Last Minute Wedding Dress Shopping

Last Minute Wedding Dress Shopping

Finding a wedding dress at short notice can be an overwhelming thought! Many modern couples are deciding to get married very shortly after they get engaged, so sometimes a time-frame of just a few months or even weeks is becoming more common. There might be a particular reason for this, such as an illness in the family, booking the only available dates at a favourite venue, other plans that mean you need to get married right away and so on. Or perhaps you just can't see a reason to wait! Whatever your reason for a swept-off-your-feet wedding, one of the first things you'll be wanting to do is find a wedding dress. This might seem like a herculean task, and many traditional bridal shops will tell you it's impossible, but don't despair - it is absolutely possible if you know what to do! 

Traditional bridalwear stores tend to suggest that you give yourself between 6 months and a year to find your perfect wedding gown - this is so adjustments and fittings can be booked, or the right size shipped in etc. While browsing these stores can give you a firm idea of what kind of dress you're after, many simply won't be able to provide you with a gown at short notice, so looking elsewhere is your first step to finding a late-notice wedding dress.

Your options include non-wedding clothing stores, vintage wedding dresses and wedding dress factory outlets:

The high street is sometimes a great place to start, and larger department stores often stock wedding gowns at affordable prices. But these tend to be rather limited, generic and might not cater for smaller or larger dress-sizes.

If you can find a vintage dress that fits, then fantastic! Many vintage dresses are often in very slim sizes, however, so may narrow down your options. Perhaps you have a family heirloom of a gown that could be adjusted to fit you?