Okay, let’s be honest here. Since you decided that they were the ‘one’ for you and before they even put a ring on it, I bet you have thought about what your wedding dress will be like, at least once, haven’t you? Now that you are engaged, you can’t wait to try on dresses, and it’s going to be so much fun! But wait, the timeline from saying yes I will marry you to yes this is my wedding dress vary so much from bride to bride. Before you even book your first bridal appointment, read on for some advice on things to consider.

So before you fire off that email or call the boutique have you got your venue booked, or even a date set, do you know how much you want to spend? When you go to book, don’t be surprised if you get asked these questions, as they are relevant when finding a dress. I often get enquiries from brides who know they are getting married next year but don’t know when. I always explain that season, location, and wedding style can affect your choice of gown, a pure silk slip dress, probably won’t be suitable for a castle wedding in the Scottish Highlands in January. Yet it would be perfect for a beach wedding in the Bahamas.

If you are still debating on a garden marquee, a French chateau, or a secluded beach somewhere, now is not the right time to start looking. You will become frustrated, confused and disheartened without knowing when and where you are getting married. Buying a wedding dress is complicated, so I always suggest waiting until the date is agreed and the venue is secured.

Budget

We also need to talk about the dress budget. Regardless of what you say, there is no such thing as ‘I don’t have a budget’; EVERYONE has a budget. This is normally what you are comfortable spending rather than what you can afford.

You can get wedding dresses that start at £99 online and on the high street but expect to pay anything from £750 to £30,000+ for a dress from an independent boutique. At & Wolf Bridal our contemporary designer wedding dresses range in price from £1300 right up to £3500, with the majority priced at £2200 and above. We believe in being transparent with the prices of our wedding dresses and every dress in the boutique has it’s price displayed on our website as well as in the shop.

I have the date set, my venue is booked, and I know how much I want to spend. When should I go dress shopping then?

If time allows, the ideal time is about 10-12 months before your wedding day. This means that you can try dresses on in the season you are getting married, but before those appointments are made, a top piece of advice is to start a Pinterest Board if you haven’t already.

The online scrapbook allows you to make boards with lots of inspirational elements for your wedding, including your dress and how you want to look on your wedding day.  By searching and pinning dresses, you can look at designers you like and whether they fit your budget. You can then narrow your search to boutiques that stock your favourite designers. This will also help stop you and your bridal party from getting ‘White Out’ because you have no focus and visit boutique after boutique trying on dress after dress because they don’t stock what you want.

An additional tip is, don’t be afraid to whip out your Pinterest board and show it to your bridal consultant. I love a Pinterest board, and when brides share theirs, I get a real feel for what look they are trying to achieve.

Okay 10 – 12 months before my wedding seems like such a long time, are you sure?

Yes, the truth is that wedding dresses can take up to 8 months to be made, and you also need to allow another 2-3 months for alterations. Lead times vary dramatically from designer to designer, and then throw in other factors like time of year, customisation options and intricacy of design, and the time soon adds up.

I know that this seems like a really strange concept, where online shopping and warehouse bridal stores offer high-pressure selling with offers that end in 3 hours; if you don’t buy it now, it may be gone when you come back, combined with instant satisfaction of next day delivery or buy today and take it home with you. In today’s instant want-it-now climate waiting 6 days feels like a lifetime, let alone 8 months.

At & Wolf Bridal, our wedding dress collection is made to order; this is not to be confused with bespoke. Made to order means that there aren’t hundreds of dresses made in each size, just waiting to be shipped to stores. Made-to-order means exactly that, your dress starts its life when you order it. This is much more environmentally friendly, as it means less waste and designers can order just the quantities they need, and you can also customise your dress in certain circumstances.

But I want to lose weight first so I look better when trying on gowns.

Firstly, we know that you want to look your very best on your wedding day, but remember your loved one didn’t say ‘Let’s get married, but can you lose a few pounds for the day’. The truth about wedding weight loss is this, to drop a dress size in bridal you need to drop 15lbs, and whether you drop from a size 16 to a size 10 your body actual body shape will not change you will always be a pear, or inverted triangle just slimmer. If you leave it until you have lost the weight, you may lose the gown you have your heart on.

I know that you want to look your best, and for some, being measured when we are not feeling that we look our best for such an important purchase is our idea of hell, but at & Wolf Bridal we focus on fit and style, not your size. We pride ourselves on our fitting and styling service and will always make you feel comfortable and advise you on when to order. In fact, once you have chosen your gown and paid the deposit, we can defer measurements until closer to the wedding if you have ordered with more than 12 months to spare.

But wait, I have only just got engaged, and we are getting married in 6 months, does this mean that I have to buy off the rack?

No, of course, it doesn’t. You may get an okay; not a problem, but we need to order quickly. We are lucky that we do have some wedding dress designers that can deliver in very short timescales, there may be an additional charge of between 10 and 20%, but just like lead times, all designers are different.

So book your venue, create your Pinterest board, and get your gang together. Like your venue, research your dress and boutiques and be choosy about which you visit, ensuring that you visit those that match your style and budget to give you the best chance of success and saying ‘yes to the dress’. If you want luxury paired with exceptional service, then look no further than & Wolf Bridal.