When should I start looking for my wedding dress? It’s a common question from brides to be.

The rule of thumb? It’s never too early to start wedding dress shopping, with most experts agreeing on 6-9 months before your big day.

Here’s a handy wedding dress shopping timeline to help you on your journey.

After your engagement, the first decision you make together with your fiancé should be booking the venue. This choice will affect almost everything else – size of guest list, catering, decorations, and yes, your wedding dress. Why? Because the style of venue will predict, to a certain extent, the style of dress you eventually choose. Have your heart set on a country mansion? Then a traditional princess wedding dress will fit in perfectly. A beach wedding? Then research romantic boho styles. Get inspired by looking at Pinterest boards, Instagram and bridal magazines, until you have a wish list of looks and are ready to make your first appointment in a bridal store.

While many of us are now used to buying our everyday clothes on the Internet, your wedding dress is totally different. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, and one that will stay with you forever as your wedding photos are passed down to your children, and your children’s children.

Start wedding dress shopping at least six months before your big day. Most bridal boutiques are now offering virtual appointments – which is a good way to discuss your preferences with a bridal expert so that she can have a selection of styles ready when you come in for your first physical appointment. When you set a date for that, make sure it’s at a time when trusted friends and/or family members can join you.

While many of us are now used to buying our everyday clothes on the Internet, your wedding dress is totally different. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, and one that will stay with you forever as your wedding photos are passed down to your children, and your children’s children.

Start wedding dress shopping at least six months before your big day. When you set a date for an appointment, make sure it’s at a time when trusted friends and/or family members can join you.

Did you know that most wedding dress stores work like a traditional couture house? The dresses you see on the racks are samples. Your dream dress will be made to order for you. Depending on the style, most bridal gown makers needs at 3-6 months to fulfill an order. We suggest visiting three stores at the most, and preferably locally, as travel restrictions can play havoc with wedding dress plans.

On your first appointment, ask a friend to make a video of you in the dress, which is the surest way to make sure it looks gorgeous from all angles.

Once your wedding dress arrives, you will be called in for the first fitting. This should ideally happen no less than 6 weeks before your wedding day. If the store has an in-house seamstress (which is mostly the case, if not, the store will recommend one) she will adjust the seams, straps and hem length with pins, and make sure you are comfortable moving around in your dream dress. It’s best to be totally honest how you feel at this point, as any adjustments carried out later on can be trickier to do.     

Around three weeks later, your dress will arrive back at the store for its second fitting. With the structure and fit perfect (or near perfect) any additional changes will be made using tacking stiches (not pins) and are generally just minor tweaks. Bring you lingerie along to this session to make sure no bra straps or panty lines are visible, and if you haven’t bought your veil or accessories yet, now is the time to do so!

These final adjustments generally take two weeks, making sure you can pick up your wedding dress a week before your wedding.

Happy wedding dress shopping!