Brides are warned their wedding dresses could take a YEAR to arrive and are advised to buy them early as supply chain disruption could mean late deliveries of gowns, veils and headpieces
- UK Alliance of Wedding Planners have warned that deliveries could be delayed
- Delays at ports means veils and headpieces will take longer to arrive in Britain
- Wedding planner Bernadette Chapman advised buying dresses immediately
Brides have been warned to order their wedding dresses a year in advance after disruption in supply chains could mean late deliveries of dresses from overseas, retailers have warned.
Delays at UK ports means gowns, veils and headpieces purchased from manufacturers overseas could take longer to come, with industry experts suggesting brides could be waiting as long as a year.
Bernadette Chapman, of the UK Alliance of Wedding Planner, said that brides-to-be should begin searching for their dresses as soon as they get engaged.
‘I advise not leaving it too late to order your wedding dress – give yourself enough time for a buffer in case of delays in your dress arriving’, she told the Telegraph.
Delays at UK ports means gowns, veils and headpieces purchased from manufacturers overseas could take longer to come. Stock image
It comes as a severe lack of HGV drivers, congestion at global trading ports and new post-Brexit trading and immigration rules are continuing to hamper the UK’s economic recovery as it exits the Covid pandemic.
Industry leaders said today that they fear the issues – which include stock and staff shortages – could continue for the next six to nine months.
An alternative to purchasing a new wedding dress could be buying one second hand or renting a gown – a growing trend after Carrie Johnson married the prime minister wearing a rented dress by Greek designer Christos Costarellos.
While renting a dress isn’t a new phenomenon, the fact more brides are choosing to do so – as opposed to it being a necessity due to a tight budget – is a shift.
It comes as a severe lack of HGV drivers, congestion at global trading ports (pictured, shipping containers at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk) and new post-Brexit trading and immigration rules are continuing to hamper the UK’s economic recovery as it exits the Covid pandemic
Hiring a gown can also make a high end designer that may typically be out of a bride’s price range more accessible.
There’s also the sustainable element of renting or buying a second-hand a gown, and the process can be a lot quicker than buying one, which often requires numerous fittings if made to measure.
Fashion rental site HURR launched HURR Bridal last year and the site saw a surge of over 268 per cent of brides-to-be on the hunt for rentals, some booking as far ahead as Autumn 2022.
Co-founder Victoria Prew said: ‘We have seen a steady and increasing interest in bridal, but the web traffic and bookings accelerated notably over the Bank Holiday weekend.
‘As an ideal time for planning, the long weekend gave brides a chance to plan a more sustainable wedding dress option.’
Sacha predicts rental will end up worth 20 per cent of the UK bridal market if it goes the way it’s heading across the pond in the US – nearly £60million a year based on 2018 figures.
