Buying a dress too early?

cynthiaohara

I am getting married in November 2015 (about a year and 5 months away). I have been looking around at dressing online and there are a few that I can't get out of my mind. I know my wedding is a long time away but how early is too early to start trying dresses on? I don't want the stores to no longer carry the ones I am interested in right now. I'm getting really anxious! I do realize that if I were to go now and purchase a dress it would be sitting at the salon for over a year. Any advice? Should I REALLY wait until at max 12 months out?? I'm just so excited!

Maggie0829

This is really a personal choice. But if you do decide to go shopping now and you purchase a dress now then you have to STOP LOOKING AT DRESSES! Between now and your wedding designers will come out with new designs and if you continue to look you will start to question your dress choice which is not a fun thing to have happen.

jenndeirdre

I'm getting married sept '15, I'm not even looking til the earliest oct/nov but preferably January . But if there was some sort of amazing sale then that's the only chance of earlier.

tammym1001

I got married May 2014. I bought my dress in February 2013. It was really early to buy my dress and the place I bought it wouldn't let me store it there for that long so I had to take it home once it came in and it sat in my guest room for almost a year. That is something else you may want to think about. I loved my dress and I knew it was the one for me so I didn't have any problems buying it that early, but if you aren't positive what you want or you are the type to change your mind a lot then I would wait.

bananasplit472001

I am getting married on June 7,2015.  It is just a little under a year away.  I will be having my first dress appointment on June 28th.  This is actually by no means early.  I will need to order my dress by September at the latest in order for it to be in and give enough time for alterations.  Made-to-order dresses (which many designers are) are made in China and take about 8 months to make and ship.  This is true for many designers like Maggie Sottero, Allure Bridals, Casablanca, David Tutera etc.  So no I do not think it is too far in advance because you will need to give yourself time to order the dress.  Plenty of things can happen and mistakes can be made so I would rather be safe and order the dress after you have picked you date and venue.  Unless you buy your dress off the rack you need to give the bridal shop time to order your dress, make it and get it in.  However, you still do have plenty of time to just look at dresses if that is what you want to do. 

mrsbanany

You can buy a dress whenever you want. My wedding is August 2015 and I am planning on going around January or February. I have had one friend buy her dress well over a year in advance and my FSIL bought hers 2 weeks before the wedding and still had it altered and everything. My point is, there are no rules for when you get your dress, just go whenever you feel the time is right!

QueerFemme

You can buy it whenever you want.  A couple of things to keep in mind.  Does your weight fluctuate a lot?    If so, you might not want to buy this early.   If you buy now, STOP LOOKING.  No more looking at dresses online.  Unsubscribe to every dress site or unlike every facebook page.  It is not uncommon for brides who buy early to come back here totally upset because they saw a dress from the new line that just came out, and now THAT is their dream dress.

thengais

It's up to you. I bought my dress before we got engaged (we knew we were going to) because I saw it online (on this site, actually) and, like you, I was worried that it would be gone by the time my wedding came around (which it would have). Unfortunately, my size 6 body that had been the same for years decided to change a couple years ago so I've gone up a few "pant" sizes and now my dress doesn't fit on my hips when I've tried to put it on by stepping into it (luckily it's a corset back so my torso isn't affected). I have a relative who is a pro seamstress so I'll have to ask her if it can be let out for my April 2015, but if it can't then I will have to get a new dress and sell the one I have.

tl;dr
If you get a dress now, you might want to order a size bigger, just in case your weight fluctuates. I would also suggest getting a dress in person, not online like I did.

kimberly0315

I ordered mine in May and I'm getting married at the end of March 2015.  I won't get my dress until November.  I am so glad I got my dress ordered and I can cross that off my list.  I was really stressed when I began looking and now I'm so happy I found the perfect dress and I don't have to stress or worry about it.  

I agree with everyone else, you have to stop looking at dresses once you order yours.  I was so happy to be able to stop, but you might want to keep looking.  

[Deleted User]

I would at least wait until you have your venue booked (unless you already have that). You can always wear whatever style dress you want, but some brides like to use the venue to help set the tone of the style of dress they get. Example big cathedral church versus outdoor wedding in a garden.

Maggie0829

Knottie63899363 said:

Online stores are one of the most selectable sources to get the awesome collection of wedding dress at best of our budget. They are available to us in plenty of models and colors.

Bridesmaid Dresses

@KnotPorscha - we have a vendor in our midst.

tabathafaye

I bought my dress a year in advance then I stopped looking at dresses. I didn't even look when I went back to DB for BMs dresses, FG dress, etc. I love my dress, no need to look.

lucaskelley

I am getting married in August of 2015, but I already have my dress! I didn't plan on looking for dresses so soon, but I was in NY visiting my family, and my mom wanted to go look at dresses. I thought it would be fun to try some on, and I ended up falling in love with a dress. I went home without it, but I scheduled another appointment to try on different styles (and that dress of course!) When I put it on the second time, I knew there wasn't another dress for me! So if you find your dress that you can't live without, buy it now! I am waiting until much closer to the wedding to get alterations done though! 

MadHops21

I'm getting married June 2016, I bought my dress earlier this year (back in March). The shop is holding the dress and doing alterations for 2 years, and I'm not looking at wedding magazines or dresses until the year of the wedding. They put wedding dress ads everywhere. Too tempting. 

BlackLace2015

AGHHHHH I wish I could start looking for my Oct '15 wedding but I really don't know what size I will be and I don't want to take any chances. Trying to lose about 15 lbs but I also just started a new birth control so who knows what it will do to me

armk520

Getting married Sept 2015 so about 15 months away. I had my first dress appointment this week (mid June) and was told I'm actually right on time with looking. I didn't make a decision, and I have a come back appointment for August (to also do bridesmaids dresses).

I hate shopping and trying on clothes so I really want to get this out of the way. My deadline for a decision is January for sure, that way it's done and I can move on and not worry about it!

MandyMost

armk520 said:

Getting married Sept 2015 so about 15 months away. I had my first dress appointment this week (mid June) and was told I'm actually right on time with looking. I didn't make a decision, and I have a come back appointment for August (to also do bridesmaids dresses).

I hate shopping and trying on clothes so I really want to get this out of the way. My deadline for a decision is January for sure, that way it's done and I can move on and not worry about it!

I think that makes sense if you're the kind of person who is going to take 6+ months for dress shopping. I went shopping in January for my November wedding, and lots of vendors were saying I was pushing it because "it could take months to find a dress". Not for me. I'm pretty decisive. And I put the time and effort into it in January! I did a lot of research into dresses and found a bunch of pictures I liked. I made 5 appointments--2 on one Saturday, and 3 on the next one! It took some planning on my part. :-) Honestly, there are only so many dress designers within my budget that had dresses similar to what I wanted (not strapless, no poufy). I found one I fell in love with, but kept looking "just in case" and then went back later that week to actually purchase it. I definitely second the idea not to go shopping until you have the "big picture" of your wedding. You don't want to buy a dress good for a formal Saturday evening wedding and then end up getting married outdoors in the afternoon, for example.

duhitsd

I bought my dress in March for my June 2015 wedding. I got to a point where I was looking at dress pictures all the time that I was just ready to go. When I found "the" dress and knew it was marked down deeply due to being discontinued, I took that baby home with me. It's sitting at Gramma's house until I do alterations next year.

scrunchythief

If you buy a dress early, I really really recommend trying it on every now and then.  I bought mine a little over a year out and didn't try it on again until 2 months out.  It wouldn't zip!  Thankfully it was able to be let out enough, but the stress until I knew that was awful.  Plus most of the weight was gained on my torso, so I didn't notice clothes getting tighter since I tend to wear loose shirts.

caitlinmca

I became engaged in September of 2013 and bought my dress in November of 2013. It wasn't set to arrive from begging made til January 2014 but it came in December 2013. My fiancé and I aren't getting married until April 25, 2015. I tried it on for the first time since December 2013 when it arrived in store and thankfully it still fits so it's never too early to go dress shopping.

KwajKenDean

I bought my dress  Sept 2013 and I get married this Sept. I absolutely love my dress and 3 months later it was gone so I was glad I got it. I have stopped looking at dresses and recently tried mine on to be sure of the fit, but I'm very health conscience so I worked out and ate smart to maintain my weight.
I agree with most of these ladies, never too early to look for your dress.

falsara

My wedding is May 2016 I've had my dress since about August 2013, My family and I knew that both me and my sister were going to be moving to different parts of the country within the next few months, and I wanted to go with my mom, my sis and my Dad. So we went dress shopping that month, I actually had to plan it out since the nearest Dress store was a 2 1/2 hour drive away from the town I was living in. I found my dress at the 2nd place I went looking. My dad actually found it and got me to try it on at the very end of my appt. Apparently mom and sister really wanted me to put it on too. It was perfect, and it was being discontinued as of that day. So we bought it off the rack which means it's one size too big, but I was the only person to try it on and it has a corset back. But when a dress I try on makes my Dad, who was a Marine for 22 Years and is now a cop, cry , an I mean actually cry. Along with making me and my mom, and my sister cry. I know its the one. Dress is now safely at mom's house and is being moved to Nana's house next month, Nana's is now closer to where I live then mom's is. I'm trying it on again when I go to visit Nana next month, I haven't had it on since I bought it.

jenoracle

I am getting married next June and got my dress a few weeks ago, I don't think there is a perfect time frame...if you find the dress and you are happy with it and you know it's "the one" then go for it!

Alyssa18o6

I'm getting married May 2015, and I just ordered my gown the other day. I'd rather have it, and know I don't have to worry, than order to late and stress about it.

brideofginger

I bought a sample dress off the clearance rack in January (my wedding is in October 2014) for $170 and wound up second-guessing myself into taking advantage of David's Bridal's $99 sale through their website earlier this month (and paid like $150 once I added overnight shipping - which, it turned out, was unnecessary - they processed my order WAY faster than I expected.) I'm thankful that at least I didn't spend a ton of money on it, but in retrospect, I let myself get too excited about the whole thing and bought a dress too quickly. I think I've actually heard that David's has a big sale in December each year, so I probably came in at a time when the selection wasn't at its greatest.

On the upside, I like the second dress way better than the first.

HauteRoxy

I got my dress in June 2013 . . my wedding is this October. 

I HAVE looked at gown books, only one came close to rivaling it. So I stopped looking. Every time I go to my granny's where I "hid" it, I put that sucker on. LOVE IT! 

As others say, it's truly a personal choice. But I am a firm believer in love at first sight. You try on a gown and you just know in your gut & heart that it is "the one" - I say go for it. 

edited for year I bought my dress . . 

ruthand friends

I'm getting married October 2015. Bought my dress a few weeks ago. Now I don't have to stress over looking for a dress. I'm also going with my bridesmaids in a few weeks to look for their dresses.