How far in advance did you order bridesmaids dresses?

So, our wedding isn't until Jan 2022 and I've already found where I want my girls to get their dresses. I'm using the Bridal Salon on Birdy Grey's website, and it's been very helpful! All of the girls get invited by email and can log in at anytime after that. They get to see everything! I get to pick what color and style of dresses I want the girls to buy, and it also shows what dresses they end up purchasing so no one in the bridal party has the same dress (unless they want to).

One of my girls actually already bought her dress during their Black Friday sale! Many people on here will say 'it's far too early to purchase them', which is true to a degree, but I think if your bridal party knows what dresses they want and are wanting to buy it early, then let them. Plus, since your wedding is in June of this year, I think it's a good time for them to start purchasing.

My girls are very included in dress picking because they're the ones purchasing it and wearing it. I have a group message with them and we all sent any dresses we liked and they all decided that they liked how Birdy Grey's dresses were simple, yet they offer many styles that each girl would look good in. The girls also agreed on the same price point!

Bridesmaids dresses can be bought like 4 months ahead of the wedding. I had my girls try on dresses and pick what they liked best in a few specific color options. They all ended up choosing the same color and actually the same dress (David's Bridal didn't have many options in knee-length dresses). I recently discovered Azazie and bought a dress from there as a bridesmaid for an upcoming wedding (Covid postponed so I already have the dress). They have tons of style options and are better quality than David's Bridal. You can create a showroom of different dress styles you like and think would look cohesive, and the bridesmaids can shop from that selection. They have a try at home option as well.

My bridesmaids purchased their dresses 6 months before my original date. They were very involved in the process of finding the dresses - I figured that if they're the ones that will be wearing the dresses, that they should get to decide. We went to 2 different stores to try on dresses for them, and ultimately ordered dresses on Azazie. They each got to pick out their own dresses. I think as long as you order the dresses at least 3-4 months ahead of time, it'll all work out.

You have plenty of time. My bridesmaids just started buying their dresses last month for what was supposed to be a March wedding (we just postponed it). We used Azazie. Their dresses take about 4-6 weeks to produce, so I would say you should order around Feb/March to allow time to ship and get alterations.

As far as level of involvement for them in picking dresses, that is totally up to you. Many brides choose one dress for all bridesmaids. Some brides choose a color, and let their BMs choose a dress in that color. Some brides even do all different colors and styles and just let their BMs shop around for what they want. For mine, I made a list on Azazie of about 12 dresses I liked that all had some similar lace details, and then let my BMs choose a style they liked from that list. Azazie also has a try at home option so they can try a few before they buy. Try at home is usually $10 per dress, but some of my BMs downloaded the app Honey on their computers and using coupons they were able to get them for 1cent each or just the cost of shipping.

For a June wedding, I would have them order soon. Azazie says 3-4 months, although my girls' came in six weeks this summer! You will want to build in some time in case they have to get them altered.

I went with Azazie, and picked 3 colors, a length, and two fabrics. I have 7 girls and I wanted the distribution to be 3/2/2 on the colors so I told them to pick what color they wanted of the 3, first come, first served. From there, I let them select any style they wanted in the length and fabric I chose as long as no one else had the same style. I felt like this was a good balance of structure and flexibility, so that I was able to get the look I wanted and they had guidance on what to choose while still having options to pick the dress they liked best.

I would do it at least a few months ahead but earlier the better. For instance from azazie it could take a month and then you wanna give it some extra time for alterations or for just if they don’t like the dress, to have time to get a new one.

My bridesmaids picked their own dresses from Azazie (all in Navy). They ordered 3-4 months out and got them in plenty of time to have them altered.

I wish I had done it completely differently, but what I did was go to stores with my bridesmaids. We went mid-November and got married in July. This was pre-Covid. I wanted them all in the same dress which admittedly probably wasn't a good choice. They all said they liked the dress but it turned out my sister was lying. A week before the wedding she decided she wanted a different dress. Since she was maid of honor I was okay with her getting a different dress. She didn't have the money to pay for a new dress so I bought it for her. If I could do it again, I would have had them get their dresses from Azazie and I would have picked a color, length and material and let them decide the style on their own. It would have saved me from a lot of headache.

View Quoted Comment I sense a theme here with brides saying they let their bridesmaids choose the dress style. This wasn’t something I considered much beforehand, so I appreciate the insight. It does make sense, as everyone has their individual body shape, taste, and comfort level. I’m fine without the dresses being identical.