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Cat:336d8010-1fcd-4410-9356-c39e985527ec

Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

Fashion and Health and Beauty

Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

<font color="#ffffff">You found The One; now find The Dress. Discuss gown styles, hair trends, beauty basics, deals, and more!</font>

I found the dress that I wanted @ bridalonlinestore.com.The dress is a knockout!I chatted online with one of the sales ladies and she said she could assist me with the purchase of my dress.The dress p

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Fashion and Health and Beauty

Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

<font color="#ffffff">You found The One; now find The Dress. Discuss gown styles, hair trends, beauty basics, deals, and more!</font>

I found the dress that I wanted @ bridalonlinestore.com.The dress is a knockout!I chatted online with one of the sales ladies and she said she could assist me with the purchase of my dress.The dress p

0

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Forums > General Wedding Planning Topics > Fashion and Health and Beauty > Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

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Forums > General Wedding Planning Topics > Fashion and Health and Beauty > Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

posted at 9/30/2009 12:17 PM CDT on weddingchannel.com

JessW

Joined on
09-17-2009
HOUSTON

6146887497717143

Posts: 12

First: 9/30/2009

Last: 10/25/2009

I found the dress that I wanted @ bridalonlinestore.com.The dress is a knockout!I chatted online with one of the sales ladies and she said she could assist me with the purchase of my dress.The dress price is discounted at a good price(much cheaper than the dress I looked at in a bridal salon)and on top of that they offer bridal packages where you can get your slip,veil,bra,shoes,dress bag.tiara,&jewlery at a discounted price.I totaled everything up and the price came to $612.99 for my dress and all the accessories.It would save me a lot of money if I did this plus they have a convient plan for you to pay on you purchase.Should I do this or go to a bridal store and shop around for the accessories?

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Re: Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

posted at 9/30/2009 2:29 PM CDT on weddingchannel.com

misma09

Joined on
06-16-2009
LANSING

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Posts: 882

First: 6/16/2009

Last: 11/20/2009

Ok...the fact that that particular company is in the US instead of China is better than some. BUT ---

I have always been told you get what you pay for. If you are willing to put up with the dress not being the same as the picture, or having to make a lot of adjustments, then go for it. There are A LOT of conditions to return anything through their website. I would read them very carefully before deciding anything, primarily to make sure your gown is available for a refund.

I get really nervous when ordering wedding dresses off the internet. You hear so many horror stories about them, and most of the time end up spending so much in alterations, or buying a new dress altogether, that you end up spending more than you would have if you just went to a bridal salon.

As far as the accessories go, you can find veils and tiaras cheaper than is on that site. It all depends on what you want. If you were to get anythign from there, I don't think you would be risking much if you got your accesories.

You can however get a veil made for much cheaper. My seamstress that I used made beautiful veils, or you can get a veil making kit at JoAnn fabrics or a similiar store. That will only run about $20.

The headband that I used was an $8 rhinstone thing from a discount store. No one noticed that it wasn't the real thing, and it gave me the sparkle that i wanted.

Good luck! I hope it works out for you!

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Re: Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

posted at 9/30/2009 2:37 PM CDT on weddingchannel.com

Ariel81916

Joined on
07-24-2008
BOSTON

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Posts: 597

First: 5/8/2009

Last: 11/20/2009

You should probably go to a bridal store and at least try the gown on first. Even if you're convinced it's perfect for you, you might be unpleasantly surprised.

Going to a bridal store doesn't mean you have to buy there. You can go just to look.

And everything Misma said.

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Re: Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

posted at 9/30/2009 2:46 PM CDT on weddingchannel.com

cosmogirl

Joined on
06-20-2006
BOSTON

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Posts: 713

First: 5/14/2009

Last: 11/20/2009

Keep in mind that the sizing on bridal gowns is WAY different than regular clothes, too.

At the very least, you should go try on some dresses in person. For many, many brides, the dress we ended up with is nothing like what we thought we'd get.

If the dress is from a legitimate dress company, you could find out where you can buy the dress locally and perhaps negotiate a discount there. Worth a try.

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Re: Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

posted at 9/30/2009 3:40 PM CDT on weddingchannel.com

AmandaB

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OMAHA

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Posts: 1180

First: 5/7/2009

Last: 11/20/2009

What I would do is ask yourself if $612 is something you are prepared to lose. Ordering online is very much a crapshoot compared to going in actually trying on the gown.

Plus you should give yourself at least six months or longer before your wedding. If the dress is indeed garbage you would need time to regroup and get a new dress. Ditto with if it needs major alterations.

I ordered mine off of ebay from a China vendor. I paid $110 including shipping. I had a year and a half left and I was comfortable losing that small amount of money.

I went into a seamstress and got all my proper measurements and sent them into the vendor. He set up a private action for the dress I wanted.

It was fantastic. It was even better than the picture of fof ebay. It fit almost perfectly right out of the box, the only thing I had to have done was have it hemmed.

I got very lucky with my dress. I also made sure to pepper the vendor with questions and I also contacted a lot of his buyers to hear their experience. I made sure to order from someone who did ONLY wedding gowns, not someone who was selling one gown and their 99.9% rating came from other crap.

It can be fine IF you are prepared to lose that money and have time to get a new dress b/c you are taking a major gamble buying something you can't see.

I was pleased with my experience, but that isn't the case for a lot of women.

It's like any other purchase or gamble: is the price worth it?

Don't do a pay for it as you go plan on line. I would not do this with an online company. If you cannot afford the dress all at once, don't do it online.

Do it at a respectable bridal shop where you can layaway and have an easier time getting rid of the dress if it is garbage.

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Re: Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

posted at 9/30/2009 8:37 PM CDT on weddingchannel.com

Stinky Wizzelte...

Joined on
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Posts: 1306

First: 5/5/2009

Last: 11/22/2009

Go with a tried and true online place to by like RK Bridal and Pearl's Place. Their reputations are pretty sterling.

Plus I believe that RK will beat any price you may have. You also won't be charged sales tax if the gown arrives via UPS or Fed Ex.:)

I strongly advise you to pay via credit card.

This way if the gown you ordered isn't up to snuff or is just plain cheap or badly constructed, you have more wiggle room. If the site will not refund your money, you can get it back by contacting the issuing bank -- Consumer Law C covers credit card purchases gone awry.:)

Good luck.

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Re: Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

posted at 10/10/2009 12:33 PM CDT on weddingchannel.com

LizK

Joined on
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SAN ANTONIO

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Posts: 39

First: 8/10/2009

Last: 11/11/2009

I bought mine online, it needed a little altering-it had a gap at the back where the lining and the dress weren't connected, the lining was a little tight, and it was too long. BUT it was only $120, and alterations are dirt cheap where I live, so it still came to less than $180. I went to a store for the veil, I just couldn't picture how it would look to get it online. Over 600 is a lot to pay if you don't end up liking all of it in person, and it will need some alterations too, you should consider that.

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Re: Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

posted at 10/13/2009 12:41 PM CDT on weddingchannel.com

kln816

Joined on
09-22-2009
NEW JERSEY

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Posts: 18

First: 9/22/2009

Last: 11/19/2009

I'm not getting married yet, but I did order a dress for Prom way back online. It was from a website specializing in gowns and I absolutely adored the dress. Did need alterations as the size I ordered ended up being too big. I ordered my graduation gown (all girls catholic school required white gowns) from them too but had to send the first one back because it looked white online but when I got it, it was Ivory. Actually had to end up getting another dress though I still got it from the same company.

However, I would definitley try to find the dress in a store first to try it on, see how it looks, see if the sizing is different, etc. THEN order it online. Good luck!

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Re: Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

posted at 10/14/2009 5:26 PM CDT on weddingchannel.com

mcheek

Joined on
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DALLAS-FORT WORTH

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Posts: 3

First: 10/14/2009

Last: 10/14/2009

I bought mine online from JuilusBridal.com for about $500....yikes! I wanted something that looked expensive, but I'm totally cheap. Here are pictures of my dress. I bought it at a size I thought I'd be close to and I would have fit into it fine if I hadn't decided to gain almost ten pounds before my wedding, another YIKES! Thankfully the dress had a zipper back and my mom was able to take it out and replace it with a corset which is REALLY easy to do. I loved my dress. It was perfect and if I had it to do again I'd still buy it online because it was cheaper than going to a bridal store and buying a similar dress. JMO.

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Re: Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

posted at 10/19/2009 7:40 PM CDT on weddingchannel.com

MrsBoyle

Joined on
10-12-2009
UPSTATE NEW YORK

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Posts: 18

First: 10/12/2009

Last: 10/21/2009

I bought many things online for our wedding it was convenient and I was able to get things at great prices. Soooo I decided I would buy my girls thier dresses on line as well as my wedding shoes.

- the dresses came 3 weeks before the wedding and 2 out of 3 of them where so big they could have swam in the fabric. -they had a no return policy, so we took them to the seamstress and had them dramaticaly altered. But it turn out that even once we got them to fit right they wheren't all that flatering! OWELLL . . .

-Now with the shoes. . . I ordered from Nina what appeared to be the cutest shoes ever in the perfect shade of PINK, our colors are PINK and green.
They were on back order so 6weeks later I got them in the mail, opend the box and they were PURPLE!!!!
Fortunately they took them back because they had many other people complain that the color on the site was misleading.

MORAL of the story. . . save your self the frustration!
There are many things I would recemend buying online, your Wedding dress and accessories
are BIG ITEMS you want to try on, see and feel, in person!!!!!!

Madly in love,
Mrs. Boyle

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Re: Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

posted at 11/4/2009 1:23 PM CST on weddingchannel.com

lorasims1234

Joined on
10-14-2009
PHOENIX

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Posts: 2

First: 11/4/2009

Last: 11/4/2009

Reputable online bridal shops should not be a huge problem. Be sure to know what their policies are before purchase.

Do make sure that you get your measurements done by a professional to insure the best match on size. Remember that if you are close to a size you may get a dress the next size up. This is common practice when ordering a dress regardless if it is from a shop or online.

Also, make sure you know what kind of alterations will be required. This can be a big surprise if you haven't included this in your budget. Things that impact pricing on alterations are beading, lace, gown construction, boning, etc. It is a good idea to consult with a professional seamstress or tailor prior to your purchase

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Forums > General Wedding Planning Topics > Fashion and Health and Beauty > Thinking of buying online,should I or just go to a Bridal Store?

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