Wedding planning is an arduous task. Finding the perfect wedding dress is an additional process on its own. What does the timeline look like for this? We recommend starting the search for your dress right after you decide on your venue. Will your ceremony or reception be indoors or outdoors? What time of year will you be getting married? Completing the purchase nine months before your big day will give you enough time for multiple fittings and necessary alterations.
If you’re like me, you probably have an idea of the type of dress that you have pictured yourself wearing on your wedding day. As crazy as it sounds, there’s a good chance that the style you once thought you’d love isn’t going to be the dress you’ll end up picking. We suggest you go in with an open mind when you are trying on dresses and grab a few of each style because you never know what might really look best on your body type! Don’t feel pressured to settle on a dress after visiting one boutique; make a few appointments and explore all of your options.
If you want to skip this step completely because you don’t not even want to spend time going into a store or maybe you already have a very specific idea of the dress you want to wear – there is another option for you! Online boutiques for custom wedding dresses have been popping up for a while now and allow you to send in your measurements, a sketch of what you are looking for, etc. without having to leave your home! A few suggestions for these online boutiques: https://www.dressanomalie.com/ or https://www.laceandliberty.com/
When it comes to your wedding party ensembles, this should begin about seven to eight months before your wedding date. Groom and groomsmen suits or tuxes can be scheduled around the five month mark. Remember for bridesmaids dresses you need to decide on colors, material, and style for your ladies to choose from. Will your bridesmaids need to purchase all of their dresses from the same store? Keep in mind that certain designers use a certain shade of fabric, so if you want to keep all of your bridesmaids coordinated be sure to consider that going with different designers may result in mismatched shades of dresses.
Finally, don’t forget that you will also need outfits for any pre-wedding events like brunches, showers, and rehearsals. Check out our style guide for outfit ideas for these events!
