Congratulations on your engagement! Such an exciting time ahead for you with all the wedding preparations. One of the most popular questions we get asked by newly engaged brides is 'When should you start shopping for your wedding dress'?
Wedding dress shopping is definitely one of the most fun parts of wedding planning ( yes we may be biased but it is the truth!) It is a lovely memory to make with your nearest and dearest, choosing the most important dress of your life!
We thought we'd share some our insights and advice with you gals on when we think is the ideal time go shopping for your dream dress.
Many wedding dress brands can take up to eight months to arrive in store. Remember you will need to leave plenty of time for alterations before your wedding on top of this so shopping a year in advance allows you to have plenty of time for alterations and doesn’t limit your options from brands you can choose at. Most of the wedding dress brands we stock take considerably less than this to arrive in, but shopping at the year mark ensures you have full choice.
The latest wedding dress designs for the following year will be in the boutiques at this stage too. Generally the new spring/ summer collections for brides getting married the following year will be in the boutique by the spring, a year beforehand. Although there isn’t a considerable difference between seasons for wedding dresses, it's always nice to see the latest collections and emerging trends.
Each bride is different and we always recommend that come see us when you would like to get your dress and what feels right for you. Some brides are super organised and like to get their dress sorted as early as possible as they will stress about this closer to the time. The sooner you pick your wedding dress, the sooner it is in store and the more organised everything can be takes the stress out of those final weeks, reassured everything is perfect with your gown. We have brides that chose their gown 2 years in advance for this reason. If this sounds like us- you could book your visit anywhere between 12 and 24 months before your wedding. This is also a nice option for brides who would like to spread out the cost over a longer period of time and to avail of one of our payment plans.
Other brides worry about committing to a dress too early and are worried they will see something else in the meantime. This is fine too, just remember though that gowns can be discontinued or the sample can be sold off so if you love a dress, be sure to keep in touch with the boutique. Most brides that come to see us will find their dream dress on their first visit to us.
So which bride are you- would you like to have it picked so you are super organised and so you can spread the cost? If so we recommend coming to see us anywhere from 12-24 months before your wedding date.
Or does choosing your dress early scare you that you may not have seen everything? If this is you- we recommend coming to see us and choosing no later than 12 months to ensure everything is stress free.
Our final tip is to keep an eye out for events and designer trunk shows that might be happening that you'd like to go to also. We offer lots of fun wedding dress experience throughout the year, keep an eye out for these on our social media pages and by signing up to our mailing list.
And always remember, if you have an individual question or query, always feel free to get in touch, we are more than happy to help wherever we can! You can also make an appointment to come see us here.
Happy Planning!
Carole xx
