Anybody buy their dress without trying it on? or even seeing it?

NoAngelx

I found a dress online that I am in love with and can't seem to get out of my head, but I have searched high and low and can't find it anywhere in my city or the surrounding cities. I am still looking and also looking at other dresses, but so far I still want the one I can't find. If it comes to it I may order it without having seen it at all... Has anybody here done this?

HobokensFury

I personally would find it too risky, but that's just me.

meganb1977

Can you go to a shop and find a dress by that designer in a similar shape/style that you could try on to get a better idea of what size you would need?

Ladies here will tell you to be careful ordering online because you can't always be sure of the quality, although if you're talking about a pre-owned dress from one of the reputable consignment sites that tends to be fine.

If you're in love with the dress just check the return policy carefully in case it doesn't work out for you...sometimes your credit card company will offer you some protection as well.

kd.joseph

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_anybody-buy-their-dress-trying-even-seeing?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:a99f37ab-84ca-4a27-a41c-8c7b90bd2749Post:1b33a36e-8a9f-4b58-8ad9-03c68129c279">Re: Anybody buy their dress without trying it on? or even seeing it?</a>:
[QUOTE]I personally would find it too risky, but that's just me.
Posted by HobokenBride2012[/QUOTE]

Ditto this. I would not, as much as you may love the dress, you may get it on and not love it at all. Every dress fits everyone different.

I agree with PP's at least go try on some similar styles first. Good Luck

gymbugmj2k

can you ask a salon to have it shipped to them?  sometimes if its a nationwide retailer or designer, they can swap sample gowns between stores...might cost you a small fee, but if you cant get it out of your head, maybe you need to do what it takes to try it on

mandydc0509

A lot of brides will tell you that the dream dress they thought they wanted didn't look right on them, and that the dress they got was something they never considered. I'm one of them.

You cannot tell how a dress will look on you until you try it on. I would go to a local bridal shop and try on what they have; I'm sure you'll find something that makes you feel beautiful.

melntaitt

In Response to Re: Anybody buy their dress without trying it on? or even seeing it?:
A lot of brides will tell you that the dream dress they thought they wanted didn't look right on them, and that the dress they got was something they never considered. I'm one of them. You cannot tell how a dress will look on you until you try it on. I would go to a local bridal shop and try on what they have; I'm sure you'll find something that makes you feel beautiful.
Posted by mandydc0509

I agree absolutely with this because the dress on the model will not be the dress on you. I would recommend taking your pic to a salon and seeing if they have it. Or..you could take the style number and call them to see if they have it first. It really doesn't hurt and the leg work is worth it if you truly love it!

mach10ski

I did, I bought mine on ebay at it fits perfect adn is amazing. BUT you have to be careful doing the ebay buying. I spent tons of times reading reviews and looking for the perfect seller. I have the name of the ebay seller I bought mine from if you are interested. I can also send pic of my dress so you can see what quality you will be recieving. 

achiduck

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_anybody-buy-their-dress-trying-even-seeing?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:a99f37ab-84ca-4a27-a41c-8c7b90bd2749Post:384195f5-e1d3-4848-868f-aa4540f10181">Re: Anybody buy their dress without trying it on? or even seeing it?</a>:
[QUOTE]can you ask a salon to have it shipped to them?  sometimes if its a nationwide retailer or designer, they can swap sample gowns between stores...might cost you a small fee, but if you cant get it out of your head, maybe you need to do what it takes to try it on =)
Posted by gymbugmj2k[/QUOTE]

A lot of salons will do this for brides, but the standard fee is anywhere between $75-150. Kind of a PITA but better then buying the dress and hating it and then having to find something else.

mrszeno34

I found a dress online I absolutely loved!  Kept gazing at the picture, sent it to all my friends - they loved it too.  Was everything I wanted in a wedding dress.  Ended up having to go to another state to try it on.... eh.  Wasn't flattering at all on me, has some weird structuring to it, it was a no-go the second i put it on...
I would definitely be very hesistant about buying something you can't try on first, unless the store has a 100% return policy...

NoAngelx

I am a fashion consultant for work so I dress women all day long, lucky for me it makes it easy for me to know what will look good on certain body types, so I am pretty sure this is the dress for me, I just wish I had one to try. I looked for similar ones in the stores here and found a few in similar fabric, but not in anyway a similar cut. Who would have thought a Maggie Sottero would be so hard to locate?

mellimel19

I don't think I could risk that. I pored through TONS of dresses online, and only found one that really jumped out at me. I thought, this is THE ONE. And as much as everyone told me not to pull all my eggs in one basket, I felt no other dress could compare and that is was just the right silhouette for my body type. But once the dress was on, I thought it was ok, but I certainly didn't love it, like I had in the pics. Turns out it wasn't especially flattering to my figure, and because the model in the pic was a lot taller than I am, the dress flared out at a different party of my body than on the model. The dress I ended up with, I probably would have just skipped over the photo, but loved the way it looked once I tried it on and added a blingy little sash to it.

As others have suggested, I would try and contact local stores and/or Maggie Sottero and see if there's any way they can send the gown to the store on loan.

monkeysip

I'm probably ordering my dress from a designer I found on etsy.  I'm super picky, and I know she can make the dress I want for a good price.

She has awesome reviews, and of course she custom makes it for your measurements, so I'm pretty confident it will be okay.  

But I probably wouldn't order from some random dress website...especially if I thought they might be cheap knockoffs.

ginadog

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_anybody-buy-their-dress-trying-even-seeing?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:a99f37ab-84ca-4a27-a41c-8c7b90bd2749Post:cd399b3b-2524-469b-aafd-ef223ce324f1">Anybody buy their dress without trying it on? or even seeing it?</a>:
[QUOTE]I found a dress online that I am in love with and can't seem to get out of my head, but I have searched high and low and can't find it anywhere in my city or the surrounding cities. I am still looking and also looking at other dresses, but so far I still want the one I can't find. If it comes to it I may order it without having seen it at all... Has anybody here done this?
Posted by NoAngelx[/QUOTE]

I did this with two JCrew gowns and neither worked out for me in the end.  I still have one to resell (no returns).

The only reason I would ever do this again is if I already know my size in that exact brand and then I find one online that was unalterered.  I have found that bridal shops will not order it for you just to try on, they make you buy it.  Even thn it would be risky.  I think I look way better than the Casablanca model, so its picture online would not have sold me.

After two fails, I vowed not to buy any more dresses sight unseen.

DeadUtopia

I ordered mine without seeing it in person, BUT I tried on a few similar styles to make sure that the shape looked good on me.

NoAngelx

I tried today, nobody will order it in for me.

a&j2012

If for some reason you don't like it when you get it can you afford to lose they money? Even if you resell you may not get what you paid back. If your answer is yes, I say go for it!

Starfish0116

No way, I'd never do it. Several dresses I really liked in pictures looked aweful on me. 

I do know someone who ordered her dress online without trying it on. I guess we'll see what happens when it arrives.

mhbp

I came *this close* to ordering my dress from just seeing it online (it was the only dress I had ever seen that caught my attention).  However, my sister encouraged me to try to find it somewhere to try on.  We found a sample in Chicago, and drove 2.5 hours to try it on.  I'm happy I made the decision to try it on first, but honestly, if I wouldn't have seen it, I probably still would have ordered it.  So, I know the feeling when you can't get that dress out of your head.  But have you considered a road trip? It might be worth it for peace of mind.  

Bett2012

It also depends on the style of dress that you want... i saw one that had lace cap sleeves that was gorgeous from allure and all of the stores in my neck of the woods said "oh, that's beautiful, but we'd never bring something like that in... all the girls now want strapless" and told me that I'd have to buy the dress and thus lose the 50% down payment if it didn't fit.... so make sure you know first. Needless to say, I didn't even bother with it

stefaniewattie

try contacting maggie sottero... tell them the style number and they might be able to tell you the nearest store to you that has it..
You might have to travel a bit..but i think it would be worth it.