It can’t be as hard as this to buy a wedding dress

[ElephantGrey101]

I am getting married this time next year. I thought a whole year would be loads of time to choose a dress but apparently not. I want to lose a bit of weight before the wedding not too much but I have put on a bit of weight since having a baby ( who is now a toddler).

The wedding dress shop I spoke to said I need to order a dress about a year in advance because it takes time to order the dress in. They will order a standard dress size then I need to find my own seamstress to take the drsss up and that will take weeks.

Is this normal? It must be easier than this. I am going to end up with the wrong size. I looked at high street wedding dresses but you need to order them online.

Can you go into a shop and try on a wedding dress and take it home without any drama?

I have a really big bust so lots of things don’t fit me well.

A lot of wedding dress shops have their own seamstress so I would look at somewhere you can have the alterations done in house. I think it's more unusual that a wedding dress shop would tell you to sort out your own alterations.

Online?

Have you only been to one shop? They should order you the correct size but you would either need to then find yourself someone to alter it or some shops have their own staff that do alterations. Which you then have to pay for.

You can’t just walk in and out with a dress unless they’re willing to sell you a sample. Unless I’m reading wrong I don’t quite understand your expectations about that.

Make an appointment, go to more than one shop and try various styles on.

I was surprised when I started looking that you can’t even go to try on without an appointment in most places! Eventually I found dresses where I liked the top and not the skirt so we found a local designer who made one to my brief.
They’re used to people losing weight through the process so as long as it’s not too dramatic a change you should be fine.
Could this be an option, depending on your budget?

I'm not sure if its the norm these days but it wasn't when I married. But then again, it was a long time ago.

I went into a well known wedding dress shop, found my dress and it was a little too big for me. I was a pretty standard size 12 at the time. So I had a dress ordered for me in the size I was and then when it came in, she called me, and I went back and they did a fitting. They then had their own seamstress at the shop who then did the alterations for me. Once done they called me back in to try it on again and just make sure it fit and didn't need further small alterations before the day. It did need one further small alteration so I went away again and then went back for my 'final fitting' at which point it fit perfectly and they then prepared it for me to take home with me and I paid my final payment at that point also.

Like I said, this was almost 20 years ago though but I was very well taken care of and the shop was professional and prompt.

The shop also had a 'rack' with dresses that you could buy and take home the same day. But obviously if it didn't fit you would need to find your own seamstress to make the alterations for you. Again, I am not sure if shops have this kind of thing these days.

I would look somewhere else. A lot of places have their own seamstresses in house.

I got married 20 years ago so things may have changed, but I would have thought a year to find your perfect dress would be plenty of time. Good luck x

Have you got a Wed2B near you? They have them all on the rail by size and you can take them the same day ☺️

I think you need to visit several dress shops and get an idea of what you want and what suits you. The dress you think you want is often different to the dress you buy.

There are outlet shops that sell dresses you can take home, but it depends on the size they have in stock. If you find one, you go back a few weeks before the wedding to see if it needs adjustment. They’re usually cheaper because they may be last season.

Otherwise you find the dress you want, they order it in your size and you have it fitted to you before the wedding.

I hated wedding dress shopping so much that I found a local seamstress to make my dress for me, to my design and my measurements. I had an initial meeting, then a couple of fittings. So much easier for me, no more expensive (in fact cheaper than most of the dresses I was looking at) and she also made my bridesmaid dresses.

This is normal but places can usually recommend a seamstress.

You say yourself that you won’t be easy to fit, so does it really make sense to you for a shop to stock a wide range of dress choices in all sizes when each dress costs hundreds?

Off the rack is possible but you’d still want to find a seamstress.

This whole ‘it takes a year’ is a big massive con.

How many shops have you been too? Most have their own seamstress, buying them off the rack is possible in some shops like outlet ones, but you’d still need to find a seamstress to adjust it to fit you properly.

Oh I feel you. I had this problem when I got married many moons ago I started shopping in April/May for a September wedding. Thought I could just walk into a shop and crack on. Turns out most you need to make an appt. And a couple said "September which year?" And seemed shocked when I replied "this year?".

Anyway, found a small shop that was happy to help and do the alterations/knew someone who would. They do exist.

Good luck!

I think the year in advance is fairly normal, but finding your own seamstress not so much.

You need to look around until you find a dress you love, it's rarely the first shop you try.

Look online first, see if you can narrow down the style you like and find shops that have a few you like before booking a fitting.

I found an online store based in the US called Ieie Bridal who will either make any one of the hundreds of styles they have in their catalogue to your size, or make you something entirely custom designed. I had my measurements taken by a local dressmaker and sent them along with a custom design I mocked up myself, I was expecting finished dress to need some minor alterations but it fit like a glove and didn’t need a thing. I paid around £600 for it and it was made within about four months if I recall. You do have to account for custom fees (I avoided this by having mine shipped to MIL in the US and collected it when we visited) but even had I had to pay those, there’s no way I’d have found something I liked so much as well made in a bridal shop or custom made in the UK.

I bought my dress in monsoon, off the shelf and did a few adjustments. Have you looked there? I think a few high street shops still do dresses. Mine was £125

Of course you can walk into a shop and just crack on. Depends what you want to spend though.
If you want to go to an expensive wedding dress shop they'll do the whole "oh it takes a year and you have to allow time for alterations" blah blah blah.
I just went to the Trafford Centre, tried a few on in John Lewis, Selfridges etc, bought one off the peg and took it home. Most people I know did similar.

Yes this. I bought mine a few weeks before

It kind of depends on the kind of wedding dress you want. You could just book an appointment in selfridges and get something off the peg, they will have high street ones like whistles, up to designer ones.

I bought a relatively inexpensive dress that just needed taking up. It did have to be ordered in but took about 6 weeks if I recall correctly

Ordering online is fine? Make sure it’s not too much hassle to return them if you don’t like them. I ordered a bunch from Debenhams back before it got canned, tried them on at home and kept the one I liked. The straps needed shortening so I found a local alterations place to get it done.

Are you after a nice dress or a traditional wedding gown?

I just wanted a dress I loved and didn’t want an in-shop trying on experience.

Go to your local fabric shop and ask for sempstress details. Get it made from scratch. Your dress will look good and will fit properly.

I thought that if they ordered you a dress and you waited a whole year that it would be made to your size.

They charge for appointments too. If I order my current size it won’t fit if I lose weight.

I would love to do this. When did you get married? Lots of shops don’t have wedding dresses in store anymore. I went to monsoon and they said I had to order online.

I would love to do this. When did you get married? Lots of shops don’t have wedding dresses in store anymore. I went to monsoon and they said I had to order online.

Another vote for Wed2B. My daughter got a beautiful dress in the Glasgow shop and they also had a list of seamstresses to make alterations if needed.