


I recommend a year out and take your time. 9 months can be a little close and if you have it really close like tomorrow... Then you will be able to find something but have a very narrow selection.
You'll know the one when you get emotional about it in a way and start picturing your wedding in it. You will know it by the way you never want to take it off. You will probably feel absolutely gorgeous in it. And I wish you all the luck in the world.

I had an idea of what I wanted but I was also willing to try on anything. Go into open minded bc you might be surprised at what you end up with. For me, I knew I didn't want something form fitting. I tried on a couple that were bit but it wasn't for me.
I ended up with separates to make my dress. The top was all lace, which was something I knew i wanted in my dress, and my skirt had pockets...also something I knew I really wanted if possible.

- Decide on a budget and then add 20-30% for alterations

- Look at pictures and find your inspiration of what you think you would want. Not only look at bridal dresses you find online, magazines, but look at dresses that stars are wearing to the Red Carpet. (I saw a dress on Mindy Kahling that I kinda liked, but thought it would look terrible on me so immediately discarded it from my list.... it was that style that I ended up choosing)

- Start booking time at bridal boutique (I wouldn't take an entourage, I'd take one person you trust and will tell you honestly how the dress looks on you)

- When at the boutique share your inspiration dresses and then TRUST your advisor and try anything different that they give you, if they are really experienced then they'll give you THE DRESS. (see note above)

I had a vision of what I wanted and I was so disappointed when I put the dress style on and ended up picking an alternative style that I hands down fell in love with.

Brides all want the most beautiful dress and think the dress needs to outshine the bride... Remember the dress is YOUR accessory, the dress is there to make YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL not you make the dress look beautiful. If you question this then think of this - do you want people to remember how beautiful the dress was or how beautiful you looked on your wedding day?

I started dress shopping right as this pandemic hit (about 8 months out) so I was able to go to one store. I did a home try on as well and eventually took the risk with dresses I found online. I at least had the opportunity to try on different silhouettes. Some that I thought I would like I didn’t like on me and I found what I didn’t expect to like worked well. Just keep an open mind when you go but it is a good idea to have in mind what you like in terms of style, silhouette and details (beading, lace, etc). I would give yourself more time if you can to start looking even earlier because we’re in a pandemic, you may not find exactly what you like the first, second, or even third time.

I started dress shopping in February, and because of the pandemic, my dress was a month late after it would already take four months to come in, it came in just in the nick of time to get alterations appointments in. I was lucky to find my dress at the very first shop I went to, but if you have any inkling of doubt about the dresses you are trying on, take your time and go to more shops. Make sure to have an extra month or two to look and try things on, so that when you do order your dress, you're budgeting in time for shipping delays from COVID.

I didn't cry or anything when I found my dress, but my face turned really red and I was all smiley, and my BMs pointed out that my smile was a lot bigger with this dress than it was with any other dress I tried. The consultant seemed to know it was my dress too because she put a veil on me to really complete the look. The style ended up being what I knew I wanted, but I did try on other styles *just* to be sure.

When we got engaged (little over a year ago!) I originally wanted a spring wedding, but due to budget and the weather where we live we decided to go with a fall date instead. But before we had changed our minds I had gone and picked out a dress I wasn't in love with that I ended up returning because I felt the sales lady at DB pressured me into it. I didn't have a great experience at that location. Then after a few months of online shopping and not finding what I wanted I went to a different DB location, this time with my cousin, and I had an AMAZING experience with a sales lady that actually listened to me and she was the one who brought me the dress i ended up picking after all the dresses I had looked at online and liked, ended up looking ridiculous on me and I hated them. I knew it was the one when I didn't want to take it off and kept spinning around and feeling the material! It wasn't at all what i expected to like but it is my perfect dress!

Just keep an open mind and don't be too disapointed if what you thought you would like isn't. Sometimes it's the dress you may have overlooked because of who they photographed it or the model in the picture wore it weird etc etc. Plus after alterations, it won't feel like just any other dress on the rack, it'll feel like YOUR wedding dress! Good luck!!

Got my dress black friday weekend in November and we married in May. I think your time frame is good! I tried on about 6 dresses (all in my price range) and the dress I chose was the 2nd one. I knew it was the one when I saw myself in the mirror and felt confident. I thought I 1wanted an A Line dress but ended up getting something more mermaid style that was sexy and stunning

I would start looking now. If you want a designer dress, many of them have 6-8 month lead times depending on the designer and probably the complexity of the dress. I ordered mine Feb. 15 and it arrived in mid-July, and I was surprised it got here so quickly.

In terms of knowing what you want, I went in with a Favorite Dress as well as a general idea of the style of dress and some features I wanted. When I went, I also told the consultant I wanted to try on lots of different styles and fabrics, including things I didn't think I'd like - mermaid dresses, satin, old lace, beading, etc. I knew I would probably never get to see those dresses on me again, and I wanted to be open-minded to things I might not have thought of. The key is to go 50/50 with what you want and being open to anything - here is why:

If you go into it thinking you know the exact dress you want, it is very difficult to let that go if the dress doesn't work out. This is what happened with my FD. It didn't look right on me, but I had mentally committed to it so it was difficult to move on from that.

If you go in without any idea of what you want, you may be apt to make a snap decision you might regret later. If you read stories of dress regret, a lot of brides say they bought the dress because it looked great on them and later they realized they didn't like it as much. There are likely to be lots of dresses that look good on you...you need to have some preferences and parameters in order to figure out *which* pretty dress is the one for you. Something else to consider is that in a salon, the dresses are in plastic and bunched together so it's hard to tell what they look like.

As for picking "the one"...not going to lie, I struggled with this a lot (I'm also an indecisive person in general). I'm not a crier but I had several "this is the one" moments and several dresses I didn't want to take off. I really think any of them would have been great, including dresses that weren't in the top 4 but maybe the top 10. I truly had a ton of options. Go with what you think makes you happiest...and then commit to it and don't look back.

I will say as I waited for my dress to come in I started worrying that I'd have regret (especially as I had a customization done) but as soon as I saw it in person, I was overwhelmed. It is everything I hoped for in a dress.

You can definitely start shopping now! It’s totally fine to order 12 months before your wedding. With more border restrictions and Covid, the earlier the better.

Look & shop early!! As soon as possible!

Found my dress on Etsy. But, I remember searching for dresses several years ago when one of my sisters got engaged and realized I had a unique taste. Now, I was mostly just looking online and for several months couldn't find the one. Plus, I couldn't bring myself to purchase an expenses dress when I knew what else still needed to be purchased. Then, while searching some rea~son~able + beautiful dress options on Etsy (onlys seller with hundreds of great reviews), I ran across it! It's such a beautiful & unique dress. The lace and the beadwork is outstanding & the price is great!

I love it and will recommend it to others! Check it out, you never know what you'll find!