How soon is too soon to purchase?

jbwed1

I realize this is all relative (it depends upon the lady and her personality), but I have heard several people say that they got their dress TOO early, and ended up hating it or their taste in dresses changed by the time the wedding rolled around. I even had a friend who bought a second one after having a long engagement and buying the first dress too early. However, I also know that it takes awhile to order, receive and have a dress altered. What are your opinions/advice on this?

Vicaandben

I may get a few snarky responses to this but I actually bought my gown at the end of 2008...and the wedding is not until mid 2011...Traditionally speaking I bought my dress way to early, BUT I wanted to be sure to have time to put my dress on layaway and make payments on it. Purchasing this early has been great because the wedding cost is spread out over 2 ish years instead of dishing out all the costs in under a year.It only took about 8 months to comfortably pay the gown and veil off and I only need 2 - 3 months for alterations so I could have waited longer but I found "the" dress and it was on clearance as a discontinued gown...

snarlinkitten

i order my dress before i had a date for my wedding. my dress took forever to come in also, they said 4-6 months... it took mine 9 months to come in. everytime i think about my dress i get all giggly and i can't wait to show it off.

agk0125

I think buying more than a year out is dangerous because it leaves so much time to change your mind and second guess it.I would say start seriously looking at 12 months in case you have a hard time finding one you like. And definitely find out how long it takes to get a dress from the designers you like. At about nine months you should be narrowing it down and making a decision.

SpringBride1114

I originally got my dress 7 months before the wedding. However, we ended up having to push the wedding back a year and now I don't know if this is the one or not! I lost weight and now the shape isn't right for my body. It is stressing me out so badly, I paid $700 for my dress and cannot afford another one. It is just a bad feeling, and you don't want to go through this. I would say it's never to early to start LOOKING, but ask the store about how long it takes to get in, alterations ect., Happy Hunting!

[Deleted User]

Figure out what you like. Take advantage of the fact that you have a bit of time, to try on as many dresses and styles as possible to zero in on the one you really think is perfect.Now by perfect I don't just mean looks, price tag as well.  If you have the time to start early you are more likely to find what you want simply because you are allowing yourself a larger window of opportunity to find the right dress.When you find the right one you will know. It will be a lot like finding your FI.  You may look at other dresses but you fill find your eyes and thoughts drifting back to that one.If something is not right or if there are more things you like then not like.  Always sleep on it.Don't let sales people pressure you into buying.  And also, I would avoid giving them the real date of your wedding.  Give them a sooner date, like by a month just in case you get a vendor that is more scrupulous and decides to order your dress at the last minute. 

undertheseabride

Don't push it too close.  A friend of mine ordered her dress in a very light blush pink in January for her October wedding. It arrived at the store in June and she freaked when she saw it... cotton candy pink is how she describes it! The designer is doing a new dress for her and apologized for it being wrong, and it will be here in August. If she had waited until six months before the wedding, she would have had to find a new dress. This would be way too much stress for me! I say order at least 10 months to a year in advance.

nealbl

after picking out a dress it could take upto 6 months for the right size to come in and for all alterations to be made. keep that in mind and give yourself plenty of time. Make sure you stick to your style. Don't get a funky modern dress if you are a traditional gal. Just make sure you love it!

mrskitton

I ordered my nearly 2 years before my wedding.....and I still love it! Can't wait to try it on again. It depends on you and your wants and needs.....and how dedicated you are staying that same size for that length of time. Not a problem for me! Love my dress!

kelmcgee

I think it all depends on your areas and how long the stores say it will take to get the dress in.  I know I had to order mine 12 months in advanced but that is normal in Ontario.   Just remember that you have to add a couple of months for alterations and you should be fine.   Plus that also allows a little extra time if the dress takes longer to come in.

cravecase

Most places have a regular delivery time of 6 months (some you can pay to rush in 3-4).  I ordered mine 8 months out ... I think they key is not looking after you choose...and the further out you are the more prone you are to continue looking with all the other planning you're doing.

coolbeans5430

I got my dress very early and still in love with it, a good 2+ years.  Not only did I order my dress early but we ordered the bridesmaids too!!  And I still love them both.  Every coupleof months I will go and try it on and fall in love with it over again.  So it all depends on your personality, if you find a dress and fall in love with it go for it!!

stacy78

I got mine 14 months out and was originally told it would take about 6 months to come in. Now they are saying it'll be more like 9 months. so I say it is never too early to buy. Just stop looking at other dresses once you make your purchase.

amcdanie003

I am not getting married until 2011 and I bought my wedding dress six months ago. Let me begin by saying that I originally went to just look at wedding dresses because I was having a horrible day. I ended up falling in love with a dress that was being discontinued and it was the last one left and it was in my size. I debated for a while at the store whether or not I would gain weight, or if my style would change, or if I would just hate it by the time I got married. I am pleased to say that I am still madly in love with the dress! I think about it nearly everyday and every couple of months I try it on. I must agree with some of the posts on here that each time I try it on, I fall in love with it all over again and I cry every time I have it on. If you find a dress that you know you truly love and it fits your personality, chances are your personality will not change and your style will not do a complete 180 by the time you get married.

masay

I purchased my dress this past April and I'm not getting married until July 2010.  I'm glad that I orded it this early becaue a) it was discontinued the day that I purchased it and b) it is taking like 7 months to get in.  Shop early and shop often but now I don't look at other dresses anymore and it's really helping!

jasmineschwartz

I agree w/everybody I waited until I had 5 months to go because i knew which dress i wanted, I was just afraid of changing my mind. Anyway I left the bridal store in tears bcse they told me I was fine on time, i tried on the dress, got all excited, tears of joy and all and when it was time to write the check @ the cash register they told me sorry, you can't have it, it was a 7 month wait fot it. I picked something else out of a picture, didn't even want to try it on, and left. That is the one and only regret of my wedding. I advise just wait till about 3 months before to get all of your accessories that way you can get fresh ideas on how to accent your gown. Good luck ;-)

schwoebr

I'm not getting married until January 2011...I have found my dress, but I'm going to order it in October or November. My consultant told me to just order by December because that's when most designers will decide to pull a dress. Even though mine's a best seller I'm not taking any chances. I love it!!

Holton-to-be

I am getting married this November, and I ordered my dress back in March. It should be here sometime this week and I can't wait to see it again! GL! I'm sure everything will be fabulous!

jennylynnhankins

Buying a dress really helps "jump start" the planning process and really makes you feel like "you're getting married!"That being said, you should have a date and a venue so you have an idea of how formal you want your dress to be. If you've got lots of time, take advantage of checking out a few sample sales. You could get lucky and find a good deal on a great dress! I got my Carrolina Herrera dress at a sample sale 8 months before the wedding. Eventhough I lost 30 lbs., I still love it!

sabrina1423

In February I found a dress that I thought looked good on me.  The dress shop told me it would take 6 months to get in any dress so I needed to order a dress right away since my wedding is in August.  2 weeks later from the time I ordered the dress, I got a phone call saying my dress was in.. I was excited at the time.  Then I had to wait until a month ago for my first fitting and when I tried the dress on, I didn't like it as much as I did the first time I tried it on back in February.  But now after my alterations, I have come to like my dress, however I wish I would have known it was going to come in soo soon!  I could have had time to do more shopping around and find the perfect dress instead of settling on one. Basically it sounds like it just depends on the area you live and if the place they order from has one on hand in your size. 

What08

I was anxious and I got my dress in January for a November 7th wedding.  I still love my dress!!  I just want to know is it too soon to start dress fittings???

KappaQT

I think the bottom line is that if you find something and decide you are going to purchase this early in advance that you then STOP looking for dresses! You have to be comfortable with your decision and move on to other areas of planning. Because there will likely always be a dress you like better or that looks prettier on the model in the magazine. So if you keep looking then the odds are you won't be happy with your choice. So I would just suggest making the best decision for yourself and then moving on from it!