Choosing my dress - how soon is too soon?

There is no harm in trying dresses on early. I would just bare in mind that if you go too early, you may change your mind in what you want, once you decide on specific details. For example, if you go for a summer wedding, you may want to avoid long sleeves. Unless you have decided on these things, just be wary about getting something too soon.

That being said, if you intend on shopping in a bridal shop the average wait for a dress to come in is 10-12 months and then your dress will need alterations. So I would advised shopping for a dress just over a year before your wedding to make sure it arrives in time and you have time to get any alterations that you need.

First thing I did was get a mood board together, so I could show the bridal shop the things I liked. Turns out I went with something completely different to what I thought I wanted haha

Agree with Kristy, it is easy to get caught up in the excitement and do things early but over time you may change your mind,. I would make sure you have the style, theme and colour scheme locked in and you are 100% before committing, I have heard people buying their dress years in advance and then booking a venue that they feel the dress style doesn't fit so changed their mind. If it were me I would wait until I have booked a date and venue, as you said you are waiting to save I would worry that you may end up pushing your date out and then styles may change or you see something else and have doubts, don't wont to be a downer, but honestly, from experience i think you should wait.

Thank you, I’m a larger bride and therefore my dress choices are limited so I’ve been scoping out the places I’m my area and have found a few. There is a certain style that I love the look of but unsure whether it will suit me so was contemplating going to try it on and see how I feel then looking properly in the new year but was wondering whether this is worth it or not?

View quoted message Thank you for the advice. It’s really helpful.

View quoted message That’s great. Thank you. I have a mood board and have some ideas I like which is why I wanted to try styles now so I know my options. I don’t want to become dress blind

View quoted message Yeah definitely. I would say just go in with an open mind. I was dead set on lace sleeves and ended up falling in love with a sleeveless corset dress.


Also you will be surprised about the number of stresses and styles for curvy brides. I am also a plus size and initially thought I'd be restricted in choice, but there were so so many in the shop I went to. I tried on about 10 before finding my one 😊

View quoted message I am open minded, I know the things I don’t want rather than what I do or at least what I think I don’t lol 😂 I have always been decisive and I trust my gut instinct immensely so I’m looking forward to it.


I also quite like the idea of lace sleeves but am happy for sleeveless too. Corset back has always been on my want list.
That’s great to know. Thank you Kirsty. I’m so glad I’ve spoken with you 😘

View quoted message Thats okay 😊


Dress shopping was so much fun! It was so special trying on lots of dresses! I'm sure you will love it too 😊

It’s never too soon to try on dresses! I’m getting married October 2023 and bought my dress last month! I had begun looking at dresses around April this year

Absolutely not too soon! Trying on a dream dress now is such a fun, low-pressure way to celebrate your engagement. You’ll get a feel for what flatters you, save that inspo for later, and it’s just a lovely excuse to soak up this exciting time—go for it!