Buying your wedding dress too early can cause dress regret! We know there is nothing like the excitement of shopping for your wedding gown. For many brides-to-be, saying “YES” to the dress is one of the most anticipated parts of wedding planning. However, buying too early is not recommended.
We have seen a huge uptick in long engagements in the aftermath of the pandemic and brides are eager to get the ball rolling. But when should you really get serious about wedding dress shopping?
The Scenario
You need to be prepared for the fact that you may just fall in love with a dress when you had no intention of finding it. This happens with brides who have wedding dates over a year out. They shop to get “style ideas” sometimes 18-24 months before the wedding and end up falling head over heels with a dress. They say yes and celebrate and leave euphoric.
This is a very real situation that many brides are faced with when they begin to shop earlier than they are prepared to. We have seen brides with wear dates 2.5 years into the future impulse buy. They say yes on the spot.
It could be the next day, or many months down the road, that nagging feeling pops up, “I said yes too early.” You have wedding dress regret.
We have also had brides who did not say yet call back a year later to retry the dress they loved only to find that it has been discontinued or sold out of the store. Sometimes even newer style dresses are discontinued with moments notice. Do not assume that a gown is safe because it is a recent style. These brides have dress regret for NOT saying yes earlier.
If you are a bride whose wedding is over a year out, consider what you would do in this situation.
Saying Yes Too Early
You have plenty of time, well over a year until you tie the knot. You decide to go dress shopping just to see what’s out there. We know it’s hard to wait to try on dresses! It is an incredibly exciting time, but can also be an overwhelming experience. Let’s say you end up saying “yes!” to that dress and the next day you realize you made an impulse buy. You got caught up in the moment and feel like you made a mistake.
Or: you are in love with the dress you chose, but start seeing the newly released designs showing up on social media. You are comparing your dress to the ones you are seeing online in bridal groups. Hmm, you did not try on anything like that. Now you are feeling a sense of regret thinking about all of the dresses that you have missed out on.
Or: perhaps your body has changed/is changing and the dress does not fit the way it did when you purchased it. So what do you do?
Retry Your Dress
Your first step is to retry on your dress to see if you still love it.
More often than not, a bride experiencing dress regret has not retried the dress on and forgot all of the little details that were not picked up on their phone cameras. Add some accessories while you try it on (like a veil, jewelry, the shoes you may wear, etc.) to see if you just needed to see the full day-of look together. Sometimes seeing the bigger picture with your entire final bridal look can really help reignite the spark that made you fall for the dress in the first place!
You Still Love It, But…:
Okay, this is a good sign! Maybe you have some ideas to make it a bit more like some of the dresses you didn’t get to try? Take it to a seamstress! See if there are options available to make some customizations to the dress. Small tweaks can make a huge difference! There are a number of incredible seamstresses out there that can completely transform a dress. Chat with one to find the little tweaks that you are looking for.
If your body has changed but you still love your dress, explore options with your seamstress. You’ll need to discuss the intricacies of your specific dress, additional fabric needs, and the cost associated with doing the work.
This Isn’t My Dress:
If you put the dress on and you know in your heart that this is not the dress that you want to walk down the aisle in, you are going to need to find a different gown.
This option will obviously be adding onto your budget and, depending on timing, you may be limited on options due to ordering times. You can always consider off-the-rack options or quick ship gowns, but each has pros and cons that you will need to take into account.
- Off-the-rack tend to be a more cost efficient option for the gown itself, but may be more costly in necessary alterations if the dress isn’t the size that you need. You may be a bit more limited in choice due to needing to stick in a certain size range. You may get lucky though and find a perfect option in your size!
- Quick ship dresses give you the flexibility of ordering a brand new gown in the desired size and color, but often have rush fees associated.
If you are having dress regret and are reading this thinking that we are trying to dissuade you from getting a new dress, please know that is NOT what we want to do. We understand the importance of being comfortable and being in a dress that you love on one of the biggest days of your life! We do, however, believe it is important that you fully understand the financial and time constraints that dress regret can cause due to shopping too early.
What Do I Do With The Dress I Don’t Want?
There are several ways to go when you said yes, too early and don’t want the dress anymore. You can:
- Repurpose it into your shower dress or your rehearsal dinner dress – take it to your seamstress, have it cut down and modified!
- Sell it online (list on sites like Stillwhite, Poshmark, and Facebook bride groups)
- Consign it locally
- Donate to Brides Across America or Wish Upon a Wedding
Advice To Avoid Wedding Dress Regret
Our best advice for the bride with a wedding date that is a while away is to set a reasonable dress shopping timeline. We recommend purchasing your dress 9-12 months out.
Many brides think that they should book an appointment right away. Some shop as soon as they get engaged – before a venue is even chosen or date set – to determine styles that they like and what looks best on their body. This is not the way to go.
Your date and venue will factor in when determining the dress. And when you begin trying on, finding your perfect wedding dress is a natural part of what happens during a bridal appointment. Your bridal stylist listens to your feedback and adjusts your try on selection accordingly. Booking an appointment 9-12 months before your wedding date also ensures you will see the latest collections (the dresses you will be seeing on social media!) and less chance of feeling buyers remorse.
If you feel that you are ready to seriously shop, or if you have a schedule that makes it difficult to arrange shopping appointments, you absolutely should consider beginning sooner. Dress shopping is exciting, and we completely understand why you are eager to get a head start on it! But trust us – you will save yourself many headaches if you wait until a bit closer to the wedding.
Best Time To Shop
Wedding planning is one of the most exciting times in your life. It can also cause some anxiety. As you can see, shopping for your dress too early can fall into both the “exciting” time and the “anxiety” part. All brides are different too, there is no right or wrong when you are shopping for your wedding dress. In our experience, however, it is best to shop when you have your venue booked and your date chosen, 9-12 months prior. See our Wedding Planning Guides for timelines and advice for Brides, Grooms, and Mothers!