Has anyone ever used Rent The Runway for bridal party?

JenLD2015

I have my two best friends as my bridal party and I really want to make it as easy as possible for them.  So, I thought maybe Rent The Runway would be a fun alternative to buying a dress you will likely not wear again..... What do you Knottie's think?

theartistformerlyknownas

Only two people? I would definitely go for it. I haven't used them as a BM but quite a few times for events and I've always been really happy. Just make sure they reserve plenty of time in advance so their sizes aren't already gone for your date.

daria24

There are a lot of people that love RTR and have had great success with it. But there are some things to keep in mind- -You won't be able to get the dresses, try them on, etc months ahead of time (unless you can find the exact same dresses at a store and try them on there). A week-ish before the wedding your BP will have to place the order and hope it works out. What if the dresses that you guys like don't fit correctly? You can't alter the dresses, and some people have difficult bodies to fit. -Me personally, if I'm going to spend $125, I would rather have a dress I can keep, than a rental. But not everyone feels that way.

rooz103

I just went to a wedding where the MOH rocked a dress from rent the runway. It was a super sparkly gold number (that would have been impractical to buy) and not only did she look amazing, she was happy because it cost her less than $50 to rent.

theartistformerlyknownas

daria24 said:

There are a lot of people that love RTR and have had great success with it. But there are some things to keep in mind-

-You won't be able to get the dresses, try them on, etc months ahead of time (unless you can find the exact same dresses at a store and try them on there). A week-ish before the wedding your BP will have to place the order and hope it works out. What if the dresses that you guys like don't fit correctly? You can't alter the dresses, and some people have difficult bodies to fit.

-Me personally, if I'm going to spend $125, I would rather have a dress I can keep, than a rental. But not everyone feels that way.

You need to order the dresses well ahead of a week. Choose something based on reviews by people with the same measurements so they know they'll fit appropriately. They'll ship them the week of, along with a free backup size. You can also get a backup style for $25. If those don't fit, you email customer service and they overnight a new dress. And none of the dresses I've rented have been more than $40; definitely doesn't have to be $125.

JenLD2015

Yeah, I just want my girls to feel and look fabulous and not like they need to please me personally. We are hoping to get something sparkly and fun.  Also, mismatched. I'll keep RTR as a backup plan. 

smalfrie19

I love them. I didn't get BM dresses from them, but I did rent a dress for my shower this past weekend and it was great. Dress came friday. tried it on, wore it Saturday and sent it home. IMO they have a great business model! 

JenLD2015

@Lolo - thanks for the great advice on how to work with RTR.  This may work after all!!

JCbride2015

OP, are you anywhere near NYC?  RTR has two showrooms in NYC where your BMs could actually try on the dresses before ordering.  I have used the showroom before and had a great experience.

I have rented from RTR numerous times and always wound up with great dresses that fit.  Once they sent me a dress that was pretty wrinkled, and rather than have me iron it and possibly ruin the dress, they just overnighted me a new one.

You will definitely want to place the orders as far in advance as you can, ideally about 6-8 weeks.  Within a few weeks of the event, options become limited.

JenLD2015

HI JCBride - no, I am in San Francisco actually.  However, I am really glad to hear that so many of you have had such good experiences with RTR!  

sarahufl

JCbride2015 said:

OP, are you anywhere near NYC?  RTR has two showrooms in NYC where your BMs could actually try on the dresses before ordering.  I have used the showroom before and had a great experience.

I have rented from RTR numerous times and always wound up with great dresses that fit.  Once they sent me a dress that was pretty wrinkled, and rather than have me iron it and possibly ruin the dress, they just overnighted me a new one.

You will definitely want to place the orders as far in advance as you can, ideally about 6-8 weeks.  Within a few weeks of the event, options become limited.

I went to the show room last week and it was a shit show. The wait for the fitting room was almost 2 hours!

I rented my first dress last week for a wedding and was fairly happy with it. 

JCbride2015

sarahufl said:

JCbride2015 said:

OP, are you anywhere near NYC?  RTR has two showrooms in NYC where your BMs could actually try on the dresses before ordering.  I have used the showroom before and had a great experience.

I have rented from RTR numerous times and always wound up with great dresses that fit.  Once they sent me a dress that was pretty wrinkled, and rather than have me iron it and possibly ruin the dress, they just overnighted me a new one.

You will definitely want to place the orders as far in advance as you can, ideally about 6-8 weeks.  Within a few weeks of the event, options become limited.

I went to the show room last week and it was a shit show. The wait for the fitting room was almost 2 hours!

I rented my first dress last week for a wedding and was fairly happy with it. 

Oh no!!  Did you have an appointment?

sarahufl

JCbride2015 said:

sarahufl said:

JCbride2015 said:

OP, are you anywhere near NYC?  RTR has two showrooms in NYC where your BMs could actually try on the dresses before ordering.  I have used the showroom before and had a great experience.

I have rented from RTR numerous times and always wound up with great dresses that fit.  Once they sent me a dress that was pretty wrinkled, and rather than have me iron it and possibly ruin the dress, they just overnighted me a new one.

You will definitely want to place the orders as far in advance as you can, ideally about 6-8 weeks.  Within a few weeks of the event, options become limited.

I went to the show room last week and it was a shit show. The wait for the fitting room was almost 2 hours!

I rented my first dress last week for a wedding and was fairly happy with it. 

Oh no!!  Did you have an appointment?

SIB- 

No, but the appts are $40, which I wasn't interested in paying.