BM dress questions

buddysmom80

Good morning ladies!

I usually post over at NEY, but have been recently picked to be a bridesmaid (yay!!!) for my friend's wedding.  The last wedding I was in I didn't pick up my BM dress until the night before the wedding since it was out of state, so I just want to make sure the idea myself and another BM have are appropriate.

Originally the bride was going to have her wedding pretty fast after the engagement, so she booked our dress shopping as well as hers this weekend.  She decided to push the date back, but kept the appointments.  Her other BM can't make it due to work. 

My question is if the wedding is in December of this year, do we have to purchase our BM dresses Saturday?  We're going to David's so I don't know what the turnaround is for ordering a dress and getting it to the shop.  I don't want to be rude (she's a laid back bride but I don't want to break any etiquette rules) so I was wondering what your opinions are on this.

TIA!

Maggie0829

If you are purchasing from DB then you definitely do not need to purchase the dress this weekend.  DB has a pretty quick turnaround time.  Honestly I wouldn't purchase a dress for a December wedding until August.

Also, keep in mind that new styles come out all the time so you probably shouldn't even start looking until July or August.

buddysmom80

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_moms-maids_bm-dress-questions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:357Discussion:772d3a82-24de-400b-87fa-d67f8f7dd2b2Post:b2f1504f-e53d-4c39-9cc6-a35a7fe7b8ae">Re: BM dress questions</a>:
[QUOTE]If you are purchasing from DB then you definitely do not need to purchase the dress this weekend.  DB has a pretty quick turnaround time.  Honestly I wouldn't purchase a dress for a December wedding until August. Also, keep in mind that new styles come out all the time so you probably shouldn't even start looking until July or August.
Posted by Maggie0829[/QUOTE]

Thank you so much!  I was so worried I would offend someone at DB or someone in the wedding party or VIPs.  I didn't even think about new styles coming out as well.  So relieved!

Maggie0829

Just be prepared for the DB consultants to pressure everyone into ordering a dress ASAP.  They do this because they really just want to make a sale when in reality there is no big rush.  I would just enjoy the shopping trip and get an idea of what everyone likes as far as the style of the dress goes.  But if I were you I would try to put more emphasis on the bride and her shopping trip rather then worrying too much about the BM dresses.  If she says anything just tell her that there is plenty of time to look for and order a BM dress and that the only person she should be worrying about this weekend is herself and her dress.

daveANDkristen

Maggie is wise.  The DB consultant probably will tell you that the dress should be ordered today (takes time to come in, about to be discontinued, etc).  Do not let them pressure you if you're not ready to pay for or commit to the dress.  I was in a wedding almost 6 years ago, and we were told 9 months before the wedding that we had to order immediately because the dress was going to be discontinued.  It's still available to this day. 

MairePoppy

My daughter ordered her wedding dress at David's. They told it would be delivered to the store in 3 months. It took six weeks. They don't store dresses at our local David's, so she had to pick it up right away and store it at her home until it was time for her fitting.

The DB consultants have been trained to sell stuff - multiple dresses, dress bags, jewelry, shoes and undergarments - most things that you might be able to purchase at your favorite department store for less $$.

My daughter spent 4 hours trying on dresses. There would have been no time to shop for anyone else. There were lots of other brides, prom shoppers and bms on a very busy Saturday afternoon. I was the only MOB at DB who didn't bring a camera. If you are so inclined, ask the bride if she would like you to take pictures.

If you have time, after the bride's appointment, try on a few bm dresses to get an idea of sizing and style. This is something that the bride has time to change her mind about several times before you'll actually need to order the bm dresses.

Have fun.

buddysmom80

Thanks ladies.  I'm pretty good at turning down high pressure sales.  I used to be in sales a looong time ago.  I know my friend is going to pick up her dress and her mom and fmil are picking out their dresses Saturday so hopefully the focus will be on that.

jessi3617

When my oft bm came in town we went to David's. We literally had none of the problems most brides and bridal parties say they did with them. We were there 2 hours. She asked if we needed her help we told her no so she went away and came back every once in awhile to check up on us. They never once pushed us into buying nothing. We asked when we needed to order them by they were very nice and told us about 4 months before the wedding.

mcda04

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_moms-maids_bm-dress-questions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:357Discussion:772d3a82-24de-400b-87fa-d67f8f7dd2b2Post:c46177f9-19a9-415a-9c5b-eac475bf2a82">Re: BM dress questions</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks ladies.  I'm pretty good at turning down high pressure sales.  I used to be in sales a looong time ago.  I know my friend is going to pick up her dress and her mom and fmil are picking out their dresses Saturday so hopefully the focus will be on that.
Posted by buddysmom80[/QUOTE]
I didn't read all the responses so I'm not sure if this has been said already but don't buy into the whole dye lot lie. The consultants at DB will tell you that you need to order them all at the same time in order for the color to match. This is not true and if one color is slightly different, you can't even tell.

And ditto PP's; you don't need to order this Saturday. no need to spend over $100 on a dress that's going to sit in your closet for almost a year.

erinlin25

We ordered dresses at Davids earlier this month and were told 8-10 weeks--and our consultant for sure tried to say we should rush order to guarantee 8 week delivery.  I said NO way, we will do a regular order.  Yeah, 1 style came in Last Week and I just got notified today the other style was here.  8-10 weeks vs 2-3 is a big difference!  I'm sure not all will come that fast, but definitely do not order until August at the earliest for a December wedding!

buddysmom80

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_moms-maids_bm-dress-questions?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:357Discussion:772d3a82-24de-400b-87fa-d67f8f7dd2b2Post:0beb1f7c-5e6d-4792-93ec-836021afd8a3">Re: BM dress questions</a>:
[QUOTE]Suggest to the bride that everyone wait to order.  A lot can happen in the next 9 months. People can gain weight, lose weight, and <strong>even get pregnant</strong>. She should wait until the end of the summer for everyone to order. There's no reason for people to be out money NOW for a dress that will just hang in their closets until the end of the year. I'm glad your experience was good, Jessi, but it can vary by store. My wedding dress shopping was excellent.  The bridesmaid's dresses can be quite different in the local store. Another bride had a different experience with her wedding dress. The seamstress insisted that the dress needed to be altered.  I sew, and suggested that the bride just wear heels. She did. Seamstress was really pissed at me.
Posted by RetreadBride[/QUOTE]

Please don't jinx any of us lol.

I'm meeting with the bride tomorrow, I'll bring it up then.  The other BM is on board with this as well, BM three we never hear from (she is the bride's FSIL and has a crazy work schedule).

erinscanny

I just called David's today about a BM dress for a November wedding. They told me I absolutely shouldn't wait past 3/15 because dresses can take 12 weeks min to come in and we need to allow 2 months for alterations!! Since when does it take 2 months to hem a dress! I just had baby number 2 so I asked the lady to be straight with me - she got really quiet and was like 6 weeks for most of our dresses. She also told me that they will/are only able to take a dress in 2 sizes. So I'm waiting even though I was suppose to have my order in yesterday! I'm sure ill be getting a phone call tomorrow. BM from hell reporting for duty!!

LiLe422

In Response to Re:BM dress questions:[QUOTE]When my oft bm came in town we went to David's. We literally had none of the problems most brides and bridal parties say they did with them. We were there 2 hours. She asked if we needed her help we told her no so she went away and came back every once in awhile to check up on us. They never once pushed us into buying nothing. We asked when we needed to order them by they were very nice and told us about 4 months before the wedding. Posted by jessi3617[/QUOTE]

My experience was very similar at DB.

Our consultant told us 12 weeks was the maximum to get a dress in. FMIL bought a bm dress that was brand new this season and it took 10 weeks my sister bought a dress from a few seasons ago and took 1 week to come in.

I'm with Maggie and would wait until July/August to purchase a dress.

SB1512

My wedding is at the end of June.  My BM's wanted to do a group shopping trip, and since one BM lives out of state, the only time we could all get together was over christmas.  The consultant at David's told us for a June wedding they girls should order by the end of March at the latest.  Everyone found a dress they liked in December and ordered that day (their choice, not me telling them to).  Took about 3 weeks to come in.  Oh and this was at David's Bridal.