wedding dress timeline: when to order, how many fittings and what alterations cost.

The dress feels like a job for later. It is usually the first thing on your list with a date that cannot move, because nobody can sew faster just because the wedding is close.

If you are getting married next summer, this month matters. Here is how the timing works, counted back from the day, and what to budget once the dress itself is paid for.

The short version

Bridebook suggests starting your search 9 to 12 months before the wedding, and allowing at least six months for a bespoke or made-to-order gown. That six months is only the making. Fittings and alterations come afterwards, and Bridebook says it is common to have as many as four.

High street, online and off-the-peg dresses have shorter lead times, so a late start does not mean you have run out of options. It means you have fewer of them.

A worked example

Say you are marrying on Saturday 12 June 2027, and you want a made-to-order dress with a six-month lead time.

• Order in mid-November. The dress arrives around mid-May.
• First fitting in mid-May. That leaves four weeks for everything else.
• Order on 1 December instead. The dress arrives about 12 days before the wedding, and there is no room left if it needs real work.

So a June couple who have not started yet should book appointments this week. A September couple have more room, but the same sum applies. Pick your date, take off the time for fittings, take off the lead time, and that is your real deadline.

Lead times vary by designer and by shop, so treat six months as a floor. Ask each boutique for theirs before you fall in love with anything.

What to do at each stage

9 to 12 months out: look. Book two or three appointments and try on shapes you are not sure about. Our guide to preparing for dress shopping covers what to bring, and the one on necklines and silhouettes is useful if you do not yet know the words for what you like.

Once you have a shortlist: ask before you pay. Get the expected delivery date, the deposit, and the cancellation terms in writing. Then ask whether alterations are in the price, and whether the shop does them at all. Bridebook notes that most boutiques offer alterations but not all do, and finding your own seamstress adds time.

When the dress arrives: first fitting. Bring the shoes and underwear you plan to wear, or the closest thing you own. Heel height sets the hem, so this is the moment to have shoes you can dance in sorted.

Middle fittings: the real work. Hem, sides, straps and the bustle. Sit down, lift your arms and walk about. You are checking whether you can eat dinner and hug your gran, not whether it looks good standing still.

Final fitting: about a fortnight out. Try it on with everything, and bring whoever is helping you into it on the morning. They need to learn the buttons and the bustle while there is still someone to ask.

What alterations cost

The average UK wedding dress costs £1,532, according to Bridebook's 2026 UK Wedding Report. That is the dress. Alterations come on top, and Bridebook suggests setting aside £200 to £500 or more, or £300 to £600 for many London couples.

Its guide to individual jobs gives a useful sense of where that goes:

• Hem: £100 to £200 or more, plus about £20 to £40 for each extra layer
• Taking in or letting out the sides: £60 to £150
• Adding a bustle: £50 to £150
• Changing a zip to a lace-up back: £150 to £300 or more

A full skirt with several layers of tulle and a lace edge costs far more to hem than a plain crepe column. So ask for a rough alteration quote when you try the dress on, not after it arrives. Having the work done at the shop you bought from can sometimes cost less as part of a package.

Add the veil, shoes, accessories and any cleaning afterwards, and put the whole lot in your budget as one line. Our guide to the hidden wedding costs is a good cross-check.

If you are short of time

Six months is not the end of it. These all shorten the wait:

• Off-the-peg and sample dresses. You take it home and start alterations straight away. Ask your local boutiques whether they have sample sales coming up.
• High street and online. Check the returns policy, and leave time for a seamstress.
• Pre-loved. A good route for a designer dress at a lower price. See our guide to sustainable and pre-loved dresses.
• Rush orders. Some shops will try, usually for a fee. Get the new delivery date in writing.

Whichever route you take, book the seamstress when you buy the dress. Good ones fill up in spring and summer.

Put the dates in the plan

The dress turns into a run of small dates: appointments, deposit, delivery, fittings, final balance. Build The Day keeps them with the rest of your budget and timeline, so the final payment does not catch you out in the same month as the venue. It is free to start.

Count back from your date tonight, then book the first appointment.