Does anyone know about buying wedding dresses off online?

Question

I recently got engaged and have been spending time online looking for ideas for dresses and different things for my wedding. I recently found a site that has designer wedding gowns at discouhnt prices. Does anyone know of someone who has bought a wedding dress online or can someone give me some opinions as to if this is a good idea or not?

Answer 1

Yes, I bought mine online. I think its a fine idea to do it because you can get some good deals.  I would suggest shopping in some stores first to get an idea of what you like.  Then have a professional take your measurements so you can send them to the place making your gown.  You may still need to have some alterations done to the dress so keep that mind.  You will need to have the dress pressed & dry cleaned as well.  

Answer 2

i wouldn't do it. when my sister got married, she looked at dresses online and took the pics into a dress shop that had the exact dresses. when she tried them on, some of them didn't look good at all on her and the rest didn't fit right. she found one that she didn't look at online from a cheaper store and she loved it. it wasn't designer but looked like it could have been. if you can't try it on, i wouldn't get it.

Answer 3

I know some people who have order online. You just really need to find out the designer's measurements for his/her dresses. That way you will know what size to get. You should probably go a size up when ordering though, so you can have the dress tailored to you. It's harder to let out a dress than it is to take it in.

Also, make sure you read the return policy and it's not totally S****y!

Answer 4

I have also been thinking about purchasing a wedding dress from on-line. I think it's best to take the product number or order number of the dress into a store that carries that brand and see what it looks like on you. It may be nice on-line but might also be terrible on you.  

Answer 5

I did it and got lucky!  My suggestions: check the Better Business Bureau website for their evaluation of the bridal website; order based on your actual measurements; make sure there's a return policy you can live with.

If you cannot find reputable information, I'd stick to the traditional route.  Good luck!

Incidentally, I went to www.plussizebridal.com and ordered, but that may not suit you unless you're at least a 14.  Also, someone mentioned ordering off eBay (from the Chinese company) -- that was mentioned as a possible good idea in the "Bridal Bargains" book that I got the plussizebridal.com website from. Investing in a copy might be good, as we got several good, cost-effective ideas out of it.

Answer 6

As with any online purchase you need to be cautious.

I actually bought my dress off of eBay from a seller in China that custom makes the gowns to your measurements.  Seller is gianinarbridal.

My advice -

You should be sure you understand the terms, the time involved, the possible shipping delays you could run into (if dealing with someone overseas customs can cause delays).  Be sure you fully understand their return policy and under what circumstances they will take returns.  If at all possible, seek out feedback from other customers.

Another thing, be sure to order in plenty of time so if the dress does arrive and is wrong, poor quality, or you just don't like it, that you have time to either deal with the seller to fix it or you have time to run to a real bridal salon and buy another dress.

Answer 7

i bought mine on ebay for $250 (which included shipping) and it was absoulty beautiful and when i got it altered the seamstress said it was very well made.

i am very glad i did it! i save alot of money and didnt have to go to a million stores tryin on dresses i couldnt afford.

Answer 8

I think it's a great idea as long as you're very careful. Some sites are fraudulent, while others claim to have designer gowns that are in fact cheaply made knock-offs. If you do go that route (which there's nothing wrong with by the way, lots of people do it!) then I'd find a bridal shop in your area that carries the dress and try it on first. That way you know what size you need and how it's going to look on you. After all, until you've tried something on you have really no way of knowing how it'll look on you. I'd hate for you to get a beautiful gown that you love and it not look good at all! I would also do alot of research on the site before hand, google it, and if you put it on here then there will probably be some people who recognize it.

Good luck!