Dress shopping is one of the most exciting things for a bride to do. As soon as you get engaged, the first thing you want to do is start looking at wedding dresses. It's so exciting – we get it! But when should you actually start looking? 

The sweet spot to start dress shopping is about 8 to 10 months out. That will give you enough time to shop around and get everything done once you’ve picked “the one.” If you go much later, the more pressure you have to find a dress immediately. It’s not (always) as simple as finding a dress you love and going home with it!

First, you need to make appointments (but more to come on that in a different post!). Once you’ve gone on the appointments and found the dress, your bridal shop will likely have to order the dress in your size, unless you found the dress at a sample sale, where you usually go home with the dress that day. Ordering can sometimes take months so if you are on a tight turnaround, make sure you ask how long and if there’s a rush fee if you need to do that.

After the dress comes in, you’ll want to schedule your fittings and alterations. Most brides need anywhere from two to four appointments for that, depending on the amount of alterations needed. We recommend starting your fittings about three months out, of course assuming your dress has arrived by then. Make sure you call your bridal shop or alterations shop to make these appointments ahead of time.

Make sure you leave at least a week between your final fitting and wedding day to avoid needing any last minute fixes. After that final fitting, make sure to get your dress steamed the week of the wedding so it is ready to go!

Watch more of our pro tips on wedding dresses here:

Love these tips? Subscribe to our “Every Day I’m Bustlin’” podcast by clicking HERE for more weekly planning tips and tricks from our co-founders. 

Photo Credit: Adornment Photo