EVERY Time Frame You Need to Know About for your Wedding Attire!!!
We know every wedding checklist has a different timeline for you to follow as a bride, whether you’re getting married in just months or years! Here’s the real deal timeline for ANYTHING wedding wardrobe-related, so you can have that peace of mind knowing you’re crossing things off your checklist at EXACTLY the right time without having to stress about ship times, delays, and any additional fees that come with rush ordering wedding attire!
#1 - Your Wedding Dress - ideally 8-10 months before wedding date
Shopping for your wedding dress is such a big deal, and we know it can be nerve-racking to figure out the right timing! Here’s our Pro Tip: we always advise you to schedule your dress appointment 8-10 months before your wedding. If you fall in love with a dress at our shop, we want to make sure we can order it in the style, size, and color that you love with enough time for the dress to be created by the designer and shipped to our store! This timeline also gives you room to schedule alterations appointments, so you have all the time you need (6-8 weeks) to make sure your dress is PERFECT (P.S. almost every single bride ever needs some kind of alterations, since everyone’s measurements are unique!). Don’t have 8-10 months? You can always purchase a dress directly from our collection! With over 250 dresses in-store, we have tons of options that you can take home day-of! Plus, you have the added security of knowing your dress is IN YOUR HANDS.
Photo by Three Peak Photography
#2 - Your Suits - 6 months before wedding date
We get it–suits are one of the things you might be tempted to push off until the last minute, but remember, the sooner you get those chosen, the less stressful the whole planning experience will be. You’ll want to schedule your suit appointment with all the people in your party who will be wearing suits (don’t forget dads, grandpas, and ring bearers!) about 6 months out from your wedding, or earlier if you can. What you DON’T want is to get your heart set on a style and then wait so long that someone’s size isn’t available anymore for your wedding date. Plus, we all know it will be like herding cats to get everyone measured, so just do it as far in advance as you can!
Photo by Esther Rohr Photography
#3 - Your Bridesmaid Dresses - 6 months before wedding date
Bridesmaid dresses (& mother of the bride dresses!) are sneaky and can take longer than expected. You want to make sure all your girls have dresses that fit them perfectly, and that you have enough time to order dresses in the sizes and colors that suit your wedding best! All our bridesmaid dresses can be purchased off-rack if you don’t have time for shipping, but if you’re wanting a different color than the ones physically in our store, you’ll need to make sure you have time for the dresses to ship to our store in the color you want. This usually takes 3-4 months. We know everyone has different work schedules and might live in different places, so the sooner you either get everyone together or show them our online options, the better!
Photo by Dionne Kraus Photography
#4 - Steaming - 3 months before wedding date (especially on-site)
It’s an easy thing to forget, but your wedding dress will come back from alterations very wrinkly, and you DON’T want to take your dress out of the bag the day of your wedding and have a wrinkly mess. We know you want your dress to look 100% flawless on your wedding day for all the pictures and emotional moments you’re about to have! That’s why we offer our Steaming Packages to all brides getting married in the Bend/Central Oregon area! We have everything from an all-inclusive package at your venue to take care of everyone (your dress, bridesmaids, moms, etc.) to a drop-off week-of steaming. For any of these steaming services, you’ll want to schedule as soon as you buy your dress, since our steaming appointments fill up fast–especially the on-site options–and we don’t want you to miss out on having extra help getting all the wrinkles out of your dress and the clothing of your wedding party!
Photo by Three Peak Photography
#5 - Cleaning & Preservation - Anytime before your wedding
Our cleaning & preservation package is SUCH a cool thing to have in your back pocket! This package takes ALL stains out of your dress after your big day (and takes all the smells out of it, too–meaning no stinky storage bag for your dress!). Your dress will be returned packaged beautifully in a window box with your wedding accessories, like your veil and hairpieces. Upon request, the cleaning & preservation service can also perform certain repairs to your dress! We recommend ordering a cleaning & preservation package RIGHT when you get your dress, or else it’s just one more thing on your giant list, and you can ship your dress off immediately after your wedding!
We know planning a wedding is a HUGE task! Many of our brides have their wedding dates set in 2024 for this reason–so they have ALL the time to plan and make sure all the details are perfect. It is completely normal to set your wedding date in 2024 and buy your dress now so that your dress ships in time and you can have it in your closet, ready for alterations and your wedding day way ahead of time! It is extremely stressful to be buying a dress too close to your wedding date, since every dress will likely need some kind of alterations and if you don’t leave enough time for those alterations to take place, you’ll be left with a wedding dress that doesn’t quite fit. We want to help you avoid that!
We are so excited to see you all at your bridal appointments, and we are SO READY to help you find your perfect dress, suits, and bridesmaid dresses!!
Cheers!
Your Bella Brides Fam
