Dress question . . .

I would give yourself at least 6 months from the time you order the dress to your wedding. It usually takes months for the dress to arrive, plus you need to have a couple of fittings. When you should start looking is up to you - it may take several months to try to find 'the' dress (and you don't want to feel you have to make a decision right away because the clock is ticking). When you go try on dressings, tell the bridal salon your wedding is earlier than it actually is, maybe by several weeks. Good luck!

Edited to say: I didn't realize your wedding is in 2005. I would not start shopping until next year, because you never know what may come out in the next year. But definitely start looking at pictures!