Help! Not sure whether salon is telling the truth...

boilerdaisy

Good morning fellow Knotties!!!

My wedding is August 6, 2010. I started my bridal salon tour last week. I found two dresses that are real contenders at one salon Thursday evening. The consultant there told me that the dress shops in China shut down for Chinese New Year starting on December 28 through the end of February. She told me that if I don't order my gown by December 28 my gown will be delivered 4-6 months from March. I could really some help in determining whether she was blowing smoke to get me to place an order or if there is some truth to what she was saying. She told me that other salons that aren't telling me the same thing are doing me a disservice. All salons told me 4-6 months to get the dress in is pretty standard.

Any feedback is most appreciated!!

Thanks!

sister2groom

Highly doubtful. Actually you can just call dress manufacterers directly and check. I don't know how to say this without sounding obnoxious but the only reason to make dresses in China is for the cheap labor and I doubt cheap laborers can afford to take off a month. Also, according to wikipedia, Mainland China takes off about a week for new years, I know wikipedia's not perfect but I can't imagine them being that far off. I would stay far, far away from this salon because that sounds really shady.

ambermorley

A quick google search revealed that Chinese New Year starts on February 3. That is the start. Why would they take of a month in advance in anticipation?

opalsky007

Policies regarding the holidays will of course vary from company to company. I have heard of cautions from gownmakers about long delays over the holidays (I get my ballroom costumes from a tailor in China, and they warn people that they shut down for about a month), but it's hard to know what the truth is here.

Call the designer and ask. In some cases, I have heard of designers accelerating production in anticipation of the holiday so that they don't deliver late. Someone just asked about this last week because her gown arrived so quickly that she thought she was being cheated by the salon.

boilerdaisy

Thanks for all of your replies! One other challenge with this bridal salon is that they don't provide the designer and style number - it appears to be a concern on their part that a bride would go elsewhere to get the dress, but I can't call the designer without knowing what it is.

I think I might go searching elsewhere...

Thanks!

meganyani

That sounds even more shady if even the designer is not listed. Maybe this place is selling knock-offs made in China.

Y I Oughta

Sounds like somebody is trying to pull in her commissions before the holidays. I say stay away if they are telling you stories to push you to order and won't tell you the designer name. A reputable place won't hide their designers, most aren't even allowed by the designer to sell without telling you who it is.

opalsky007

Yikes. I would assume that this salon didn't let you take any photos, as protective as they seem. But do you have any, or a good description of what it looks like?

Maybe we can help you find it somewhere else, or at least find out of the store is a legit seller.

boilerdaisy

The store is called Modern Bridal Shop, and is located at 1920 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32803. I have another appointment set up for this Saturday morning - I talked with the saleslady - she said she would take pictures of me in the dress (even though it's against their policy) so I can send to my mom. We'll see!

Vicki

opalsky007

Good idea. Share photos with us and we'll see if we can find it. Good luck!

boilerdaisy

Thanks!

tldh

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_not-sure-whether-salon-telling-truth?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:04f40441-3001-4aee-b11b-45a12935deb0Post:b92e777e-3b47-4f05-a500-cf3c29d29145">Re: Help! Not sure whether salon is telling the truth...</a>:
[QUOTE]The store is called Modern Bridal Shop, and is located at 1920 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32803. I have another appointment set up for this Saturday morning - I talked with the saleslady - she said she would take pictures of me in the dress (even though it's against their policy) so I can send to my mom. We'll see! Vicki
Posted by boilerdaisy[/QUOTE]

Post a pic here.  Somebody is bound to recognize the designer.

Heather8505

I looked at their website and something does seem weird about that place, but....they had pictures of their dresses with the designer and style.  Have you looked at the website to see if you see the dress you tried on?

aemahm

I sometimes order stuff from China and one of the manufacturers told me the same thing two years ago and it turned out to be true. IThey close a lot of factories for the chinese lunear year. I  cannot tell you to believe her or not because I've been dress shopping once and they all tried to make me order the gown ASAP

jaytee16

i've worked in home decor wholesale for a number of years and we definitely plan around Chinese New Year because the factories we deal with really do shut down for an entire month!  don't know if it's the same for clothing manufacturers...

jemmini6

Someone posted an exerpt from a book here a while ago that said cutting labels out of dresses is illegal (though it's not really enforced).  I would bring this up to the sales lady while you are there and see what she says about it. 

I personally wouldn't buy from this shop, they sound too pushy, shady, and all around wrong.  Even if they are telling the truth about the shutting down for a month, I'd try to find your dress elsewhere.

Cristine2011

I was told by my bridal salon that the factories for the dresses my BMs are ordering will shut down for the month of February for this. I trust them because they have been very honest with me and have not pressured me during any of my visits there.

That being said, it sounds extremely sketchy that they won't release the designer information to you. If you're paying that much for a dress then you definitely have the right to know where it is coming from.

SolanaGreen

about 90% of salons in Vancouver, BC do not tell you the name brand of their designers, until AFTER you have paid for the dress.  And they do not let you take any pictures.  It's not shady, it's just the way most salons work.  But nowadays, it is so easy to find your dress online. 

Personally, I found my dress in a salon, with no designer name or label, and I went on the Salon's website, and searched every designer they claimed to carry and lucky me, I found my dress on one of the designer's websites.  I then called every salon that could order that name brand in the Lower Mainland, and ended up getting my dress for $400 cheaper than at the original salon. 

Moral of the story - always shop around, and ask if that is their best price. 

boilerdaisy

Thanks everyone for their advice! I actually went to a different shop on Saturday morning (my birthday) and found THE dress. Very excited, and actually placed the order. Thanks to all!

Happy holidays and Happy new year!

Vicki

leia1979

I deal with Chinese manufacturers for work and expect Chinese New Year to disrupt manufacturing for about three weeks to a month. People start leaving the week before the holiday, then there's the week of the holiday, and then there's the recovery time afterwards. A lot of workers don't come back after CNY, so then the factory has to hire new employees.