All Style but No Time: Tips for Gown Shopping with a Tight Timeline
When a bride begins wedding planning, it’s common to be unaware of the fact that bridal gowns take time…as in months. Typically bridal gowns are made-to-order, and are not mass-produced due to the high product and manufacturing cost. This can often cause panic for brides who have decided to have a short engagement and/or elope - we in the gown industry categorize a ‘tight timeline’ as less than 6 months from wedding date. But fear not! We have some helpful tips and tricks for brides who want a beautiful designer wedding gown that expresses their personal style despite a tight timeline.
Option 1: Rush Ordering a gown
Ordering a brand new gown is always a possibility depending on the designer, style, and timeline. If your wedding date allows, we can often rush order a brand new gown in the size and color you want/need. Designers do often incur a fee for rush orders, and the fees vary depending on the time frame and whether or not any customizations are required, but a general range for rush fees is between $150 - $500. When we are styling a bride with a tight timeline (i.e., less than 5 months from wedding date) we’ll quickly do our research on each style a bride tries on, so as to establish whether rush ordering this style is a realistic option. We never want a bride to fall in love with a gown that can’t get here in time!
Option 2: in-stock wedding gowns
When working with a quick turnaround, we will often explore any in-stock options that our designers offer. By accessing our designers’ inventory information, we can see what styles they could possibly have on-hand and ready to ship. This is a great option as these gowns often ship immediately and can arrive to us within a matter of days. Brides do have to be willing to take the gowns as-is, meaning whatever size and color option is available at that time. But the gown they’ll be receiving is brand new, crafted to perfection, and ready to wear after a bit of tailoring.
Option 3: off-the-rack samples
The quickest option worth exploring for short engagements are designer samples from boutiques like us! As a new season of wedding gowns arrive, we begin pulling styles from our inventory to ‘retire’. These store samples are often in great condition and ready to wear, and depending on the season and style, can often be purchased at a discount. The major benefit is that there is no waiting period: your sample gown purchase can go home with you same-day and you can begin alterations immediately. Brides who purchase sample gowns do have to be willing to have the gown altered to perfection as you are purchasing the size available, rather than having your specific size gown made for you. But fear not, because the seamstresses we work with have ample experience in fitting bridal gowns perfectly.
The important thing is not to panic: even with the tightest of timelines our team is here willing to explore every option available so you can say ‘yes’ to a House of White dress. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us for assistance in finding the perfect gown for your big day, no matter the timeline.