When to purchase wedding dress?

Mbharrat

I everyone! I am getting married September 6, 2015. I was looking for some advice on when I should purchase my wedding dress. I am wondering if I should start shopping this year or if I should wait to see if any new styles drop in 2015. Does anyone know when styles for the new year usually come out?

labro

I honestly wouldn't wait past February 2015 to buy your dress, especially if you're ordering a designer dress that will take 6 + months to arrive. I think most stores start showing spring lines in the prior fall/winter and fall lines in the spring prior.

lilacck28

Not sure when the new styles come out. I know there are a spring and fall season. I think one of them is October?

Anyway, you have a lot of time. I just bought my dress, and I bought it a little early. I'm getting married at the end of next May. My dress is supposed to come in sometime in November. If you plan on ordering a dress, start looking seriously 12-8 months ahead. It depends on the designer and where you purchase, but 6-8 months before the wedding is a safe time to order. Some places can get it to you quicker, 4-5 months (like mine.) 

I bought the dress because I started going dress shopping a tad early, I was having tons of fun! And then instead of three shops I went to six in about a month's span, and I knew my schedule was going to get busy, and I started getting confused with all the different dresses, so I just wanted to MAKE A DECISION. I went back to one of the initial dresses I liked that was fairly inexpensive. To avoid that, I'd wait a little longer to start trying on dresses. Depends on your personality I guess. 

But, in sum, you have a lot of time, and if you think you will want to see the new dresses, then you should wait. Because bridal stores have a real knack for getting you to feel like its urgent to purchase that dress RIGHT AWAY. 

lilacck28

Just want to add: I could never understand how on Say Yes to the Dress they would be shocked that a girl was trying on more than 3- 5 dresses, or how a girl would go to one shop and find the dress. I still feel like that is unrealistic, but I feel like I might have gone to too many places. I tried on 70-90 dresses I think! Most of them were duds, even though many fit me just fine and were pretty enough. In each store there were 1-3 I actually quite liked. The one I picked had elements of what I always admired in pictures and looked different then all the other dresses I'd looked at in my price range. I think shopping too early (and I think going now for a wedding next september is too early) will give you too much time to second guess, waffle, and perhaps end up buying a dress in excitement and then wanting to keep looking because you're so early... and you'll see something else you love. 

ElcaB

One year to nine months is typically recommended. 

I'd definitely not go before one year until the wedding --- you wouldn't want to suffer dress regret. This doesn't mean you can't shop to find out what you like, but I definitely wouldn't purchase. Start saving photos of dresses and styles you like now and wait until your wedding is closer to buy. 

raissyrais

You're getting married on my birthday! I'll be turning 29! Well to answer your question, I got engaged September 2012, my wedding is set for January 2015 and I bought my dress in January 2013 and received it August 2013. I have extra time for alterations and choosing a veil and shoes. It's always better to go a little earlier but make sure you absolutely love your dress and you don't end up changing your mind when the big day comes closer.

goldchocobo.defunct635829490514903826

I did something different from the other girls here. I bought my dress off the rack instead of ordering it. But yes, 12 months to 9 months out is ideal.

DanikaMarie0227

My wedding is also September 2015. I would recommend waiting a bit - until you're about a year out from the wedding. I was SO excited about the dress shopping part of wedding planning & SURE that I would be the bride who tried on like 100 dresses before making a decision so I started shopping way too early...as in I already bought my dress. Don't get me wrong - I love it. I think it's gorgeous BUT I do worry about what if I don't still love it 18 months after I bought it. If that happens (and I pray it doesn't!) I'm stuck because it was expensive & will not be getting replaced.

birdybride2014

I'm somewhat like @DanikaMarie0227 - I ended up buying mine last June- so a year and a half before. But at the time we were planning our wedding to be in early September not in November like it is now..lol

I also had no intentions of finding a dress that day either. A friend and I were going on the assumption that it would take a few times of dress shopping to find anything, but I ended up falling in love with the very first dress I tried on. It was crazy. And then the next week when I took my sister to see it, they offered me the sample for 15% off and offered for me to put it on lawaway because I told them that at the time I wouldn't be able to purchase it just yet. It ended up working out so perfectly, and I don't have dress regret

But these circumstances were obviously NOT the norm haha...and I would say MOST people don't pick the first dress they try on.

jenndeirdre

I'm getting married in sept '15 and have no intention on looking till at least oct/nov, we did go in one store just to get an idea of prices here.

AureliaJosephine

I was planning on waiting to order until September, but then I went to visit my mom and we went dress shopping again and I fell in love with a discontinued dress. So, it was one of those risk losing the dress or buy it off the rack that day. I got a 20% discount (which I am thinking it could have/should have been more but I love it so oh well), and went ahead and bought it. My wedding is in June of next year and I am going to be adding quite a bit of beading to the dress so I need the time.

Dignity100

Styles come out twice a year - I know for sure March is one of those times.  6 Months before March is September, so my guess would be around that time for the other time of year?

My wedding is October, I bought my dress in March.  I'm cutting it very short for my dress to get here as I was told 6 months for my dress with the promise that they could do my fittings in 1 week if necessary.  On a side note - I do have some $$ set aside in case I would need to do an off the rack gown.

emmaaa

I would say to try and wait until 1 year out. If you have it ordered then no less than 9 months. My wedding is December 2014 and I ordered my dress in January and it came in this week. You need to allow for delivery and alterations.

Alyssa18o6

I'm getting married May 2015, my plan was this November. I went to browse dresses the other day and the consultant told me realistically I should be ordering a dress in July since it takes roughly 6months, and then with alterations. I ended up purchasing a dress this past Friday, and it's going to take 5 months. While it might seem early, it makes me feel better to know I don't have to stress about things being done on time/too close to the wire.