We are back with more helpful wedding dress timeline and logistical advice from our Wedding Fashion Expert. Today we're giving you all the advice on when to begin shopping for your wedding dress, plus everything brides need to know about wedding dress ordering. At Lovella we are' bridal stylists and we have the best job in helping women feel beautiful and confident in the most important
article of clothing they will ever wear - a wedding dress!
We are giving you all the need-to-know details about when to start shopping for your wedding dress and when to order your wedding dress so that there is no stress. Ultimately, we want you to have as much choice as possible when it comes to your wedding dress. This is why knowing when to start shopping and trying on your dress is so important. We have found that many brides just don’t know how long it can take for a wedding dress to be ordered, created, and delivered. Also, many brides don't know how long wedding dress alterations can take.
We are here to give you all these answers and even more! We want to make finding your dream wedding dress a smooth and easy process for you. Wedding planning can be hard enough, so we're here to make your bridal style the easy part!
Video: When Should I Start Wedding Dress Shopping?
This blog post has all of the information that brides need about shopping for a wedding dress when it comes to ordering timelines. However, we know that many of you like to watch your planning advice. Our Wedding Fashion Expert has a helpful video outlining everything brides need to know about wedding dress ordering timelines...
Timelines
Wedding planning can already be a stressful task, so don’t add to this by waiting to begin your wedding dress shopping journey. Do not delay. Your bridal style and finding a wedding dress is a wedding planning task that should be moved to the top of your priority list. Wedding dresses take on average six to eight months to order, depending on the designer and manufacturer. In a perfect world, you should begin your wedding dress shopping experience one year before your wedding date.
Your wedding dress order may come in early, or it may arrive late. There is a lot of dress shopping advice that says that six to eight months before your wedding is a good time to order your dress. But, this is just an average timeline. We don't want you to panic or stress out in any way when it comes to your bridal style. Give yourself a year before your wedding date to shop for your wedding gown and to have plenty of time for your dress' delivery and then its alterations.
In a perfect world, you are shopping for your dress one year before your wedding. When you have one year before your wedding to shop, you will not be limited on options. There will be no limit on delivery dates, color options, dress options, and size options. You will have the most to choose from if you start shopping one year before your wedding date.
There was a time that you could place a rush order on your wedding dress. Due to the pandemic, many of our dress designers are no longer offering rush deliveries, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to make appointments with bridal salons and to begin your shopping.
If you want more wedding dress shopping advice, be sure to check out our post and video with five common wedding dress shopping mistakes to avoid.
Be Confident
Are you putting off shopping for your wedding dress? Are you delaying shopping for your dream dress, because maybe you don't feel great?
We know that a lot of brides delay the wedding dress shopping experience because they want to lose weight or they're not 100 percent confident in their bodies. They want to wait as much as they possibly can to be able to lose weight before trying on wedding dresses. Delaying your dress shopping is a mistake. We are here to encourage you to begin wedding dress shopping as soon as you can.
If you go try on wedding dresses while you are at your least confident within yourself and you happen to find a wedding gown that makes you feel beautiful in your own skin, it's only going to be even better if and when you lose the weight. We say "if and when" because you may not lose the weight or you might decide months later that you're actually really confident, feel beautiful, and it was just the wedding planning anxiety that made you feel you should be at a certain bodyweight or your body should look a certain way.
Consider how you feel when you are in the wedding dress. It’s like when you get dressed up for a night out on the town. An amazing outfit can be all the confidence boost you need - and a wedding dress is the most amazing outfit you will wear!
For more on body image and feeling your best, be sure to read our advice and watch our video with tips for wedding dress shopping while you're losing weight. We also have some helpful advice on what to do if you're self-conscious about your arms and stomach on your wedding day.
Dress Alterations
We'd be remiss if we didn't talk about wedding dress alterations when it comes to timelines. You'll need to factor in times for alterations as all wedding dresses need alterations. It is rare that we find a wedding dress that doesn't need some sort of alteration, including a hem to make it shorter or adding a strap to make you feel more comfortable.
Wedding dress alterations usually happen two months before your wedding date. You want your body to be as close to where you will be on your wedding day. Ideally, you are timing your alterations schedule to exactly month increments so your body will be in the same place during your cycle as you will be on your wedding day.
Don’t Panic, You Have Options
For any bride reading this and panicking that you have less than a year before your wedding, take a deep breath. There is no need to panic if you haven't started shopping one year before your wedding. Perhaps bridal salons have been telling you that they will not be able to order dresses for you on time. We are here to tell you that you do have some options.
Sample sale wedding gowns are available for brides short on time before their wedding. Be sure to check out our video on what is a sample wedding dress sale and how does it work for all the details on sample sales. Check with the dress shops in your area to find out when their sample sales are, and book an appointment, as it is a great option for brides who need a dress on a shorter timeline.
In addition to a sample sale, there are some wedding dress designers that are still allowing rush deliveries for an additional fee.
Be Transparent About Your Date
It is very important to be honest about your wedding date with your bridal stylist and wedding dress shop. Some brides may think that if they lie about their wedding date, the shop will get the wedding dress for you sooner, but that is not the case.
If you say your wedding date is actually earlier than it is, you are going to limit the wedding dress options that are available to you. At Lovella, we know what is possible within in all timeframes and we will be fully transparent with you about whether we can get a wedding dress to you on time or not. Our bridal stylists will not show a bride a wedding gown with an ordering timeline beyond her wedding date. You can really miss out on some amazing wedding dresses if you are not honest about your wedding date.
Lying about your wedding date creates confusion. Your wedding dress stylist will be able to best serve you if you are open and honest about your schedule and timeline.
Be Prepared To Feel Confident
When you go wedding dress shopping, be prepared to spend the money and buy your wedding dress at your appointment. You never know when you'll find the dress of your dreams and it usually happens when you least expect it. If you walk away from a dress and then later say "yes" to the dress, it can be complicated to finalize your order via email or over the phone. There are many logistics to ordering your wedding dress. To avoid confusion, you should really say "yes" to the wedding dress while you are wearing the dress, and while you are at the bridal salon.
For more on how to prep for wedding dress shopping, be sure to check out our advice and video on wedding dress purchasing logistics and all about dress shop appointments.
We always encourage our brides to take photos of themselves while trying on wedding dresses. This is a great way to get another perspective of the wedding dress, but you also need to consider how the wedding dress makes you feel. If you leave the bridal salon and are only relying on the photos, you’ll be looking at something that is not the final wedding day look. You will forget how you felt in the dress and that is the most important component of wedding dress shopping. You must feel beautiful and confident in the wedding gown.
When you feel beautiful in something you walk a certain way, you talk a certain way, you smile a certain way and you stand a certain way. Your entire demeanor changes. You should consider all of these things when you're saying "yes" to the dress.
No Regrets
Our best advice for wedding dress shopping and ordering is to say "yes" to your wedding dress about a year before your wedding, and say "yes" to the wedding dress while you're in or wearing the dream dress, while you're connected to that feeling.
There is less of a chance for regrets and remorse with your wedding gown purchase when you choose your dress based on how you felt in the dress at that moment of "yes."
It’s normal to go home and look back on the photos and have some doubts and wonder if you made the right decision. A wedding dress is a monumental purchase and one that is being done so far in advance of your wedding date. If you make your wedding dress decision based on how you felt in the moment, we know you will be reminded of that feeling and why you purchased that wedding dress when you get to try it on again.
Remember, it all comes down to the moment that you zip up your wedding dress on your wedding day. It will set your tone and your mood for the day, and we want all of our brides to feel beautiful and confident on their wedding day!
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.
