Wedding dress and suit timeline: when to order, how many fittings, and what alterations cost

When to buy the dress

What people actually did, in The Knot's 2024 Attire and Fashion Study of about 800 recent and soon-to-be newlyweds: they started the search 10 months out and bought 7.5 months out, after visiting two stores and trying on seven dresses. More than half, 55%, bought off the rack.

How long it takes to arrive

• The Knot gives a range of roughly four to six months from order to arrival for a made-to-order gown.
• Maggie Sottero says most of its dresses ship in 16 to 18 weeks, with selected styles in 10 weeks at no extra cost and a few in as little as 4.
• Expect to pay a deposit of about half when you order (The Knot says about 50%, Zola 50 to 60%), with the rest due at pickup.

Fittings

The Knot says alterations usually take six to eight weeks and that most people need up to three fittings. Bring the shoes and undergarments you will wear: the hem is cut to them.

What alterations cost

No survey measures this, and the published ranges do not agree, even within one publisher. They are still useful as a spread.

• The Knot's alterations guide: between $150 and $800 on average, and more than $1,000 for major work.
• A seamstress quoted by The Knot: $700 to $1,000 for a hem, a bustle and one adjustment to the fit.
• Zola: $300 to $800 for standard work.
• In Zola's 2026 survey of about 700 recently married couples, 29% named alterations as a cost they had not expected.
• Ask for a written estimate at the first fitting, and ask whether the price is per piece or a flat fee.

If you have less time

• Off-the-rack dresses can go home the same day, and sample sales sell floor models, usually in a limited range of sizes.
• Some designers keep quick-ship styles. Ask the salon which ones.
• Alterations can be rushed, usually for a fee. Tell the seamstress your date before you buy.

Suits and tuxedos

• Buying: The Knot says to order at least 3 to 4 months before, or 4 to 6 months for custom or made-to-measure, and to have it in hand a month before.
• Renting: Zola says to book 2 to 3 months ahead. The Knot's 2025 study put the average rental at $205.
• What two rental companies say about their own service: The Black Tux delivers 10 days before the event and wants the return posted within 3 days after; Men's Wearhouse says 7 to 10 days before.
• Try everything on the day it arrives. That is what the early delivery is for.

The wedding party

• The Knot, Zola and WeddingWire all say to order bridesmaid dresses about six months before. They can take up to three months to arrive, and alterations take about a month.
• Who pays: Emily Post, The Knot and Zola agree that attendants customarily pay for their own attire. Emily Post adds that the couple should be sensitive to budgets and can offer to cover the difference.
• The average bridesmaid dress cost $128 in The Knot's 2025 study.
• Hair and makeup for the party has no fixed rule. The Knot's advice: if you require professional styling, be ready to pay for it.

Hair and makeup

• Book 6 to 12 months ahead, according to both The Knot and Zola. In The Knot's 2026 study, 72% of couples hired a beauty professional.
• Hold the trial one to three months before. The trial is usually charged separately.
• On the day, allow 60 to 90 minutes for each of your own hair and makeup, and 30 to 45 minutes per service for everyone else (Zola). The Knot's stylists allow more: two to three hours for the bride in total.
• Ask about a minimum number of services, a travel fee, and when the artist needs to start.

After the wedding

If you want the dress preserved, do not leave it for months. The Knot's guide, quoting the owner of a preservation company, says to start within three to four weeks, and gives a cost of $250 to $700, or $200 to $300 for cleaning alone.