Dress Shopping with covid

Do you have any idea of which designer or dress you want? If it's a designer or line that's exclusive to Kleinfeld Toronto then you should contact them to see what the lead time is for that particular designer. By the time things reopen, the lead time may not be enough for them if they require a longer time (9-12 months minimum) but they'll be able to let you know what the options are for rush orders and if that designer can make it happen.

You could try a bridal salon that is offering at home try-ons, where you do a virtual consultation to select 4-5 options and then pick them up from the store to try at home then bring them back. Most of those locations make you pay an appointment fee and deposits which you lose if you don't end up buying one of their dresses. In Toronto, Felichia Bridal is offering this and also has a lot of dresses you can buy online (virtual "off the rack"). Sash & Bustle is also doing it according to their Facebook page, and so is The Gown in Newmarket. Amanda-Lina's in Vaughan was doing it before but I don't see it on their website anymore so you might have to call and see.

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The timeline varies depending on the designer. One of the designers I fell in love with at Kleinfeld (Rita Vinieris) has a minimum lead time of 12 months which effectively eliminated a lot of those dresses for me when things shut down and I wasn't able to shop around until 8-9 months out! That seems like a safe amount of time for most designers, but it really depends.

I’m clearly out of the loop I had no idea there was a kleinfeld in Toronto! So sorry about that. What some stores are doing now is allowing you to try on dresses at home, you usually pay around $100 and can take a few dresses. They provide you with clips and pins to get the idea of how the dress will look. I know it’s a bit of a pain and not the ideal situation but it is an option.

I would cancel the appointment as Kleinfeld and go to a local shop. There are so many great options here and I’m just not sure it’ll be worth it to travel during Covid and have to isolate for two weeks when you get back. It’s so hard planning a wedding right now you don’t need that extra stress.

What kind of timeline did Kleinfeld say they require for getting a dress? Assuming you find something you like within the first few visits, how much time will they need after to get you the dress that you can wear down the aisle?

I'd be worried if it's like 8+ months or something (in which case, I think it's best for you to find alternative options on boutiques). If it's something like 4 months, I wouldn't stress yet.