Are you recently engaged and wondering when to buy your wedding dress? For some brides, wedding dress shopping is number one on the wedding planning priority list. For others, wedding dress shopping can feel like a daunting task.
Is there such a thing as saying "yes!" to your dress too early? When is it too late? Should you order a dress or buy off the rack? We've got the answers! Keep reading for our recommendations on the right time to purchase your perfect wedding dress.
What if you have less than a year before the wedding?
No worries! A year or more is the ideal timeframe to purchase your special order wedding gown, but if you have less time that doesn't mean you HAVE to purchase a sample off-the-rack. Plenty of designers are on a standard 6-7 month production timeline; 12-18 months just gives you a little cushion.
Additionally, many designers offer rush production options which can get dresses made in 3-4 months (remember, you still need time for alterations once the dress arrives). Rush production can cost anywhere from 10%-30% of the price of the dress. When you're looking at dresses that cost a couple thousand dollars, that is a significant amount! Depending on how close the gown arrives to your wedding date, your seamstress may also charge rush fees to do the work in a tighter timeframe.
Our recommendation on when to buy your wedding dress: Do so as early as possible to avoid extra charges!
Is there a best time of year to buy a wedding dress?
New wedding dress collections debut every April and October (although not every designer releases two collections a year) and begin appearing in stores about five months later. If you're a bride with the luxury of time, you may be able to start shopping as the new dresses are arriving in stores. Because of social media, brides get to see the new collections at the same time as retailers (sometimes even before the retailer!).
If you're interested in a dress that was just released, know that it will not be available to try on for another five months or so. Because of this, we still recommend buying your wedding dress based on your own wedding timeline rather than the time of year when new collections debut.
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