Images by Alex Elise Photo
#adorerealbride | Jacqueline
Hey girl! So, you’re engaged 💍 (Congrats btw!) and you just don’t know where or when to start your wedding planning journey. We’ve learned A LOT during the past 10 years in the wedding industry, and we want to pass our knowledge onto YOU! 🎉 Read on to learn about when to buy your dress, which vendors to secure first and a general timeline to follow to dress your entire wedding!
the dress
First, let’s talk about the dress (because…of course!) There isn’t a best month, or worst monthIt’s recommended to purchase your gown 9-12 months before your wedding date. Yup, you heard that right! When you’re shopping for your wedding dress, you’re trying on the bridal store’s sample gowns - once you’ve found THE dress 🙌 you’ll special order your dress in the size closest to you and color you like. It can take anywhere between 6-8 months to create, ship & receive your dress in store! 😱 Once your dress arrives, it’s unlikely that it will fit perfectly right outta the bag. You’ll need to account for time for alterations! (up to 3 months depending on the seamstress)
SMALL NOTE ABOUT ALTERATIONS (only if you’re interested 😆): Most bridal gowns are created for a bride that is 5’9” and 5’10” - so at a minimum you’ll need a hem & a bustle. Some brides’ dresses will come in and fit great, and just need a few tweaks. Other brides’ dresses will come in and it will have been ordered to fit their hips, and will need to be taken in in the waist & bust. We recommend seeing a professional seamstress that is comfortable with altering wedding gowns. The alterations can take up to 3 months, depending on your seamstress. So be sure that you’ve planned for time to get that dress fitting great!
the big three
So, now that we’ve got that big (important) thing nesting in your brain - let’s move on to the general wedding planning process and which vendors to secure first!
Weddings are all about timing, and because they are are a multi-step process with lots of vendors involved, it’s important to secure the vendors with the least availability and the ones who can only take one wedding per day. Once you’ve picked your final wedding date, the VENUE and PHOTOGRAPHER need to be the very first thing you book! The venue can only take one wedding per day in their space, and photographers can only shoot one wedding per day (they can’t be in two places at once! Amiright?!)
To recap, the first wedding checklist items to complete:
- 👰 Purchase your dress (9-12 months out)
- 📸 Photographer (only shoot 1 wedding/day)
- ✨ Wedding venue (event space can only host 1 wedding/day)
Once you get these three items done and set in stone, we promise that the rest of your wedding planning will fall into place! 🙌
The timeline
So what about like….everyone else in your wedding party?! Ok, so first - don’t get overwhelmed! Here’s a general timeline to help you along ⬇️
8 months from wedding date: Work with your bridesmaid stylist to find the right color, styles and combination for your maids - bring them in, have them try on dresses and pick their fave!
6 months from wedding date: Confirm that all of your maids have ordered their dress (bridesmaid gowns are ordered in batches in order to color match and cannot be ordered unless all orders have been placed)
5 months from wedding date: Accessorize your wedding dress with veil, headpiece and jewelry (if you haven’t already!)
4 months from wedding date: Schedule your tux consultation with our tux stylist and your groom! We’ll work with you to determine colors, style and schedule his suit trial! - also - contact your seamstress to determine her lead-time and get a first fitting scheduled.
3 months from wedding date: Confirmed that each groomsman has submitted their measurements online and ordered their suit.
Wedding date: you did it! 🎉 You’re married!!! Enjoy your day and watch your hardwork unfold.
After your wedding: bring your gown in for preservation - this will remove any stains that may have gotten on your dress and preserve the dress from yellowing! (Our process has a Lifetime 100 year guarantee! - plus your finished dress ships right to your door!)
We hope this article was a helpful resource to you during this amazing, wild time in your life! We know this time can be stressful, exciting, crazy and having you feeling #alltheemotions - but trust us. You are worth it. You are amazing. You will get. it. all. done! 🙌
