Wedding dress shopping can seem like some sort of secret society that doesn’t become more clear the minute you become engaged. It is always our intention that you feel confident and comfortable throughout this entire process! We get the same general questions often and I want to dive deeper into the answers to those! If you want the basics, our FAQ page will get you great information in bite sized pieces!
How long do wedding dresses take to come in?
We’re starting with our most asked question and, honestly, it’s an important and good one! The timeline can vary between designers, but for the designers we carry in our store 4-6 months is how long it takes for a wedding dress to come in. We most often see 4- 5 months with a 6 month timeline reserved for custom dresses or some of our higher end dresses.
What if I get married in less than 6 months?
Because our designers are the best in the industry, they have different rush options. This is an additional cost that will add an average of $100-$300 onto your dress but that allows your dress to ship out in 10 or 12 weeks. The extra cost is worth it to ensure there’s no stress with shipping times and being sure you have enough time for alterations!
Our designers also have an in-stock program which are dresses that are currently in production and can ship out within 1 to 2 months. There is an additional cost with this ($85-$125) but we love to utilize it for our quicker wedding dates! The only downside to the in-stock program is not every dress in every size and color is available. There’s generally a really wide selection but we do have to pay attention to which styles are available (one of the many reasons we’re here for you 🙂 )
What if I get married in less than 3 months?
When our bride’s wedding date is less than 3 months away, we recommend looking at the dresses we have available off the rack! Our off the rack dress (also called sample dresses) are the dresses you see on our racks that brides try on during their appointments. They may have some minor wear and tear but they can be purchased and taken with you the same day and are generally 30%-65% off the original price!
What about alterations? How long do they take?
Every seamstress is a little different and we always recommend reaching out to them to determine what they suggest but as a general rule of thumb, the majority of seamstresses are going to take 2 months to alter your wedding dress. You will have 2-3 fittings on average. With that said, there is a seamstress we know who prefers to complete her fittings within a 2-3 week period and other seamstresses will provide rush alterations.
Wrap Up
The bridal industry really has become so flexible. With several different shipping options to allow for quick wedding dates, the option to purchase a dress directly off the rack, and seamstress providing rush alterations, you really can get your dream dress regardless of your wedding date!
To help give you some general guidelines, we’ve put together handy, saveable images to help direct you on order timing! If you’re ready to make your bridal appointment with us, visit our contact page and if we can help answer any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
