How long can I wait before I have to purchase my wedding dress?

It depends on what dress you want. I bought mine off the rack (never understood spending a fortune on something that I would only wear once).

If you know what you want and where you’ll be getting it from, contact the boutique and talk to them about their turn-around time for orders and alterations. You could also ask them if, based on the style, it’s a dress that can be severely modified if you bought it in advance and then wanted it altered (I’m not a seamstress, but I suspect that some styles would lend themselves to being altered more easily than others).

The other thing to consider is that if you find you’re losing weight consistently, by that time next year you may have a better of idea of what your weight will ultimately be by the wedding date and you may feel more comfortable pre-ordering a smaller size.

We have several dress shops that sell display or sample dresses at a reduced price and are off the rack. If you want custom made for big bucks, than buying it threemonths before the wedding could be a no-go for a dress and re-fitting.

I always saw myself just getting a dress off the rack… I don’t need some custom wonder. But because of my weight fluctuation, I don’t know now.

First off, good for you! I certainly hope that you are able to achieve this goal.

Here’s the bad news- If you want it altered, you probably do need to order it early. Around March would be best but I think at most places besides huge stores (i.e. Kleinfeld’s, David’s Bridal), you could probably get away with getting it April/May and still getting the alterations. If you have some stores in mind, ask them what they would recommend in your situation. Some stores may be able to accommodate last-minute alterations, and it can’t hurt to check.

If you can’t find a shop that will do late alterations and if you’re okay with not having the dress altered, your best bet will probably be to just buy a sample or in stock dress off the rack close to the wedding.

I would be wary of ordering a dress in a smaller size for several reasons;
1. Assuming you do lose the weight, you don’t know exactly where you will lose it nor can you accurately predict what size you will be.
2. You can always have something taken in, but there’s only so much that you can take a dress out. If the dress ends up being too small, you may not be able to have it altered.
3. What looks good on you now might not look good on you 100 lbs lighter, and vice versa.

Whatever you do, good luck and congratulations!

I should have added.. my mom works at a dry cleaner’s, and the seamstress not only lives just down the street from my mom, but also worked in a bridal shop. So, I have my own personal seamstress. Late alterations aren’t an issue.

Most places recommend that you order your dress 3 to 6 months in advance. I definitely would not order a smaller dress. Most dresses can be taken in by a lot, but only taken out a tiny bit. Another idea: Maybe stall the weight loss at less than your end goal weight… say, stop losing in April or so, and buy your dress then. Pick up with the weight loss after the wedding. I don’t know how realistic that is, though.

Just saw what you said about the seamstress. That’s handy! Ask her how much she’d be able to take a dress in. For my first wedding, I bought a size 10 off the rack and had it altered down to an 8 with no problem.

Could the seamstress make you a dress? August to October should be plenty of time.

I hadn’t thought of that, @marinelife. Things that make you go “hmm”

@poofandmook I had my wedding dress made, and it was beautiful. Not all that expensive either.

@marinelife: I don’t suppose you’d be willing to share a picture or two? :)

@poofandmook If that’s the case, then it really doesn’t matter, does it? The alterations are what take most of the time, just getting the dress delivered if the store doesn’t have it in stock should only take a few weeks. And if you buy it right from the store, even better! Ask the seamstress how much time she would need to do alterations, factor delivery time in (if applicable), and then figure out just how close to the wedding you can get the dress. All that said, I probably would not order it any later than July even if it seems like you won’t need that much time, just to be safe and to plan for any bumps in the road. You might have to cut your weight loss just a tad short, or alternately, have the dress taken in if you continue to lose weight, but I am positive that you will look and feel beautiful no matter what. :)

@Fly: That’s what I thought too, but I was told that getting the dress itself, alterations aside, would take that long. I thought that was a little insane… glad I wasn’t totally wrong!

@poofandmook I think your friends might be watching a little too much Say Yes to the Dress! ...Not that I ever watch it, or anything…

Yes – it’s the alterations that are the hold-up (and the rip-off!) If you have a seamstress that can do the alterations, buying off the rack in August makes a lot of sense. You might want to shop a bit before to get an idea of what you are looking for.

Good luck with the dieting!!

@poofandmook When I was writing my answer, i glanced over at a wedding picture I have on my desk wishing it was digitized. I will see if I can get it digitized and PM you a link to it. I was, however, married in the 80s. let me just warn you.

I hate to say this, but wedding dress places are notoriously scammy about ordering dresses way to big, then charging through the nose for alterations. Even if you were at your ideal weight now, the dress would probably need altering. Order it soon enough that it will arrive with plenty of time for alterations. You might just be one of the few where they will earn that alteration money.

If you’ve a specific style already picked out then ask what season it’s from and what the availability will be for ordering. There’s nothing worse than going to get your dress and being told the one you had your heart on is now discontinued.

My Daughter In Law had the same issue, and she went shopping with me one week before the wedding for an off the rack dress. The store did the minor alterations within one day.

I would say no later than April. I would order it to fit. You will need to alter it no matter what. You can alter the dress to be smaller, but not to make it larger (sometimes a little can be let out, but better not to count on that).. It might take you a couple weeks or a month to find a dress you love, so keep that in mind. It can take a couple weeks for the dress to arrive, and usually a few weeks for it to be altered. Find out how much time they typically need for alterations so you don’t cut it too close; you can probably wait until June or early July to be fitted for the alteration. Your weight loss will slow down as you get close to your goal weight most likely.

Keep in mind weddings can get stressful as the date approaches. If you tend to be a stress eater, staying on the very strict diet might get very difficult, further causing a plateau in your weight loss. I am not questioning your resolve or commitment with your diet, just throwing it out there for consideration.