When to buy a dress?

I first went to look for dresses in September 2021 and I’m getting married this July. I bought the dress in sept, we paid a deposit and they ordered it in telling me it would arrive in mid March which it has. Once they had taken delivery of the dress at the shop we were asked to pay the balance on the dress. All alterations are then a separate contract between you and the seamstress. We are free to use theirs or our own. I’ve booked to see their seamstress at the end of April which will be my first fitting and 7 months since I first tried it on. So these are my timelines and my experience to help you gauge when to go.
So I think I would go earlier to be honest with you. I was looking 10 months before the wedding I suppose.
Good luck! It’s so exciting

Ah thank you so much for this, that’s helpful. I was planning to pay the full amount in October which is why I was curious about the deposits and looking earlier would mean I wouldn’t have the full amount to spend but a deposit would be fine.


Definitely need to change my appointment by the sounds of things and your timeline as a base. Think I’ll go for June/July. Good luck trying your dress again in April, hope it’s everything you want it to be ☺️

We’re getting married in July 2023, and I’ve booked my first wedding dress appointments for beginning of May. I’ve been reading that the wait times are delayed atm for the made-to-order ones, and I know I’m an indecisive person, plus I can go only really go on Saturdays which you have to book a few weeks in advance in my area, so I just kept adding on more & more buffer time.

I’ve probably over-egged it a bit but I prefer to have more time than need to be pressured by a last min decision.

Good luck & have fun with the shopping! 🙂

I would go earlier if you can. I got engaged in the October, went dress shopping a couple of weeks after that for a June wedding and was told I'd need to be ordering within the next few days.

It will be less stressful if you can go in August or September as you know you have a few weeks to find a dress, instead of knowing you have to decide immediately.

Thank you all for your input. After much messing around trying to find a Saturday when people I want there were available, the only date I could get was May 28th, safe to say I’m not prepared (goes to order the best Spanx available) haha.

We're getting married in May 2023 and I have first Dress appointment early May 2022. I have no clue if this is too early or too late! I'm going with it though. Have fun.

This is the same ish time frame as me. We just got engaged and are planning for next June. I hope to go dress shopping in September as I want to lose a stone before then! (I was already doing this anyway!) I also hope I’ve not left it too late! I’m hoping to have a bit more of an off the peg / budget approach though. Good luck! 😊

My wedding is also June 2023 and I went dress shopping last weekend. There is quite a long wait on getting dresses ordered and delivered. I found my dress last weekend and ordered it and it wont arrive until March 2023 and then I will need at least 3 dress fittings for it to be altered.

If you are planning on ordering in a dress from a bridal shop then you may need to go sooner to make sure it arrives in time. If you are happy to buy off the rack, which means you buy sale items or former samples, you will take your dress home the day you go shopping, so you can leave it a little longer before you go.

As for deposits for dresses ordered in, I had to put down a 50% deposit for my dress and I will pay the remainder when I pick it up in March. Dress alterations are about £150 on top of this.

I am currently loosing weight and wondered about if my dress will be too big next year, but the bridal shop said most dresses can be altered up to 3 dress sizes smaller. A-line and ballgowns are the easiest to make significantly smaller.

Hope this helps

We are getting married in November 23, I looked online at local dress shops took screenshots of ones I liked and then made an appointment (july 2022) at one shop to check out a few dresses, I knew the type I wanted (lacy was out as I would be furious if I snagged it) so the first screenshot I took was the first dress I wanted to try as this was my idea of what I wanted, 5 dresses, one toilet roll cover and one that made me look like an easter egg later I went back to my first choice, deposit paid the dress won't be here until April 23 and then it will be altered and I can pay off the dress in full in April or pay her by bank transfer every month. Great service and fab staff