Any tips for buying a wedding dress through an Etsy seller?

nbd-2

Hi all, I have started shopping for a wedding dress and don't think I will find what I want in a bridal salon. Plus, I hate to shop and just haven't enjoyed the trips I've made to brick and mortar stores. I've started to look on Etsy and am getting overwhelmed. I'm excluding sellers based in China or Russia (just feels sketchy to me), and trying various search terms, but still getting 700+ PAGES of results I get when I search. Lots of nice possibilities so far, but none that really have me excited yet. I want something unstructured, yet curve-hugging (no ballgowns, tulle etc.) Any tips for looking through Etsy, dealing with sellers, etc.? Thanks!

CMGragain

If you buy a dress from a seller on Etsy, you are not buying from Etsy.  You are buying from that seller.  If you buy a dress based on a photograph that you see on line, this is different than selecting your dream gown from a magazine photo.  I do not think this is a good idea.

Have you tried David's Bridal?  They manufacture all of their dresses themselves, and have a huge selection for you to try on in the store.  It is a good place to start.  You can get a better idea of what styles look best on you.  You may be surprised to find a dress that looks nothing like you expected, but is just perfect for you!  This happened to my daughter.

Other bridal shops will have different designers, but their selection of styles can be more limited.  If you don't enjoy shopping, don't try to do too much in one day.

I strongly urge you to shop at brick and mortar stores where you can see and try on a dress before committing to it.

lnixon8

What about a store that doesn't specialize in just wedding dresses? nordstrom, Lord and Taylor, Anthropologie, j crew

cowgirl8238

nbd said:

Hi all, I have started shopping for a wedding dress and don't think I will find what I want in a bridal salon. Plus, I hate to shop and just haven't enjoyed the trips I've made to brick and mortar stores. I've started to look on Etsy and am getting overwhelmed. I'm excluding sellers based in China or Russia (just feels sketchy to me), and trying various search terms, but still getting 700+ PAGES of results I get when I search. Lots of nice possibilities so far, but none that really have me excited yet. I want something unstructured, yet curve-hugging (no ballgowns, tulle etc.) Any tips for looking through Etsy, dealing with sellers, etc.? Thanks!

1) Since you have already started shopping what did you like?  Did you try on a lot of different cuts/styles/fabrics or were they all the same thing?  I will second CMG and encourage you to at least try on some things at David's as they really do have a huge variety of dresses in a large range of sizes.

2) Unstructured and curve-hugging don't really go together in my mind...what did you like in the stores?

3) If you go through Etsy I would be very careful about all the policies you are agreeing to as you are buying from a specific seller and not "Etsy" itself.  Each shop owner can make their own policies so be sure to read and know what you are signing up for.  I am not a good judge of what will look good on me based on what something looks like on a mannequin.  I (personally) would never have bought my dress online without trying it on first. Just something to consider!

4) When searching try using multiple keywords that describe the dress you want.  Things like "mermaid" "Key hole" "Illusion neckline" etc...will help narrow the results to what you want.  You can't search a negative ("no tulle").

geebee908

If you want unstructured yet curve-hugging, try searching for bias-cut gowns.

Knottie1448131004

I've had a lot of good luck using Etsy. Recently branched out and ordered a few items of clothing. I was a little hesitant, but I'm so glad I did because everything was custom made to my size. That said, I had to accept that I'd have to tailor it locally and if I didn't like it I couldn't return it depending on the seller (I ordered from China and Australia and live in the US). 

If you're going to buy on Etsy, look for vendors who have active accounts, a lot of sales, comments, professional photos, and are good at responding to your questions. I got my dress and shoes on Etsy. If you'd like the names of those businesses I'd be happy to give them to you.