How soon is too soon to look for dresses?

Miss Esa

My mother is giving me crap because I am going to look at wedding dresses tonight, and my wedding is not until next June.
Is it really too soon to be looking at dresses?
She thinks I should wait until the event is only a few weeks away, but I think that is cutting it too close to the wedding.

Thoughts?

QueerFemme

Ideally, you should be looking for your dress 6-12 months prior to the wedding. 

[Deleted User]

My dress takes 4-7 months to come in and most of the guides I've seen say to shop 9-11 months before so that you can order it, get it and do alterations without worry!  I wouldn't shop much earlier than that becuase you might change your mind, new styles might come out, etc.!

abcollins08

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_how-soon-is-too-soon-to-look-for-dresses?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:1282f79b-8b36-450e-be24-0c58f7183d0ePost:503ae912-b195-4a89-b502-daea10f6b32d">How soon is too soon to look for dresses?</a>:
[QUOTE]My mother is giving me crap because I am going to look at wedding dresses tonight, and my wedding is not until next June. Is it really too soon to be looking at dresses? She thinks I should wait until the event is only a few<strong> weeks</strong> away, but I think that is cutting it too close to the wedding. Thoughts?
Posted by Tlanute[/QUOTE]

I'm getting married this September. I started dress shopping and ordered in January. My dress just arrived last week. It took a good 5 months to get it in, I would start looking earlier than a few weeks.

notyetavet

I bought my dress last May and my wedding is in just over 2 weeks.  I would definitely start looking several months in advance.  As PPs have suggested, it is really important to STOP LOOKING after you make a purchase.  FI's cousin didn't follow this rule and she bought 3 dresses because she kept falling in love with different styles.

Nightt

My wedding is also next June and I just started last night! After talking to a few stores it seems now is a good time to get a start at looking at dresses. I was told that many of the dresses take about 5 months to get in once ordered plus time for alterations.

KJeffs

I ordered mine in September and am getting married next month. It took about 5months to get here, gives me enough time to get it hemmed, that took about 1 month.

finleyac

If you're excited to start looking today, then do it! At this point, though, you shouldn't feel any pressure to pick one out right away, which is a nice way to start the process. If you're someone like me who has trouble making a decision, you might need the time to go around to different stores, and start narrowing down what you like. If you are ready to start doing other planning, it is good to know at least a general style of dress that you will be leaning towards so that you can begin to envision the other details of your wedding and how it will all work together! Some people are very surprised when they start trying on dresses that they end up liking the exact opposite of what they thought they would like!

Again, though, in general dresses take 5-7 months to come in, so no pressure to buy one now!

mcskatcat

I think it's fine to start looking.  I started looking roughly a year before my wedding.  Unless you're planning major weight loss or something there's no harm in beginning your search.  

divinemsbee

I bought mine just over a week ago and am getting married at the first of November. I didn't even start looking at styles online until the first bit of April and did two blitzes, mid-April in TX (where I live) and end of April/first week of May in MS (where I'm from/the wedding will be).

I knew when I looked in TX that I needed to buy soon, and by the time I got to MS (my mom and grandmother were looking with me there) I knew it was do or die time in order for me to have a dress. When you wait that long you end up having things kind of meld together because you're doing several stores a day (or at least I was) so that if you want your people there they can coordinate. I've been assured that my dress will be here with enough time for alterations, but it will probably get in about a month before the wedding. I'm worried and wish that I'd gone ahead and looked sooner.  

saacjw

I got mine about 14 months out, but probably would have waited longer if it hadn't been just right then. I wanted to start looking but fell in love with the first dress I tried on, but honestly didn't plan on buying until about 9 months out.

skowalyk

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_how-soon-is-too-soon-to-look-for-dresses?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:1282f79b-8b36-450e-be24-0c58f7183d0ePost:503ae912-b195-4a89-b502-daea10f6b32d">How soon is too soon to look for dresses?</a>:
[QUOTE]My mother is giving me crap because I am going to look at wedding dresses tonight, and my wedding is not until next June. Is it really too soon to be looking at dresses? She thinks I should wait until the event is only a few weeks away, but I think that is cutting it too close to the wedding. Thoughts?
Posted by Tlanute[/QUOTE]

I bought my dress a couple of weeks ago for my septembet 2013 wedding. you can get it whenever, as long as your weight doesn't fluctuate too much.

kmleon83

my wedding is this september and i went looking last october, bought a dress my first time out. unfortunately, i become a "2 dress bride" when i decided i HATED the dress i had and exchanged it for another one last week. i wound up dropping a whole dress size between october and now (YAY!) and they didn't have the dress i fell in love with in my size so it had to be ordered. it could take up to 3 months to come in (wedding is just under 4 months now) so i'm cutting it close in terms of alterations.

i would say it's never too early but i thought that for myself and it didn't work out in my favor.

[Deleted User]

I really think it depends on the time frame for ordering.  My wedding isn't until Sept 2013, but some places take 6-8 months to get the dress in, so I started shopping this week.  You may have to have alterations done once the dress arrives, so you need to allow for that.  It is better to be early and have the dress, then have to settle on a dress that you don't love because you waited too long.  Good luck!