So how come these bridal salons aren't carrying the dresses?

Deidra123

Ok, ladies.  Is it just me or are others trying to figure out why these bridal salons are not carrying and do not have access to (w/out ordering) the dresses that they say they "carry."  For example, I cannot find the Maggie Sottero or the Alfred Angelo wedding dress that I am interested in anywhere in my metro area.  So now I'm supposed to just plunk down all of this cash b/c it looks pretty on the website?  This is ridiculous.  What are others doing?I saw the post about the loaner program but I just don't think that I should have to pay 50-75 for the bridal salon to get a dress in that they claim that they carry in the first place.What gives?  How did you overcome this?  I really don't want to put down $$ for a deposit on a dress that I haven't even tried on, and for which I cannot get my money back if I try it on when it comes in and I don't like it.  That just doesn't feel right.

becs11048

Designers have 100s of gowns and it is up to the bridal salon owner to decide which gowns in each designer collection to carry I have heard of them charging $50 for the loaner program, I would suggest finding a bridal salon that you really like and then negotiating so the deposit can be used towards any dress At the end of the day you will always have this dress in your head and whether or not it ends up being the one, it is worth the money and the effort to try it on and find out  

ring_pop

I went shopping with only a general idea in mind of what I wanted. And then I shopped within what the stores carried.

razdazzle_22377334

I've been told that trunk shows are when the designers full line is offered.  Another thing that I was told is if the store carries the designer you are interested they may be able to get the dress you want to try on, you just have to ask ahead of time.

eneldridge

My suggestion is to just go shopping with a vague idea of what you want and try on dresses that fit those criteria.  It would be impossible for bridal salons to carry all styles from each designer...Maggie alone has hundreds. I had a list of specefic dresses with me when I went shopping for the first time, and threw it out after the 2nd place I went to.  They only had a couple styles I had seen online.  However, once I started trying other styles on I forgot about what I had seen on my computer and started paying attention to what I saw on ME.You can always ask about having samples shipped to a particular salon for you to try on, but it will most likely cost you.  If there is a dress you are stuck on and have to see in person, ask about that.

lacebride

I think that even if there is a trunk show sometimes it's impossible to try on all dresses - think about the fact that Maggie Sottero has literally over a thousand dresses in her collection I think, or thereabouts. I know it's frustrating but one thing to bear in mind is that many brides who are crazy about just one dress end up trying it on and not liking it, so it's worth trying to be open minded. Good luck.

Ktocci46

I agree with you Deidra, especially if you have your heart set on either of these dresses. I also agree with being open minded, but it sucks when you can't even find the dress to try it on. I'm having the same problem with a dress I am in love with. I called like 8 stores yesterday and none of them have it. One of the stores suggested trying a large chain-type of store, more of like a wedding factory. You don't necessarily have to buy it from there.. You can have the place you want to buy it from order it for you after you're sure that you want it.

ajensen8

I had a similar problem with lots of Maggie dresses and unfortuantely just because a store carries a designer doesn't mean they carry every single gown from the collection. One of the bridal shops told me that they try to order dresses that are different than ones they already have so that they have a good selection of the gowns and the fee to have it sent is really just to pay for the store to have it shipped to them, which I guess is understanable, imagine the cost to ship a dress everytime a girl wanted to try something on they didn't carry? I've heard that if you call corporate they can tell you which stores in your area have or have on order specific dresses...might be worth a shot, Good luck

aerinpegadrak

The only time I ever looked online at specific dresses was at a small boutique, which carried everything in stock that they had on their website.  Now, my MOH had some very specific ideas of what dresses she thought I should try, so I just let her and the consultant bring me my options until I found something I loved that was in my price range.The $50-75 charge doesn't sound that shady.  They're covering the costs of getting the dress shipped in, since it's not worth it to get a dress they usually don't stock if you're not even going to buy it; it prevents people from going in to try on dresses just for fun.  Most places I've heard of will apply that charge to the cost of the dress if you do decide to buy it.

jnesiba

I also had the same problem, and it was with the Maggies and AA!!! Everytime I went into a store, they never had the ones I liked online. And the one time I went to a Maggie trunk show, they only brought in about 10 dresses, none of which were on my list! So at that point I just started trying on several different styles, some similar to what I was looking for and some completely different! Good luck!

Brie2010

I had a dream dress in mind for, like, a year before I got engaged.  (I saw it in a bridal salon when I was picking up a BM dress.)It made me look like a linebacker and was not at all flattering.  PIB.I did the rest of my shopping with a totally open mind and am very happy with the results.  I think you limit yourself when you get stuck on dresses you see online.

Googs79

I asked the bridal salon this very same question.  When a bridal store representative goes to one of the designer fashion shows, they are only allowed to choose and take a certain amount of dresses at a time.  When a bridal salon carries Maggie Sottero, they are saying they have official access to the Maggie Sottero collection...it is impossible for any one store to carry all the dresses because the company won't let them.  I don't think any bridal salon has ever said that they carry the entire Maggie Sottero line...they just say that they are authorized Maggie Sottero sellers or something like that.  That's why each of the designers/companies have trunk shows so people can have access to more than just the limited amount of dresses in a bridal shop.  It's frustrating...there are so many dresses I liked on the website that I never got a chance to try on because none of the bridal shops in my area had them.  BUT if you really love a dress online and think it may be one that you want and you can't possibly find another dress that you love at your local shops, I think that $50 is a reasonable price to get one on loan.  

aerinpegadrak

I will echo Brie that the dress I fell in love with online (two of them, actually) looked awful on me.  I was expecting it to be a magical, "omigosh this is it!" moment, and instead it was more, "Oh. Umm."You'll probably have an easier time gown shopping if you let go of some of your preconceptions.  A lot of girls wind up with dresses completely different from what they're absolutely certain they'll have.  If you limit yourself to what you think you'll like, you may miss out on your perfect dress.

Deidra123

Well, I just heard back and the one other store that purchased it has also sold it.  She gave me a tip that I thought I'd pass on.  They are more likely to sell sample dresses that are older (from lines longer ago) so the more recent the line (e.g., Fall 2009), the more likely they will still have a sample that they bought. No biggie.  I'll roll onto AA b/c I really want to try on the dress and, the truth of the matter is, most of the designers sell similar-looking dresses for any given season.  For example, there are 4 MS', one AA, one Watters, and probably at least one David's Bridal that sells the style of dress that I'm looking for.  I don't really believe that there is just one dress, and all the others fail so, whatever designer has my dress of interest in the store that I can try on will get my money.  Hakuna matata.Thanks ladies.  Waiting to hear back from AA on which stores have style no. 404. 

Deidra123

So AA just responded to my email (only a few hours delay) and told me where the dress is located.  I've called the store.  Pretty efficient. Thanks again for the tip on calling corporate!

Deidra123

BTW, I would have searched forever to find it b/c it's only at *one* store in all of metro Atlanta.

stace1814

Deidra, What number did you use to call MS?  I can't find one on their website and I have the same problem.  you can email me if you don't feel right posting it here.  stace1814 at yahoo dot com.  Thanks!

Deidra123

No prob at all! Here's the number for Maggie Sottero: 801 975-8303. Press the extension for Customer Care and the person who answers will gladly help you locate the dress by state.