“I’m engaged! And we’ve set an official date – 18 months from now. When should I (or when can I?!) start looking for my dress?!” – Deirdre
From the Experts
Abellé Bridal – View Profile
Hi Deirdre, firstly congratulations on your engagement. Whenever you feel ready to go wedding dress shopping do!! Depending on the designer you select your gown could take anywhere from 4-10 months+ to come in store. I would suggest you go approx. one year before, take your time, try on lots of different styles and fits. When you narrow your search down to that one perfect dress, I always suggest you place your order, it’s one big job ticked off your list and, depending on the store involved, they will store your dress until you are ready to start your fittings. When you have your dress selected you can then start on your bridesmaids etc…
Bridal Boutique Cork – View Profile
Most brides buy their dresses about a year ahead of their day. If you start shopping at the 18 month point you’ll more than likely find a dress that you love but feel that you shouldn’t buy it yet. This can cause confusion and frustration. I generally tell people that if you’re shopping, do it with the intention of buying if you find the dress. Don’t leave it behind because you set yourself a timetable to shop in. You’ll regret it and may never get the same feeling in a dress again.
Belleza Bridal – View Profile
Congratulations on setting your date! In a nutshell it’s best to wait until you are serious about purchasing and in the position to do so. You may not find your dream dress straight away but you will be able to get ideas. But if you do find ‘The One’ quicker than expected you are better to order as soon as possible in case your dream gown is discontinued. This will be out of your bridal shops control as this would come from the designer themselves and can happen for many reasons, for example simply not being able to source a certain fabric or trim any more. Usually designers will honour pending orders with shops giving a small amount of time to get the last of the orders in. If you happen to have your order pending on maybe your measurement or final deposit for example this will give your bridal shop the time to call you and let you know you need to come into them sooner than expected. Also bridal shops will always be asked by the bride how long do I need to give for ordering or how long they can hold off but it’s always good to allow extra time. All lead times you will be advised of are only estimates and sometimes designers will have ‘busy seasons’ or something like the weather can delay delivery – do you remember the ash cloud? Also your seamstress may want you to come for extra fittings and you won’t want this all falling on the week running up to your wedding. At least if you have allowed lots of time you can sit back and relax with the knowledge that any postal strike won’t effect your dress and you have your seamstress appointments lined up.
Photo via Style Me Pretty, Photo by Judy Pak Photography
