Is there such a thing as dress shopping too early?

jazmine_collins

I'm getting married in a little less than 2 years. Is that too early to start trying on dresses and things like that?

michelle142

You can always start looking. I would wait a while to actually buy or order your dress though. In that much time you can change your mind.

mbcdefg

Plus you may lose or gain some weight between now and your wedding, so you'll have to start over from scratch if your dress can't be altered to your new size.

lookame3639

I'd say yes and no. Styles do change but if you try on a dress and love love love it and everytime you keep trying it on you love it love the way it looks then I'd say go ahead and get it. My wedding is also about 2 years away and I already have my dress. I've wanted this dress since my first marriage which was 4 years ago. I was upset that I'd probably never see it again but I found it on a pre owned dress site and I had to have it. I was excited to finally have it and I posted on here about my wonderful find and a lot of ladies told me my wedding is 2 years away and shouldn't have bought a dress so early, it made me feel bad but I still love my dress, loved it 4 years ago and still love it today and will love it after I get married. It's a classic gown that can't get old. If it were me though I would stay away from the "in" designs for now. The statement dresses that are in now have a lot of draping and are very structural in design that might not be the "in" thing 2 years from now. Dresses which are lace, mermaids, simple A-lines with not a ton of beading seem to have a timeless appearance to them. Keep this in mind

Spim7

Yes, it's too soon. But you can look and see if there're certain styles you like. I'd highly suggest waiting on purchasing anything until 8-10 months out from your wedding date.

clearheavens

I'm getting married also in 2011.  I have been to several sales and tried on about 20 dresses so far.  But I haven't bought anything yet.  But the shopping experience itself was very educational. This is my opinion: Look early, try on as many as you want, but if you're looking for a chic dress that may change with time, or you may gain or lose weight, then don't buy until T-minus one year.  If you're like me and you're looking for something vintage and timeless, hardly ever gain or lose weight, and do fall in love with something, then get it.  Worse case is that you have to sell it and take a loss on it because you found another one you love.

junelley

It's never to early to think about basic shape of the dress you prefer, but I wouldn't actually try to go to store and try them on, yet, until maybe a year before the wedding.  You don't want to be drooling over new styles that come out and be stuck with a dress you thought you loved.  Your taste might even change a year from now.  Have fun and browse around the magazines and the internet for now and when you actually start to shop for a dress, you might have a clearer idea of what kind of dress you picture yourself wearing.

MissSarah786

Oh goodness, some of you are 2+ years out and already have dresses. Do you even have venues to know the formality of the wedding?

kls114

I think it is never too early to go out and look and see what dresses look better on you. I had some pics of dresses that I LOVED online and then tried them on and was not that much in love anymore. I have been out twice already (I am a 2011 Bride) and both were great experiences but I will not purchase anything until the end of the summer (2010). GL!!

Bridgeebabee

I am getting married next November 2010 and I ordered my dress a few weeks ago (it won't be in until February).I started looking shortly after I got engaged "just to look," and ended up finding THE dress.  However, once I found it, I looked around for another couple of weeks at several different bridal shops, compared everything to THE dress and finally decided to make the purchase.Before you even LOOK, you should be prepared to buy or leave behind a dress you love.It's not like you can find the one, and then walk away from it because it's too early.  If you find it early and decide against buying it, you take the risk that you'll compare all the others to THAT dress, and maybe it will be discontinued by the time you are ready to buy.Just my two cents

amethystgirl03

Oh goodness, some of you are 2+ years out and already have dresses. Do you even have venues to know the formality of the wedding?Shouldn't you determine what level of formality you want and find a venue that suits you, rather than let the venue determine it for you?

MissSarah786

Yes, you should find a venue that suits you, but sometimes those venues 1. are not available 2. too expensive 3. too small/big 4. not close enough to home 5. not what you would have thought The dress shouldn't be first and there are so many stories of brides jumping feet first into a dress and regretting it. Heck, there are tons of posts here that are just dress regret posts and many of those stem from brides buying too early. I also don't think the good advice is going to come from a bride who is still 2 yrs out and has a dress, the good advice will come from brides that had 2 yrs to plan, did so, and are now married and done with it.

petdoc2010

I got engaged about 2.5 years before my wedding date which is now about eight months away.  When I first got engaged I went and tried on dresses with my Mom just for fun with no intention of buying anything.  I found a dress that was in a style that I thought I LOVED.   I didn't get it though because it was too early and I didn't really have anything else planned or anything.I just went about two months ago to try on more again and I ended up getting a completely different dress in a completely different style that is 100% better than the original dress I thought I loved.I would wait personally just because styles will change and you'll probably find something better later on.  :-)  Good luck planning.

rdixon2005

If you start looking and find a dress that you LOVE then go for it, but keep this in mind 2 years is a lot of time for your body to change. Buy it bigger rather than smaller, most bridal shops can alter but its expensive. That being said you can do everything in the time frame your supposed to and still have issues with body changes. I found out in June that I had a thyroid problem, they started treating it and I have lost almost 30 lbs... and now I have to actually fight to make sure that I don't lose any more weight so my dress will fit in a month... Honestly,  If you feel comfortable than go for it. If you have any doubts than wait a little while. Good Luck!

rubber_chicken

way way WAY too early.  you need to figure out these things first:1. budget2. guest list3. ceremony/reception venue4. feel or "tone" of the weddingWe had a 2 year engagement as well, and in that time we went from a beach wedding with 50 people to an urban winter wedding with 200 guests, to finally a fall wedding in a 1920s ballroom for 100. If I'd bought a dress when we first started planning, there's no way I'd be able to wear it now.

NoleBride10

I agree with PP that it is probably a good idea to figure out what type of wedding you want first, then figure out what venues are available, and etc before buying your dress. Make sure you look at a lot of pictures in magazines and shop around because just because you dont like a dress in a picture doesnt mean you wont love it on yourself. That being said, I bought my dress almost exactly 2 years from my date and I still love it and am very glad I did buy it because they discontinued it not too long afterwards. However, FI and I had already decided what kind of wedding we wanted and where we wanted to have it.

rlyttle

I bought my dress about 2.5 years ahead of time. I LOVED my dress, and it short of set the tone for the entire wedding. Yes, styles do change, but my dress is classic and will never go out of style. It was very stress relieving to have that out of the way and I could concentrate on the rest of the wedding living up to my amazing Reem Acra dress!! Everyone LOVED it!!!

jefrox10

I would have to agree with the post that it is too early. I understand you're excited, what about spending the first year of your engagement -- enjoying being engaged?! When you get under the 1 year mark, then focus on the wedding planning - or even at the 8 month mark start planning. I know people say you need a year, but you don't really. Look at those wedding checklists ... everything in months 7/8 - 12 are "think about ... begin looking for ... etc." It's all just thinking, browsing, and researching. You don't really start making decisions until about month 7 or 8. If you know what venue you want ... obviously book that when you know it's available on your date, but everything else can wait a little bit. Besides ... if you go wedding crazy right now ... with two years to go ... consider the fact that you might make your fiance a little crazy bombarding him with wedding talk so quickly. Take some time loving the fact that you're engaged and enjoying that time with your fiance. It's going to pass much faster than you realize ... especially the actual day ... so really enjoy being engaged because that's a part of the wedding too. I bought my dress 9 months in advance and I even feel that was too early. (Ordering a dress may require it, mine was off the rack). Actually having it in hand only makes me want to keep trying it on and playing dress up. On the days I feel skinny - great ... on the days I don't - not so great ... makes you worry you made a bad choice.Save yourself some useless worry and schedule out a timeline ... and stick to those dates. Wishing for it to be here now lacks appreciation for the time you're spending to get there.

tlc828

I got my dress ordered and I am getting married in a year and half. But I loved my dress so much, and I didnt get engaged until after almost 5 yrs of being together. If you order a dress, just make sure you dont look at any more dresses at all, or you might think you made a mistake. And be sure you wont gain weight. If you go up and down in weight a lot, then I would not get the dress just yet.

ngiguere

Too early! A lot of books and advice articles recommend buying ONE year out, so that your dress can be made, and have all the necessary alterations and bustling done. But two years seems risky. Even if you do find the dress you love in this time, by the time it's more logical to buy one, the price could drop significantly, or you could find it at a trunk show for a great price. Money aside, your own tastes might change, you may second guess yourself, and you may end up finding an even better gown that you like more (either through photos or going to pick yours up in the boutique) after you've already made all your non-refundable payments. I bought mine about 11 months out. Even that far out I was a little nervous. Fortunately, it will work out, since the designer who designed my gown is taking 7 months to make it and put all the details in by hand. It does take some time. But not that much! P.S. If you are planning on buying off the rack, you only need a few months tops for that. Don't rush into buying anything just because you're excited right now.

rands09

This is definitely a case of it really depends on who you are, and how well you know yourself. As detailed in responses to this thread, there are definite pros and cons to buying a gown that early. Since the "cons" are well documented, a couple of "pros" to consider: 1. If you are someone who is very sure of herself, and decisive, it can be good to have that task out of the way. 2. If you are looking for a more timeless style, as noted earlier, it really doesn't matter how soon you buy - some gowns just never go out of style. 3. I think that a dress can help to determine the tone of the wedding - I don't see any reason why your dress can't serve as your point of inspiration. At the end of the day, it is what you feel comfortable with. Worse case scenario - you get it, and change your mind. That's not the end of the world. But if you are super excited, and can't wait to get going - then go - and enjoy the process. Remember - what works well for others may not necessarily be what's best for you. So consider different ideas, but always be prepared to make (and stick by) your own intuition when it comes to your decision. Good luck to you!

phut_action

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm getting married in spring of 2011 as well, but I've already bought my dress. I'm an unusually decisive person tho, so for most people who are undecided I'd reccommend being very cautious and taking your time. My dress is pretty simple and classic, it won't go out of style and I've loved it for 3 years now (ever since my best friend got married and I was MOH I've played around looking at dresses). The ONLY reason I bought it now instead of waiting was because it was on sale at David's for $99 (reg MSRP was like $500-$600). You just can't pass something like that up! Plus if I dont like it next year (which I definitely don't anticipate, its amazing) then I'm only out a hundred bucks... i'm not rich or wasteful or anything but that's not too bad. I think its ok to buy as far as a year and a half in advance, but its a risky move. Gaining or losing weight can be a real problem, even though most dresses can be fitted down up to two dress sizes, depending on the style this may not be flattering in the end. Take your time and enjoy it. If you find a really great deal then jump on it, otherwise wait til about a year out to get serious.

Amy+Chris

I am getting married in about a year and a half (a little less) and I may have already found the dress. I went twice and both times came back to the same dress. I will go again a year from the wedding to see if I find anything I like more, but I don't think there is ANYTHING wrong with looking whenever you want. I would wait to buy until about a year away though. Good luck and congrats!