Maids and My dress...how much time do I really need?

Guin86 · February 2012

So I got engaged three weeks ago and have the venue, entertainment and photographer all on hold for my date of October 7th...with a hopes of contracting by the end of next week!

I haven't started the search for THE DRESS (although I have ideas of what I want) nor have I started a search for bridesmaids dresses (although after being a bridesmaid in six weddings over the past three years, I certainly know what I do not want)...how much time do I really need to do this stuff? How long does it take to place an order and get the dresses in, etc? When I was a bridesmaid, I feel we were fitted and getting dresses almost a year in advance...is that really necessary?

musictchr25 · February 2012

You should plan for your dress taking 6-9 months for delivery, and 4-6 months for BM dresses. I would suggest going as soon as possible to pick out your dress and get it ordered, but don't stress over it. Enjoy that part of planning!

I'm getting married the day before you and have been told to order the BM dresses no later than June 15.

Good luck with your planning, and I hope we get to hear some details about your day!

achiduck · February 2012

I would get you dress ordered in the next couple of weeks. Depending on the designer you might have/want to pay the rush fee to be sure it's here on time and you can get your alterations done.

BM dresses I wouldn't leave past early April. We just ordered my BMs dresses and the girls wound up in different designers. The ones who ordered Alfred Angelo should arrive by July but the ones that chose Impressions and Da Vinci will have to wait closer to 6 months.

BMBrinson · February 2012

I'm getting married Oct 13, My BMs are getting their dresses from Davids Bridal and they need to be ordered by mid June. Thats when they swicth to the fall season and the dress can be discontinued. My dress by Wtoo took 4 months. It depends on the designer. I would def get on the hunt for your dress ASAP, so you have time for alterations and that way if it comes in later than expected you have some wiggle room.

aimee58 · February 2012

My dress is from David's and came in in about 2 weeks.

My girls are ordering from ariadress.com. They say that it can take up to 4 months, so I'm having them all order by mid April so they can do fittings and whatnot.

ivedonethisb4 · February 2012

I ordered my dress yesterday and was quoted 3 months....this depends on the designer most times. Mine is a Venus Bridal gown ordered from a boutique not a big chain store. My BM's are getting their dresses from Davids Bridal since they're scattered I wanted to go with a chain. They were told to order at the ABSOLUTE latest by first week of April.

Guin86 · February 2012

Thank you ladies. I do have a few appointments over the next few weekends so hopefully that will help. Are boutiques faster than chain stores when it comes to getting the dresses on time? How long do alterations usually take?

jonesma204 · February 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_october-2012-weddings_maids-and-my-dresshow-much-time-do-i-really-need?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:56b9bcef-1e34-456e-81f5-cfaa107456b2Discussion:ef57c36c-fc82-4972-a370-249dac83d6e2Post:82799afc-08fd-4263-97d4-e80d957e9a3f">Re: Maids and My dress...how much time do I really need?</a>:
[QUOTE]Thank you ladies. I do have a few appointments over the next few weekends so hopefully that will help. Are boutiques faster than chain stores when it comes to getting the dresses on time? How long do alterations usually take?
Posted by Guin86[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>actually...boutiques usually take longer to get dresses in... somewhere like DB you can have your dress anywhere from 2 weeks to a couple of months. my dress is from a boutique- i ordered it before thanksgiving and its still not in, I dont expect it for another few months. Alterations depend on the store. I am all for getting a dress at DB, however just a warning I have hear nothing but BAD things about their alterations. I think you are on the right track with your appt's... I would order your dress ASAP. My BM dresses are from DB and I told the girls to order them by the end of may (as mentioned in PP they switch styles in the middle of the year).</div>

udream05 · February 2012

ya my friend bought her dress at David's bridal and was quite upset with their hem job, I remember my prom dress having the same issue too. My mom steered me away from there. My dress I ended up getting at a small boutique, but it was a one off that I think the style was discontinued so I bought the one in the store and they're supposed to have it cleaned and the beading all cleaned up. I've heard mixed reviews on the store I bought my dress at so I'm still a bit nervous. I'm also getting my bridesmaid dresses from there, they told us 3 months to get in and 2 months for alterations to be safe so no one has to rush so I told the girls to order by May. I'm getting married on Oct 7th too!!

elizanurse · February 2012

I ordered my Marisa dress (small designer, doesn't advertise) from a large but non-chain boutique in mid-January. They said it would be in sometime in June.

Chick&Guy · February 2012

I was told 6-9 months for dress delivery and to plan on 1-3 months for alterations depending on how many alterations you need and how much you get altered.

StephLove12 · February 2012

I jumped the gun and ordered my dress back in October. I just picked it up last week. I wish I would have waited a little longer, since I've got this massive dress taking up half my closet. It's also going to be very tempting to not play dress up in it every day.

Now is a good time to start looking at dresses. You obviously don't want to wait too long, especially if you need a lot of alterations.

You can wait a bit before doing bridesmaids dresses, but not too long. Unlike my dress, I waited too long to order my bridesmaids dress for a wedding I'm in during June. It'll be cutting it REALLY close, but thankfully I don't need any alterations on it.

I was told when my bridesmaids and I went to look at dresses last week that they should order no later than the end of May.

brainybrunette · February 2012

I ordered my dress in October and it came in the beginning of Feb. I went to a small boutique and the designer was Augusta Jones. I was told that this designer can take up to 6 months, so I was happy that I started dress shopping a year in advance. It actually took about 4 months, but I'm glad I gave myself plenty of wiggle room.

As far as bridesmaid's dresses, those usually don't take as long to come in. My bridesmaids live in different cities, so they ordered them from 3 different stores. All of the dresses are Alfred Angelo, black, long, and satin, but they could pick whatever style they wanted. 1 BM went to an actual Alfred Angelo store, her dress came in in 2 weeks, the others haven't come in yet (they were ordered in Jan).

Personally I would never go to David's Bridal. I've heard too many horror stories about them. Plus, I really don't like how the big box bridal stores make it harder for the small boutiques to stay in business. You usually get much better service at the smaller boutiques as well. I noticed this first hand when I went with the BM who ordered her dress from the Alfred Angelo store. We did not get the same level of service from there that my other BMs did at small boutiques. Also, the big box stores feel so industrial / generic to me. The boutique where I bought my dress was in an old Victorian house and the entire store was full of charm that really made you feel special. The Alfred Angelo store was in a strip mall and felt very cold.

ilebron07 · February 2012

it depends.. i order my dress in January and they told by april i should have it... got an email 2 weeks ago saying it was already to pick up.

the bms dress will take about 6 weeks ....

give yourself time

music11 · February 2012

My dress is supposed to take between 6-9 months (Casablanca dress from a small boutique), and BMs are less time, but I got them done just so I wouldn't stress about it. I would just try to do it ASAP.

Maids and My dress...how much time do I really need?

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