Wedding Dress Shopping

I went to my first appointment 11 months out and didn't expect to purchase anything but I found the one and just had to get it! I brought my Mom, MOH, grandmother and grandfather (he was the driver and I didn't want to exclude him.) I expected to have a few more shopping experiences that I would include my MIL for... She definitely isn't happy that she wasn't there for choosing the dress. She's been making snarky and passive aggressive comments ever since. That being said, my experience was wonderful and I'm glad I got to spend it intimately with my side!

I went 15 months before. My wedding is on June 1st and I went end of February 2018. I'd say the o Ly probably with going as early as I did was that I started to get dress regret or so I thought. I absolutely love my dress but I definitely started to get nervous about having second thoughts.
If you want to go at that ideal time I'd say around 1 year before, dresses take approximately 6-9 months to order, depending where you go sometimes less or more so you want to give your self a bit of time to find the dress as well as alteration time after it arrives around a month or more before the wedding.

I'm also getting married in October 2020 and I just bought my dress this past weekend. I too want to lose weight but I didn't want to put off dress shopping because of it. I brought my mom, my sister who is my MOH, my aunt, my sister in law and my mother in law.

I'd start with appointments around August-September this year - that way you do have some time to lose some weight but if you don't hit your target, don't worry!! It'll be much easier to take a dress in vs. letting one out so order the size are at the time of your appointment.

Usually appointments run from an hour to 1 1/2 hours long. I only took my mom, since she was the only one in town when I went dress shopping but you can bring as many or as few as you want! Others shouldn't get offended that they weren't invited.

Also, I brought my Mom, FMIL, my MOH and my bridesmaid. If I had to do it again, I’d just bring my mom because I was a little overwhelmed by everyone’s crankiness that day. My mom and FMIL as well as my MOH and bridesmaid were almost competing to see who would find ‘the dress’. That was the most overwhelming part, I think I only stuck to one style. If I went with only my mom I think I would have tried on many more styles and I don’t think I would have felt as rushed because my bridesmaid kept complaining that she was hungry.

I found and ordered my dress in June 2018 and three said about 8 months for it to come in, and it took 10 months for my dress to arrive. I suggest the sooner the better! You can always do alterations if need be. 🙂

I’m getting married this October, and went last October to find my dress. My mom isn’t here through the winter and I wanted her there. I ordered it in November, and it’s still not here. I was told it will be in by the end of the month. Not panicking as I still have 4 months, but I’m definitely glad I decided to order early.

Have fun finding your perfect dress! It’s been my favourite moment so far since getting engaged.

When I was calling around about appointments they all said that it was usually 1-1.5 hours. When I went I brought my bridal party of 3 with me and it was a good size group to have.

It was always recommended to go around the 10-12 month mark cause it usually takes 6-8 months to get the dress in and then you want to allow times for alterations.

I went in April 2018, my dress came in super early and actually arrived August 2018 which surprised even the staff that it was so quick. Then when I called my alterations place they recommended I make my first appointment for February 2019 and it would all be ready by my wedding in May

If you call the places they can tell you how far out they recommend going in for your appointment and everything.

The average appointment time that I had for a bride was between an hour to an hour and a half.

I only brought my mom and my sister (MOH). The more people you bring the more opinions you need to deal with which can be frustrating.

My FMIL didn’t care that she wasn’t invited which worked out cause she won’t like my dress I don’t think.

I'd start shopping in September if I were you. That way you can try dresses on without feeling rushed. Hopefully by then you will be at the weight you want to be at, so the process will be easier. As for how many people to bring, I brought just my mom and sister since it kept things simple and easy, without having too many opinions flying.

It really depends on the stores you are going to, and the designers you are choosing. My dress took 12 weeks to come in. I bought it in June of last year, and it came in the end of September. In between buying my dress, and getting it I had lost almost 20lbs, so the dress is a bit big on me. I am now almost 30lbs down and i just have this feeling that I will need a lot of alterations. But the way I look at it, its better to take away material, than having to add more! I wouldn't put it off past your 1 year out mark just to give you enough time.

The salon I went to had a 4 person max as it was small. So I brought my Grandma, My Sister (MOH), Step Mom and FMIL. It is your day, so do not feel bad for not asking someone to come. The less is better because then you don't have too many opinions, but at the same time you want to bring people who will give you honest opinions. Pick who you are closest with, and who you really want to be there to find the dress! Everyone else should be understanding!