When should I start trying on dresses?

[lilylover]

Our wedding date is June 6th, 2010. I know that I could start whenever I want, but when is the best time? When did you start? I don''t want to feel like I am doing it too soon.

Also, my sister, who is my MOH has expressed that I better bring her with me when I go. Truth is, I really don''t want her going. She is very opinionated and influential and I am worried that she will sway me into something that I don''t really like. Her feelings will definitely be hurt if I don''t bring her, though.. Advice?

Thanks!

 

[JerseyGrl81]

I think you should start going now. It will help to get an idea of the style you are looking for. You don''t have to bring your sister when you first start looking, but bring her along after you have an idea of what you want.

 

[katamari]

I wouldn''t go before you have a venue selected and an overall "feel" for your wedding. But, once you have that selected, it should be fine to start looking. Congrats on your engagement!

 

[lala2332]

Date: 7/26/2009 1:06:27 PM
Author: katamari
I wouldn''t go before you have a venue selected and an overall ''feel'' for your wedding. But, once you have that selected, it should be fine to start looking. Congrats on your engagement!

I agree with Kat....wait until you have the feel for the type of wedding.

Don''t take your sister with you if it will make it impossible for you to make a decision on what you want, or at least take someone else to help counter her opinions.

I started looking in March 2009 for my Jan 2010 wedding. I ordered the dress May 1st. I picked four stores and went to 1 and 2 on one day, and then a couple of weeks later went to 3 and 4. I liked dresses from stores 2 and 3. I got measured at store 3.
So I went back to store 2 the next day, that way both were fresh in my mind. i got measured at store 2 and went home and slept on it for a week or so. I called and ordered the dress from store 2 in May and haven''t regretted the decision once.
I think its important to limit how many places you go and how many dresses you try. there is so much out there it can be overwhelming. There was a 5th store that I really wanted to try, but I ended up picking store 4 instead. and while store 5 may have an absolutly beautiful dress that would have been perfect, I LOVE my dress and am glad that I didn''t confuse the situation with too many options!

Good luck....its fun, but not as fun as I expected it to be.

 

[Amanda.Rx]

I don''t think it''s ever too soon. My wedding is April 2010, and I bought my dress May 2009. So far, it''s proven to be a really good thing. Once you start looking at cakes, invitations, & flowers, everyone wants to know "what is your dress like"? Now, I can actually SHOW them!

Just be aware- once you buy something, be happy with it. You can''t return it, and if you find something you like better at a later date, you''ll have 2 dresses or wish you hadn''t bought one so soon. I''m not a very picky person, so I''m happy with my purchase, but there have been a lot of other brides post about wanting the other dress after they bought!

The more you can do early on, the more stress it will save you later, is what I feel!

 

[Amanda.Rx]

And about your MOH... that''s something you''ll have to discuss with her. I had every intention of bringing everyone dress shopping with me, but then found a rack & sample sale one weekend & just decided to take my mom and go. That''s when I bought mine. I told the girls that I was really sorry, but I just couldn''t pass up on the sale!

I promised to take them bridesmaid dress shopping & then out for cocktails so we could spend time together, since they missed out on the wedding gown process.

You could always just "go look" with her one day at maybe just one store. Then, go back out by yourself (or with whomever you want to take) to give yourself some non-pressured shopping time. It''s your dress, buy what YOU like!

 

[ficklefaye]

i bought my dress this jan for my oct wedding. by this time, i already had my venue booked so i had an idea of what type of dress i wanted. i was going to dress shop a little later but i kept hearing things like, oh your dress will take six months or more to arrive, you better get it now. well it turns out it didn''t take as long as i thought and it''s just sitting in my closet waiting for alterations and steaming

i did a majority of my dress shopping on my own, trying on dresses that i liked and dresses that the saleswoman chose for me that were always a bit different, when i narrowed it down to the dresses i want, i brought my cousin with me for her opinion, by then i had already made a decision so it was just her confirming my choice

 

[ficklefaye]

so i agree with what others have said, maybe narrow down your choices so if you do bring MOH, then she doesn''t sway you in a completely different direction, it''s your dress, so hopefully she is opinionated but in a supportive and productive way

 

[mayachel]

As far as when, well...about a month after I booked my venue, I bought my dress. That was May 2009-getting married in August 2010!

Basically, I would suggest that with you MOH...take her out shopping for a day ASAP. Then she can get it out of her system, you''ll have had a chance to try it out (it can feel overwhelming pretty quickly). Take a break for a few weeks or so and then you can feel free to go back, or elsewhere on your own. MOH never need know and your friendship stays intact.

 

[Prana]

I agree with katamari that you should choose your venue first, at least before you buy a dress. Not sure if you have a venue? I think that it is somewhat important that you have a feel for what your wedding will be like before choosing a dress. and as far as your moh/sister goes, I would do what others have suggested and go by yourself to try stuff on so that you know what you like ahead of time, then invite her when you are planning on actually buying.

 

[Londongirl1]

I don't think it's too early to look at dresses but my wedding venue definitely influenced my choice of dress. I'm getting married in a botanical garden so I chose a dress made of silk and lace with no train but if I were getting married in church I would have chosen something slightly different (still not big and poofy, but definitely different)

 

[princessplease]

I started the weekend after I got engaged, and my wedding (at the time) wasn''t until October. I purchased my dress in May, with my wedding date being July ''10. I knew the dress was ''the'' dress, and I couldn''t let it go out of season, so I bought it. My bridal shop is holding it for me until alteration time in April.

 

[laughwithme]

I would go sooner rather than later and, as PP have said, only after you know the general feel of your day - if you''re going for a country club/outdoor/summery elegance feel, then a huge poofy ballroom gown probably won''t fit in too well. If you''re getting married in an enormous ballroom with plated meal and passed canapes, maybe a flowy sheath dress would look out of place.

FWIW, I''m getting married 6-26-2010. I booked my reception venue (a country club) in June and knew exactly the wedding "feel" that I wanted. I began shopping with a couple BMs in May (two months ago,) tried on roughly 50 dresses before I found the "one," and ordered it this past week. It is scheduled to be delivered first week of December. It will sit at the bridal shop for 6 months, be pressed and steamed, and ready to go for the big day. Low stress in my opinion - I''m so glad I did it early.

 

[cindygenit]

I got my dress WAY in advance (before the venue was booked)...

On your wedding day, all that matters is that you''re wearing the dress of your dreams. So the venue shouldn''t sway your dress choices in any way. Wear what your heart desires

.

If you want to wear quite an elaborate dress, i suggest going abt 8 months in advance, which gives you 2 months to look around and 6 months for the shop to order and alter.

If your dress is simpler it probably won''t take such a long time to order. I got my dress in a sale so none of this really applies to me but the information i gave you was told to me by the sales assistant of one of the bridal shops i visited.

I unserstand that you don''t want to bring your MOH but she will be hurt if you don''t bring her. I did that and my MOH was really upset (but she got over it . In saying that, she is your MOH for a reason, and if u just explain to her your reason, i''m sure she would understand.

 

[bee*]

I ordered my dress last November for my June wedding. I''d go shopping by yourself first or with someone who is not your MOH and then when you narrow it down a bit you can take your MOH to see them.

 

[Luckyeshe]

Date: 7/26/2009 10:39:15 PM
Author: cindygenit
I got my dress WAY in advance (before the venue was booked)...

On your wedding day, all that matters is that you''re wearing the dress of your dreams. So the venue shouldn''t sway your dress choices in any way. Wear what your heart desires

.

If you want to wear quite an elaborate dress, i suggest going abt 8 months in advance, which gives you 2 months to look around and 6 months for the shop to order and alter.

If your dress is simpler it probably won''t take such a long time to order. I got my dress in a sale so none of this really applies to me but the information i gave you was told to me by the sales assistant of one of the bridal shops i visited.

I unserstand that you don''t want to bring your MOH but she will be hurt if you don''t bring her. I did that and my MOH was really upset (but she got over it . In saying that, she is your MOH for a reason, and if u just explain to her your reason, i''m sure she would understand.

I agree with cindy. I know what I want to wear and I don''t have my venue booked yet. I know that I want a garden wedding and I want something simple with a very small train or no train. I think you can go wedding dress shopping now just to have a look around because sometimes when you try something on that you think you''ll like you could be surprised and realize it''s not quite for you.

For my first time wedding dress shopping, I had 8 different people with me....Everyone had their own opinions and wanted me to get one particular dress. There were only suppose to be 4 girls (mom, moh, bm, and aunt) but I ended up with 3 additional so you can imagine how crazy it was. I did this, because I wanted the ladies to know that they were special to me and I wanted them there for my first dress shopping experience. The same holds true for the additional 3. But now that it''s over....I''m shopping by myself!! Just bring your moh with you for the first time, but then go with others you are comfortable with the next time you go dress shopping. Never buy a dress that you think you''re being "forced" to buy. It''s your dress. You have love it. Good luck, lily!