When Should You Order Your Bridesmaid Dress

Congratulations, Bride! This is an exciting, perhaps a little stressful, moment of your life. You are thinking about so many things at once you might just forget about your bridesmaids, and that’s okay! It is YOUR big day after all. But don’t forget that your wedding aesthetic is also largely related to what your girls are wearing, which is why the bridesmaid dresses shouldn’t just be an afterthought. 

Fear not, we are here to help! Keep reading to find out when is the best time to order the bridesmaid dresses and plan accordingly. 

12 Months: Bridesmaid Proposal

Bridesmaid dresses, unlike the wedding gown, doesn’t need to be purchased so far in advance. Buying a wedding gown is a complicated task, so before you even sit down with your girls to talk about what they’re wearing, it’s probably a good idea for you to figure out what you’re wearing first. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t have a little fun with your girls. 

Plan a little proposal for your squad. It doesn’t have to be over-the-top elaborate but you want to be able to tell each and every one of the girls that they matter a great deal to you. Ultimately they are the people you want by your side when you walk down the aisle and say “I do”. 

< 10-11 Months: $$$

Budgeting is one of the hardest tasks in a wedding, from the bride and the groom, to the parents, groomsmen, and of course, the bridesmaids. The average spending per bridesmaid is about $2,000 and the dress takes up roughly 10% of that budget. Which, if you ask us, is A LOT of money to spend on a dress that you may or may not wear again. Luckily for you (or your bridesmaids), here at Leading Ladies all our full dresses are $99 so you can spend the money elsewhere. The important thing here is to make sure you communicate with your bridesmaids and set on a budget that everyone is happy with. Once you set the budget for the dress, you can then start planning the other activities (engagement party, bachelorette party, bridal shower… you name it). 

< 8-9 Months: Color/Inspo

By this time you should already have some colors in mind for the wedding. If you’re having a fall wedding, make sure you read our guide for our top picks for fall wedding colors. Your pinterest board should give you a good idea of what vibe you’re going for. This is a good time to order some swatches, because a lot of these colors can look somewhat different IRL and we all know that every last detail about the wedding has to be just perfect. If you’re mixing and matching colors, make sure you order multiple swatches just to see if the colors actually look good together. If you have a diverse group of bridesmaids you might even want to make sure that the color(s) you pick will look good on them so nothing will be a surprise come the day of the wedding. 

< 5-7 Months: Place Order 

Once you and your girls have decided on a color and budget, it’s time to actually purchase the dress. You might wonder, why do you have to place the order so early? The truth is, our bridesmaids dresses are made-to-order. 

This is because every bridesmaid dress is made according to the specific size, color, and fabric (hello, customization & custom sizing!). Order your dress early so you can worry about other important things at hand. 

< 3 Months: Alterations 

If you decide not to go with custom sizing, you need to keep in mind that you might need to do some alterations. Since you are most likely to be in that dress for the entire day, you want the dress to feel as comfortable as possible. Trust us, there is no downside to being over prepared.

Wedding day: Sit back and relax 

Now that you have the dress out of the way, you can finally sit down and relax. Come wedding day you will feel well rested and ready to take on all the bridesmaid dutie