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Did you know that not only does your wedding dress take 10 to 12 weeks to be ordered, made and shipped back to the bridal store/boutique, but so does the bridesmaids, flower girl and mother of the bride. Few realize how the bridal industry works.
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Most dresses are not sold off the rack. Bridal is all about special ordering. So give yourself at least 5 months. The first month shop dresses and find your dress, then your bridesmaids.Order your dress as soon as you find it. Second month make sure everything is ordered, the girls all have to be measured to order their dresses. Third and Fourth month work on all the other areas of the wedding: cake, venue, music etc. Your dresses should arrive a month or more before your wedding. That way everyone will have time for alterations.
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Don't forget about mom. Your mother has been breaking her back trying to get your dream wedding together. All the mothers forget about what they are going to wear. So they come into the bridal boutiques a month or less before the wedding and have to try and buy off the rack. Which is close to impossible. So make sure mom is a priority.
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Some brides order the dresses 9 months in advance or more . In 9 months someone could become pregnant. Think about it thats almost a whole year. People go through a lot of life changes and 9 months is just too far out for 5-7 girls to be ordering. Some join a weight loss program and drop 3 sizes which means that bridesmaid will spend 130 or more in alterations. So as crazy as this sounds order early but not too early. 6 months is about the perfect amount of time.
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You could order bridesmaids dresses a year in advance and those girls won't pick the dresses up till about 2 weeks before the wedding. I would love to tell you how many bridesmaids have literally picked up the dress the friday before the wedding. So don't stress, no matter when the dresses get here the girls will have the dress before the wedding.
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Wedding dresses run at least one size smaller. So in the bridal shop throw the number away! In a metaphoric way of course. Were looking a "fit" not a number. Same with bridesmaids, however some run 2 dress sizes smaller. Many girls hate the number and order what they want. When the size 2 dress gets here thats actually a double 0. It more than likely won't zip. Your consultant is here for you. She is sizing you based off of what she knows about the designers and where your measurements fall on the designers chart. So trust her!!
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You probably won't like it on! Pinterest is the downfall of the bridal industry for your average middle class bride. The dresses found on Pinterest are almost always haute couture designer dresses that run around 15,000. No thats not a typo. Use Pinterest for inspiration but don't give your heart away to one of these dresses. Some do not exist or are not in your budget. Most girls will love the look of a ball gown online. There the ultimate bridal look. Although you will achieve the feeling of a true bride, you will be sacrificing your amazing figure for it.
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Dont combine too many colors. Colors are fun and a creative way to play up your wedding. But having 4 colors for your wedding is a bit much. If you wants some depth, do shades of a color. Its hard enough to find things that match your wedding colors much less, 4 different colors.
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Alterations are to be expected. Dresses are made to the height of 5.8'. So you might need a hem, you will also need a bustle for your train. Another common alteration is the bust taken in. No one ever fits the average bust size.
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Seamstresses are kinda like a bakery. You pick out the cake and they make it maybe 3 or less days in advance to have it ready for the wedding. So when you give the seamstress your dress. She has a million other dresses she schedules all of them to be done the weekend before your wedding. I mean honestly if you had your dress it would just be sitting in your closet anyways. So trust your seamstress, she knows what she is doing and your dress will be steamed and ready for aisle when it leaves the shop.
