Negotiating the Wedding Dress??

odellerc

I am shopping for my wedding dress and I think I have found the dress I want to buy.  However, it is a few hundred over our budget! I have heard of some brides and bridal locations that allow for some negotiation on the dress.  Has anyone tried to negotiate a lower price on their gown?  Is that appropriate to do?  Any suggestions!

jagore08

Who is the designer of the dress.  Look at Jay's Bridal, Pearls Place, RK Bridal, and Netbride.  They sell designer gowns for a discounted price because you're not paying for the help of a bridal consultant.

odellerc

Thanks!! The designer is Alita Graham for Kleinfeld Kollection.

GJones27

I negotiated!  I got 20% off of my designer gown (originally $4500 to $3700).  It's a very famous brand, but I can't identify the dress or designer.  However, in exchange, I offered to have all my bridesmaids get their dresses from them.

Here's how I did it: I told the store my budget was $3000ish.  They could see I loved one dress and it looked amazing on me, but it was above my budget.  The manager offered me a 10% discount as I was leaving the store.  I told them I would think about it.  The next day, I sent them an email saying I really loved that dress and wanted to buy it, but I asked them if they could go a little lower with the price.  I quoted the price of another dress I was considering but didn't like as much from a rival store.  That same day, they came back and offered a 20% discount, so it was competitive with that other dress.

Hope this provides some guidance!   

opalsky007

Yeah, you're not going to get that dress from a wholesaler. It's reasonable to negotiate, but be polite. You will not get any favors by demanding a discount. Just say, "I love this, but I'm not sure it's in the budget. Can we make this work?"

GJones27

I agree with previous poster.  I was very diplomatic when I asked, and I mentioned how much I loved their service and offerings.

tranjuliet

Depending on the store, most are willing to work with you.

You may be able to score a trunk sale discount or purchase the sample if it fits you.

kayakrunhike

I don't understand why you are looking at dresses that are over your budget, OP.  Would you go into a regular store and ask them if they would negotiate on a pair of jeans you are buying?  If you can't afford it, don't try it on. 

You can check some of the preowned wedding dress sites online to see if anyone is selling the dress from their wedding. 

odellerc

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_negotiating-wedding-dress?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:bca9da72-96b2-49cd-8f95-f2a085ecada9Post:d5bfb3dd-110d-4666-ab77-313840f78e49">Re: Negotiating the Wedding Dress??</a>:
[QUOTE]I don't understand why you are looking at dresses that are over your budget, OP.  Would you go into a regular store and ask them if they would negotiate on a pair of jeans you are buying?  If you can't afford it, don't try it on.  You can check some of the preowned wedding dress sites online to see if anyone is selling the dress from their wedding. 
Posted by kayakrunhike[/QUOTE]

I feel buy a wedding dress is a little different than going into a general clothing store to purchase a pair of jeans.  And as for trying it on, my consultant provided me with the dress, and it is only a few hundred over what I orginally wanted.  After speaking to others regarding negotiating, it appears that many people can and have negotiated their dress. 

odellerc

Thanks for the advice everyone! I was able to negotiate the price of the dress to an amount that I am more comfortable with. 

TheCranberry

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_negotiating-wedding-dress?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:bca9da72-96b2-49cd-8f95-f2a085ecada9Post:c327eb47-530e-4eac-ab75-eefc32d0abdd">Re: Negotiating the Wedding Dress??</a>:
[QUOTE]I know its different from buying a pair of jeans.  I feel like shows like SYTTD have made a lot of girls shopping for their dress feel like it is their right to ask for a discount.  Not saying that is you, but it never would have occurred to me to ask.  You could have said no to trying it on.  If it's only a few hundred, why not stretch your budget? 
Posted by kayakrunhike[/QUOTE]

It's perfectly within a shopper's right to negotiate a discount just as it's in the store's right to say no.  Your posts seem to indicate that you think it's wrong for a shopper to ask to negotiate the price.  Believe me, if they were losing money on the transaction, they would say no.