Buy a wedding dress online?

julie195

There are so many website to buy online wedding dresses, and so many horror stories too. How to choose one?

misshart00

Choose a reputable one like pearls place or a preowned site like preownedweddingdresses.com.

WildMagelet

misshart00 said:

Choose a reputable one like pearls place or a preowned site like preownedweddingdresses.com.

Oncewed.com is another good pre-owned site to find a gently used gown online.

Just remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  There are so many horror stories revolving around Chinese sellers (usually in terms of shipping times, fit, and fabric/embellishment quality, and stolen stock photos) that I would be very leery.  Look over every review with a grain of salt because many of them are notorious for posting fake reviews online.  

If you decide to bite the bullet and go with an on-line seller who doesn't have a legit storefront just be prepared for your purchase to NOT be exactly what you ordered and the potential for costly alterations for fit, regardless of how "custom" it was made to begin with.

Viczaesar

watermelons said:

Hi,
First of all,you should find the wedding dress that you really love.Then you can try to find it from the horror stores you know.If it is sold in several stores,you can pick the cheap one!That is what I thought!By the way,my girlfriend recommends me a good online store whose name seems to be edreambridal ,if you are interested in it,you can have a look!

I think you are a vendor.  @wandajune6

Viczaesar

Knottie69989639 said:

Hi, 

I bought my dress from this website: www.dazzlebride.com

The dress was gorgeous and looked like the picture. The size was good (exactly the measures that I provided them with).

I was very worried at the beginning because of a lot of horror stories  about buying dresses from websites, And the lack of communication after having ordered etc.... A friend recommended me that website that has been opened by one of his Swiss friends living in China. 

I contacted the website by email and they were very nice and helpful. They always answered me in a maximum of 48 hours. The website is quite recent so the owner takes care of the customers directly, which 

The prices are good not as cheap as you can find on some websites but the quality is good too.

I would strongly recommend this website to buy a gown, the fact that it is managed by a western person that understands our worries and questions makes it much easier. 

I think you are a vendor too.  @wandajune6

lavasca

I tried on dresses in brick and mortar stores for awhile. Then, my head figuratively exploded and I went on ebay. I purchased a dress from a flattering designer via a well rated seller.

caitlinmca

If you find a dress you like that is a name brand check pearls place, they are a brick and morter store down in the south I believe... HELP @CMGragain. I know you recommend this place or another similar quite often. Can you give some advise please and thank you.

CMGragain

Never buy a wedding dress online.  Never.  Those sites are located in China, and none can be trusted.
There are several discount ordering services in the USA where you can order an authentic dress over the telephone.  We used Pearl's Place in Mettarie, LA., and saved hundreds of dollars.  There is no discount on Maggie Sottero dresses.  Pearl's Place does not like to sell you a dress unless you have actually tried it on somewhere in person.  All sales are final, like in any bridal shop.

http://www.pearlsplace.com
http://www.netbride.com
http://www.rkbridal.com

badbnagdway

You could also try the retailers that do bridal -- I tried on gowns from JCrew, Ann Taylor, and BHLDN at home (just sent them back for a refund, so I was out some shipping). I found the quality to be good for the price points. I was afraid to try on new gowns in a traditional bridal store for fear of being talked into something over my price range (because I've seen this happen a lot with other brides). 

The thing I would caution you on with the pre-owned bridal is it seems like you can't always return them easily. Unless you have tried the gown on somewhere else you are not going to know if it's "the one" from pictures. 

CMGragain

Knottie9059457 said:

I have the same questions with you!Usually I will refer to the reviews and see the other customers' comments.Then I will see how many orders they have got.

Many of those reviews arw phony, written by their own people.  These sites cannot be trusted.  Yes, you will receive a dress - but WHAT dress?

lavasca

I got mine off eBay from a seller with over 1000 positive reviews. I loved it.

pineapplesmoothie

I'm a real person and I had a good experience ordering from simplybridal.com.  My dress was $125.  My dress is short, but they had many more fancy traditional bridal dresses for <$500. 

destinationtake2

I ordered my vow renewal dress from www.ideel.com. They have a current bridal sale as we speak.

I've also had great luck with dresses, in general, at www.simplydresses.com

misshart00

madisonproven said:

http://www.jennifer003.info/Eddy-K-Bridal-Gown-Style-AK03-p-53212.html

That's a Chinese knock off site.

thesummersky

I bought off Ebay and am so happy I did! The dress fit well, and was worth at least $700 more than I paid for it, because it had been worn once (which I didn't mind at all - in fact, I liked that the dress had more of a story!). 

When buying online, I agree with PPs that it is important to know who you are buying from. I would not trust any company based in China, and even some companies based in Los Angeles have very questionable manufacturing and warehouse practice.

Also, be sure to know your measurements. Dress sizes can be misleading, especially with wedding dresses. If you're going to take the plunge and buy online, it will be important to know you have accurate measurements for yourself. 

Or, you can do what I did and get a dress with corset to give you some wiggle room! 

lovesclimbing

I ordered from simplybridal.com as well.

This is what I've posted before about it:

I ordered my dress from simplybridal.com.  It came in and looked beautiful!  It was a bit too big but I expected this considering I had not tried it on before ordering and didn't have them make it to my exact measurements: I simply bought it in a regular size according to their sizing chart.  However, I had a wonderful seamstress lined up who did an amazing job for a very reasonable price.

 

These are the alterations I had done after I got the dress

-Hemmed

-Bustled

-Took it up in the shoulders because the arm holes were a bit big.

-Took it in at the waist

-Yanked the stitching on the waistband to remove a pucker

-Stitched the lace at the neckline together a tiny bit because the neckline was a tad low for my taste.

 

They are not the most high quality made dresses in the world but my dress looked absolutely beautiful.  The satin was heavy and felt really nice.  It did not feel cheap.  I definitely feel that I got a good quality product for the price I paid, about $225.

 

I was dissatisfied with the waistband.  The way it was stitched down caused puckers.  However, my seamstress was able to rip the stitching so that it was only stitched down on the top rather than on both the top and the bottom and ironed it flat.  It looked lovely!

 

I have no regrets and definitely recommend Simply Bridal to any bride.

Yes, they do make them in China but they are not one of those Chinese knock off sites.  All the dresses are their own design.  Unlike knock-off sites which only let you return them if they made a mistake, Simply Bridal lets you return the dress within 30 days if you don't like it for some reason and they are US based.  They have offices in the US.

oceano21

Im not sure what your budget is....Maybe not a lot since you are wondering about purchasing online. Anyway I have a beautiful brand NEW dress that I'm trying to sell. Its Alfred Angelo. Let me know if you are interested and I can send you pictures of it.  Im not trying to make a profit, just want someone to enjoy it instead of just having it in the closet. 

knottie75e99fe4be548d97

I bought mine (actually it was a white bridesmaid dress) from netbride.com.  I also placed the order for 6 bridesmaid dresses and matching ties for our groomsmen from them.  Service was fantastic & everything was top notch. I highly recommend them.  They don't have prices on their site, but will email you a quote within a day or two when you fill out their request form.

Esther Morales

If you must by online, buy from a regular, reputable store such as Nordstrom, Macy's, JC Penney and RK Bridals.  Pre owned is also good, but remember, you will have to pay for all alterations if you are not present to try anything on.  Isn't there any bridal shops in your area?