If you are newly engaged, wedding dress shopping might be one of the first tasks on your wedding planning to do list. As you are browsing online for wedding dress inspiration, you may be wondering how early you should start shopping for your bridal fashion and when you should order your wedding dress. We are going to be sharing all the insider knowledge about how long it takes to order a wedding dress so you can shop smart and have a stress-free wedding dress shopping experience.
If you are just beginning to shop for your wedding dress, we will help you learn everything you need to know about the timeline for ordering your wedding dress and how to avoid potential issues in the ordering process. If you are a bride who is getting married quickly, don’t worry, we’ll also share best tips for wedding dress options when you don't have much time to order a gown.
VIDEO: How Long Does It Take To Order A Wedding Dress?
As a newly engaged bride-to-be planning wedding dress shopping appointments, you might be wondering how long it takes to make a wedding dress and when you should be purchasing your bridal fashion. Tune in to our advice video sharing all the insider tips on how long it takes to order a wedding dress.
Final Sale
One of the most surprising things that brides learn when wedding dress shopping is how long it takes to order a wedding dress. So many brides shopping with us at Lovella haven’t realized the full process of ordering a wedding dress and that it can take many months to create a new wedding dress. Wedding dress shopping is not like going to your local department store where you can select your size off the rack and head home.
Wedding dresses are made to order so when you place your order with the designer, a brand new dress is being manufactured specifically for you. This is why wedding dresses, and even your bridal accessories, are going to be final sale items.
Shop A Year Early
On average, wedding dresses take 6 to 8 months to arrive in store after an order is placed. This timeline will vary slightly depending on the manufacturer and the specific dress itself, the fabric choice, the beading, and construction. Some designs may take longer than others, especially if you choose a dress that has handmade lace or hand sewn beading. Some dresses may be quicker to produce if they are more minimalist in their design.
A great rule of thumb to follow when shopping for your bridal dress is that it will take 6 to 8 months to receive your dress back at the bridal store after ordering. You also want to leave about 2 months for alterations before wedding day. So in an ideal world, you will be ordering your wedding dress a year before the wedding so there is plenty of time for delivery and alterations with zero stress. Get your order in early so you can check it off the planning to do list and move to the next task. It’s so much better to have your gown arrive early and be ready to go well before wedding day than be on a time crunch with alterations.
Quicker Timelines
Now if you are a bride who is shopping for their wedding dress on a shorter timeline, don’t despair. There are a few great options that your bridal stylist can help you with. Be sure to be open about your wedding date and the timeline you are working with. You don’t want to fall in love with a wedding dress that is definitely not available to you. Your bridal consultant will be able to tell you what dresses are available to you on your timeline.
Some designers offer rush fees so you may still be able to order a new dress with a rush fee to get the dress made quicker. This does require approval from the designer and sometimes that can happen during your appointment and other times it will take maybe a few days, if there is a time change or if they're in a different country. So there are different variables at play in this situation but know that paying for expedited manufacturing and delivery may be a solution for a particular dress.
Another great option for brides on a short timeline that don’t want to pay additional rush fees is to shop sample dresses. Sample wedding dresses are the inventory dresses that a bridal shop purchases for brides to try on during their shopping appointments. Many bridal stores will have a selection of sample gowns available for sale as they need to clear out inventory to make room for new collections. Sample sale dresses are available off the rack, ready to purchase. You can often get a good discount on a designer sample sale dress because they have been “used”. Sample gowns will still be in good condition as bridal stores want to keep their inventory looking great, but they won’t be in perfect condition as a brand new dress as brides have tried on the samples and worn them around the store.
Sample sale wedding dresses are also just a great option for brides on a budget, even if you have a year or more until your wedding day. If you find a great condition sample dress that fits your body, or will with proper alterations, then go for it!
In the end, the more time that you have, the more availability you're going to have of options. The less time you have until your wedding date, the more limited your options are going to be. But rest assured you will have options, and you will find that dress you love, no matter the timeframe.
Be Prepared To Buy
No matter your timeline when you are wedding dress shopping, you should always be prepared to say yes and buy the dress. We know it can be overwhelming to make a decision when there are so many choices, but if you find you love a dress and it makes you feel beautiful and confident, you should say yes.
We hear from so many of our brides worried about making a final decision a year or even two years before wedding day and thinking they will be missing out on other options. We recently discussed when bridal stores get new arrivals, and it’s important to know that what you see on the runways or social media of new collections won’t be available in store for another 6 months or so. Bridal stores have to place orders with designers just like brides do, so there is a waiting period on these new dresses. If you are wanting to be new and on trend, these dresses may not be available on your timeline.
We also see the other end of the spectrum. Brides who feel like they have so much time and are scared to commit to a dress to early. They may be shopping a year and a half before wedding day but decide they are going to wait another 6 months before making a decision. Maybe they fell in love with a dress but didn’t want to commit until a year before the wedding. 6 months can be a long time in the bridal fashion world. That dress you loved 6 months ago could be discontinued and no longer available for order and you might not love the newer designs now available in stores.
If it’s hard for you to make decisions, we like to tell brides to imagine a little scenario when trying on dresses. If you woke up tomorrow and were told this dress is no longer available, how do you feel? If you are really disappointed, you may have found your dress. If you feel so so about that, it’s time to keep looking. But if you imagine that the dress won’t be available and that upsets you, then you should purchase that dress and then it doesn’t even matter what new designs come out because you found your dream dress.
While bridal stores always have some new arrivals coming in, there are also wedding dresses that have been in the store for 3 to 5 years that are regularly purchased by brides. In bridal, new, old, fresh, the future, whatever you want to call it, it doesn't really matter. What matters is the dress and how it makes you feel. If you love the dress, if speaks to you, feel confident in the decision that it’s your wedding dress.
More Helpful Wedding Dress Shopping Advice
We hope you have found this advice helpful when it comes to understanding wedding dress timelines and how long it takes to order a wedding dress. For even more helpful advice when it comes to shopping for your dream wedding dress and finding your bridal style, be sure to check out our past posts:
- The Difference Between Wedding Dress Sample Sales & Trunk Shows
- When Do Bridal Stores Get New Arrival Dresses For Brides To Try On?
- Top Reasons Why Brides Second Guess Their Wedding Dress Decision
- What Does It Mean To Be Ready To Buy Your Wedding Dress?
About Lovella
If you're shopping for your perfect wedding dress, come visit us at Lovella Bridal in Glendale, CA. We carry wedding dresses in all sizes and styles, including plus-size bridal gowns and a full selection of veils and accessories. Lovella Bridal is the premier, luxury bridal wedding dress shopping boutique located in Los Angeles, California. Lovella features couture, feminine, modern and chic bridal gowns in all sizes from the best wedding dress designers. Schedule an appointment to find the wedding dress of your dreams at Lovella Bridal. We can't wait to help you!
About Wedding Fashion Expert
Our wedding dress shopping tips and advice are from Nayri, Lovella's own, in-house wedding fashion expert. Nayri is truly the expert when it comes to bridal fashion and wedding style. As the Wedding Fashion Expert, Nayri is the top bridal fashion stylist and the best-selling author of the book "I'm Getting Married And I Have Nothing To Wear," the ultimate guide to helping brides find their wedding day style and their perfect wedding dress. You can subscribe to her YouTube channel or listen to her podcast for more helpful and practical advice on wedding dress shopping.
