When should you start wedding dress shopping, what happens at an appointment and how do alterations work? Our expert-backed guide covers the whole process
Finding your wedding dress is one of the biggest moments in the planning journey – but knowing where to start can make the whole experience much easier. (Dress: Carolyn Baxter, Photo: Little Miss Boyco)
Wedding dress shopping should be one of the most fun parts of planning a wedding, but let’s be honest, there’s a surprising amount to think about. When should you start looking? How many bridal boutiques should you visit? What happens at an appointment? And how long do you need to leave for alterations?
Our wedding dress shopping guide takes you through the whole process, from working out your budget and trying different silhouettes to ordering your gown, attending fittings and choosing the finishing touches. Think of it as your cheat sheet for finding ‘the one’.
Jump to:
- When to start shopping – how far ahead to begin your dress search
- Preparing for appointments – what to know before you visit a boutique
- Choosing a silhouette – finding a shape that feels right for you
- Who to bring with you – keeping your shopping party helpful, not overwhelming
- What to wear underneath – underwear and shapewear advice for appointments
- How wedding dresses are bought – made-to-order, off-the-peg and bespoke explained
- Personalising your bridal look – ways to make your outfit feel more like you
- Creating two looks from one dress – removable sleeves, overskirts and more
- Trends versus timeless style – choosing a dress you’ll still love later
- Knowing you’ve found the one – what the right dress should feel like
- What happens after you order – deposits, delivery dates and next steps
- Fittings and alterations – how the final fit comes together
- Wedding dress trunk shows – what they are and why they’re useful
- Choosing your veil – length, fabric and finishing touches
- Headpieces and bridal hats – alternative ways to finish your look
- Keeping your dress a secret – deciding how much to share before the day
When should you start wedding dress shopping?
For a made-to-order wedding dress, around nine to 12 months before your wedding is a good starting point. That said, different designers and boutiques work to different production schedules, so always ask about the lead time for the specific dress you’re considering.
If you’re getting married sooner, don’t panic – you haven't missed the boat. Off-the-peg dresses, sample gowns and some ready-to-wear collections can work with much shorter timescales.
Whenever you decide to begin, book your appointments in properly rather than squeezing several shops into one frantic weekend. Spread them out and don’t try to do too much too soon. Many bridal boutiques charge per appointment, and you don’t want to feel like you have to keep browsing just to get your money’s worth from a booking that’s already in your diary.
How should you prepare for a wedding dress appointment?
A little homework will make your first bridal appointment much more useful – but that doesn’t mean you need to decide exactly what dress you want before you arrive.
Save a few looks you love and think about details such as silhouettes, necklines, sleeves, fabrics and how formal you want your outfit to feel. It can also help to consider your venue, season and the overall feel of your wedding.
Research bridal designers as well as dresses
Resist the urge to scroll Instagram and Pinterest saving lots of individual gowns; finding designers whose overall aesthetic speaks to you is a much smarter way to work out which boutiques are worth visiting.
“Take a little time to research the designers offered by different stores, rather than simply looking at the dresses themselves,” suggests Rebecca Kennedy of The Bridal Story boutique in Wishaw. “Every designer has their own approach and philosophy, from the way they work with fabric and structure, to the silhouettes, detailing and overall feel of their collections.”
The gorgeous Odette dress is one of many styles you'll find in The Bridal Story in Wishaw
Decide on your wedding dress budget
Work out how much you’re comfortable spending before you start trying dresses on. Future you will be grateful.
Remember that your overall bridalwear budget may also need to cover alterations, underwear, shoes, a veil, jewellery and other accessories. And if there’s any chance you’ll be tempted by a second look, factor that in too.
“A good bridal investment is to choose a dress that can be worn in different ways by adding and taking away accessories such as overskirts, arm pieces and topper jackets,” says bridal designer Carolyn Baxter.
Which wedding dress silhouette should you choose?
You don’t need to know your perfect silhouette before your appointment – in fact, trying something unexpected is often useful. Some of the main wedding dress shapes you’re likely to encounter include:
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A-line – fitted through the bodice before gradually widening towards the hem
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Ballgown – a fitted bodice paired with a fuller, more voluminous skirt
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Fit-and-flare – follows the body more closely before widening lower down
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Column or sheath – a straighter silhouette that falls relatively close to the body
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Tea-length or mini – shorter alternatives to a traditional floor-length gown
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Separates – skirts, trousers, corsets, tops and jackets that can be combined into one bridal look
Rather than getting hung up on rules about which shape supposedly suits a particular body type, use your appointment to work out how you actually feel in each silhouette. Comfort, movement and feeling like yourself are all just as important as how your chosen dress looks in the photos.
“Approach shopping with an open mind. You never know – trying on something unexpected could lead you to your dream dress,” says Susan at Opus Couture (Photo: Michelle Malone Photography)
Who should you take wedding dress shopping?
Bring people whose opinions you genuinely trust – not just everyone who wants to come. Too many competing opinions can quickly make it harder to work out what you think.
Carolyn Baxter suggests making a moodboard of your non-negotiables and keeping it handy during your appointments. That gives you something to return to if you feel yourself being pulled towards a dress that doesn’t really match what you wanted.
Plenty of boutiques also limit the number of guests you can bring, so check that before assembling the full group chat.
What underwear should you wear to a wedding dress appointment?
“The best piece of advice I could give you is be comfortable,” says Megan Carberry, manager of Kudos Bridal Boutique in Dunfermline. “For the appointment, if you have a pair of nude underwear, great; but if not, it’s not the end of the world.”
Megan says you don’t need to arrive in bridal shapewear either. “A lot of brides feel more comfortable wearing it but please understand it is not a necessity at all and you should feel a million dollars in your dress whether you’re in shapewear or not.”
If you already know which shoes or heel height you’re likely to wear, your stylist or seamstress may ask you to bring them along for fittings later on – you won’t usually need them for your first shopping appointment.
Made-to-order, off-the-peg or bespoke: what’s the difference?
These terms describe quite different ways of buying a wedding dress.
A made-to-order wedding dress usually means trying a boutique’s sample gown before a new dress is ordered from the designer for you, whereas an off-the-peg wedding dress is an existing gown that you buy and take away, rather than waiting for a new one to be produced. This can be especially useful if you’re working with a shorter wedding-planning timeline.
A bespoke wedding dress, meanwhile, is designed and created specifically for you.
“As I create bespoke styles from scratch, I often get requests for non-traditional looks that brides struggle to find elsewhere,” says Carolyn Baxter. “When I was working with my most recent bride (pictured below), we created a bridal mini hidden underneath a huge feather skirt which brought the drama. As it was separates, she was able to remove the skirt for an evening look – much to her husband’s surprise!”
But traditional made-to-order is no longer the only option. As someone from a non-traditional bridal shop, Hannah Macfarlane of Thistle & Cloth has seen increased interest in individual and rewearable pieces. “I’ve seen a rise in the number of brides wanting a tartan dress or corset, and, increasingly, an outfit which they can wear again,” she says.
“The bride can now wear her mini on her honeymoon – another fabulous occasion to wear her special dress,” says Carolyn Baxter (Photo: Julieanne Whyte Photography)
Can you personalise a wedding dress?
Absolutely – and personalisation doesn’t necessarily involve changing the dress itself.
“Personalisation doesn’t always mean altering your gown,” says Rebecca of The Bridal Story.
“Some of the most beautiful ways to make a bridal look feel uniquely yours are through the accessories around the dress: your veil, your jewellery and your gloves, and even the less obvious details that finish your look such as your flowers.”
Colour is another option that brides are embracing more. Wedding outfits don’t have to be white or ivory – you can choose a completely different shade or introduce colour through smaller details.
For example, Hannah often works with tartan and suggests details including a tartan belt, buttons, flowers or even a full tartan corset as ways to incorporate personality or family heritage.
Adding a touch of tartan is Thistle & Cloth’s speciality (Photo: Niamh Ross Photography)
Can you create two bridal looks from one wedding dress?
You don’t necessarily need a second dress to change your look between the ceremony and reception; detachable elements can transform the same gown throughout the day.
“Detachable sleeves, overskirts, bows and trains are a brilliant way to create two looks from one gown and allow brides to be a little more fashion forward should they wish,” believes Susan Lightbody at Opus Couture. “We love being able to add drama for the ceremony, then removing layers for a lighter, more relaxed evening look.”
It’s worth asking your stylist about these options while you’re dress shopping rather than assuming you’ll need to buy two completely separate outfits.
Should you choose a trendy or timeless wedding dress?
There’s no requirement for a wedding dress to be ‘timeless’. If you adore a current trend, there’s nothing wrong with embracing it. The more useful question is whether you genuinely love the look or are choosing it simply because you’ve seen it everywhere.
“The main factor in choosing a wedding dress is that it feels like ‘you’,” Carolyn Baxter tells us. “I would suggest not following trends too much – instead, go with a style that carries your personality, amplified to the best version of you. This means you will never look back and regret your choice.”
How do you know when you’ve found your wedding dress?
Not everyone cries, and there might not be a dramatic movie-style revelation either.
“All brides experience their ‘yes’ moment differently,” believes Megan at Kudos Bridal Boutique. “I always realise it has happened when the bride suddenly looks completely relaxed, she’s moving around, admiring herself and just looking comfortable. You know you’ve found the right dress when you can picture yourself in it on the day, there’s nothing you would change about it and you feel like the best version of yourself. Honestly, you should feel as if you never want to take it off!”
And once you’ve found something you love, don’t feel you have to keep shopping just because you expected the process to take longer.
“It’s so easy to get caught up in trends, other people’s opinions or what looks beautiful on somebody else,” warns Rebecca at The Bridal Story. “But your dress should feel like an extension of who you are. We always say that it’s not about making the ‘right’ decision, because that’s open to interpretation. It’s about making the decision that feels right to you. Trust your gut, trust your vision and trust yourself.”
The gorgeous Marion by Alma Novia number is just one of many dresses available at Kudos Bridal
What happens after you order your wedding dress?
Before leaving the boutique, make sure you know exactly what happens next.
“Confirm with your stylist the next steps in the ordering process so that you have an idea of what lies ahead,” says Megan from Kudos Bridal. “How much is the deposit? When is your remaining balance due? When should your dress arrive? Do they offer storage and alterations in-house? There’s no such thing as a silly question, so ask about everything you want to know – hopefully, it’ll avoid any surprises down the line.”
It’s particularly important to establish whether alterations are included, completed in-house or need to be arranged independently.
How do wedding dress fittings and alterations work?
Your dress arriving at the boutique doesn’t necessarily mean it’s ready for the aisle. Most gowns will need some degree of alteration so that the length, bodice and other elements fit correctly.
“Your wedding dress is designed to be altered and the fitting process is where an experienced bridal seamstress brings the gown to life for you,” says Jasmine Rotchford, operations manager at Karen Rotchford Bridal Alterations in Glasgow. “There is no limit to the number of fittings you can have. Every bride and every gown is different and we will continue to refine the fit until we are all completely happy with the result.”
Alteration schedules differ between dresses and seamstresses, so don’t leave arranging yours until the last minute. Your boutique should be able to tell you when your dress is expected and when fittings should begin.
Karen Rotchford Bridal Alterations is more than just a wee sewing space – look at this beautiful fitting room!
What is a wedding dress trunk show?
If you’ve fallen for a particular bridal designer, a trunk show can give you access to dresses a boutique doesn’t ordinarily have on its rails.
“Trunk shows are special events where brides can discover and try on a wider selection of gowns from a particular designer, including styles that may not normally be available to try in store,” says Susan at Opus Couture. “They’re a wonderful opportunity to see a designer’s latest collection up close – with expert insight from the Opus team.”
These can be great if there’s a specific gown you want to try, but your nearest stockist doesn’t normally carry a sample.
How do you choose a wedding veil?
Think about the dress first. At The Bridal Story, the golden rule when it comes to finishing touches is “complete, not compete”, Rebecca tells us.
“Your veil should complement the dress and overall bridal look, rather than distract from it,” she adds. “Consider your gown’s silhouette, neckline and detailing when choosing the length, fabric and finish of a veil.”
Try different veil lengths with your actual dress where possible – something that looks right in isolation might feel very different once the whole outfit comes together.
A veil can be the perfect way to complete your bridal outfit (Photo: Laura A Tiliman Photography)
What about bridal headpieces and hats?
A veil isn’t your only option. “Big wedding hats are my current favourites,” says Stephanie of Stephanie Gallen Millinery. “They’re making a comeback and work beautifully with both suits and gowns. Dua Lipa’s wedding look, which heavily referenced Bianca Jagger’s, is an excellent example of a simple style creating a very chic look. Amal Clooney did something similar for her civil ceremony outfit.”
Headbands, bows, birdcage veils, combs and other hair accessories can also change the feel of a relatively simple gown.
Should you keep your wedding dress a secret?
“Keeping your choice of dress under wraps is an entirely personal decision – if you love the idea of that first reveal, go for it,” says Susan Lightbody at Opus Couture in West Kilbride. “Just be mindful of who you share photos and details with, and ask your bridal party to keep things a secret until your big day!”
If showing your partner the dress would help you make a decision, there’s no wedding rule saying you can’t.
Wedding dress shopping FAQs
There’s no ideal number. Research boutiques beforehand and book those whose designers, price range and overall style genuinely suit what you’re looking for. More appointments don’t necessarily make the decision easier.
It varies considerably by designer and gown. Current UK boutique guidance commonly puts made-to-order production at several months, which is why starting around nine to 12 months before the wedding gives you a useful buffer for delivery and alterations.
Always ask for the specific lead time of your dress before ordering.
You still have options. Ask boutiques about off-the-peg dresses, sample gowns, ready-to-wear collections and designers offering shorter or rush production times.
Don’t get too attached to the number on the label. Bridal sizing varies between designers and may not correspond directly with the high-street size you normally buy. Your boutique should take your measurements and recommend the appropriate size for the particular designer.
Not necessarily. Some boutiques have an in-house alterations service, while others work with or recommend independent seamstresses. Ask before ordering what is and isn’t included in the price of your gown.
Make sure you understand the deposit and payment schedule, estimated delivery date, alteration arrangements, storage, collection process and any charges for customisation or rush delivery.
Most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask questions – nobody expects you to already know how the process works!
