One of the many details that can sneak up on you when you’re planning a wedding is shopping for an ordering bridesmaid dresses on time. It’s always best to encourage your bridesmaids to air on the side of caution when it comes to ordering their dresses, as you don’t want the disaster of having one or more bridesmaids without a dress on the big day.
We’ve put together a useful timeline for you and your bridesmaids to ensure everything goes smoothly and arrives on time for your wedding.
Talk to your bridesmaids about their budget
After you’ve chosen your wedding dress, you should have a conversation with your bridesmaids so you can all agree on a comfortable price range for their dresses. At Maids to Measure we offer a stunning and broad selection of gowns that are designed to be affordable. You can save yourself and your bridesmaids some stress by shopping our range of dresses that are beautiful and won’t break the bank.
When to start shopping for bridesmaid dresses
Around eight months before the wedding is a good time to start finding inspiration and narrowing down the bridesmaid dress styles that you and special ladies like. Whether you want your girls in a long sleeved, subtle neutral dress, or a bright and bold colour gown with no sleeves, or anything else in between, this is the time to focus in on your official wedding style.
It’s also the moment to decide if you want all your girls to wear the same look, mix and match with each one having a slightly different or completely different dress, or have the bridesmaids in the same dress and the maid of honour with a different look. For example, the bridesmaids in full length gowns and the maid of honour in a shorter dress.
The more bridesmaids you have, the trickier the shopping process can be. So, no matter if you have four or fourteen girls walking down the aisle, it might be best to start shopping with one or two key decision makers initially to help create your vision.
Once you’ve decided on a couple of potential styles, show them to all the bridesmaids to get their opinions and reach a final verdict on the dress or dresses you’ll be going for.
Choosing a dress for out-of-town bridesmaids
A key advantage to ordering your bridesmaid dresses online is that if you have one or more maid who lives across the country or even in another country, you can still make sure you find a dress that she’s happy with and will be comfortable wearing.
When to order bridesmaid dresses
About six months before the wedding is the right time to make your final decision on the bridesmaid dress or dresses that you want your girls to wear. It’s important to leave enough time for the dresses to arrive, the bridesmaids to try them on, any alterations to be made, or for a dress to be returned and another size ordered if one of your girls needs a bigger or smaller dress.
Whether they’ll be wearing the same dress or different styles of dress in the same colour palette, make sure you order them all at the same time. This will help with organisation, especially if you have a larger number of bridesmaids, it would be a bit chaotic if they all turned up at different times, especially if sizes needed changing or any other issues.
Every body shape is different, and when it comes to fitted bridesmaid dresses, it might not be perfect the first time, so it's vital to allow enough time to get everything sorted and make sure all the girls are happy with their dresses.
When to order shoes, undergarments, and accessories
Around four to six weeks after ordering your dresses, it’ll be helpful to make sure your bridesmaids order their shoes, undergarments, and accessories too. This will be plenty of time for the items to arrive and try them all on with the dresses to complete the look of your bridesmaids ahead of the wedding day.
In addition, if you’re having your bridesmaids wear a strapless neckline, double check that they are able to order strapless bras, clear straps are still fairly visible and will detract from the gorgeous look of the gowns.
Try on the dresses a few days before the wedding
It’s always a good idea to have the bridal party try on their dresses a couple of days before the wedding. With a few days’ notice, you can make arrangements for any last-minute alterations if needed and feel assured that there won’t be any unexpected issues when the special day arrives.
Choosing your bridesmaid dresses should be a fun and exciting experience that you’ll all treasure. If you stick to a timeline and make sure you always give yourself plenty of time to account for any delays or unforeseen circ*mstances, everything should go smoothly. With proper planning, shopping for bridesmaid dresses can be completely stress free and as enjoyable as it’s meant to be.
Explore our amazing bridesmaid collection to find the perfect bridesmaid dresses for your girls, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, we’re here to help.
