Buying your dream dress cheaper - TIPS PLEASE!!!

Tallulah-32

I'm getting married in June next year but have started looking at dresses now. Tried on some dresses yesterday and fell in love with a dress I wouldn't have looked at in a magazine or on the hanger (but the assistant persuaded me). Totally loved it and fell out of love with the dress I thought I'd love (if that makes sense!!)

The dress is a Alan Hannah one (2011 collection) and in the shop it was for sale at £1980.00 (extra fittings at £200) and veil was £425. So talking just over £2500. Not in my budget.

I'm hoping to get the dress second hand but because it is the 2011 collection I haven't been able to find one yet. I'm just wondering if anyone has any tips on getting the dress you want cheaper please?

1. When do shops hold sales?
2. Is it possible to get a dress cheaper at a wedding fair?
3. Do many designers hold sample sales?
4. Has anyone found their dream dress second hand and its worked out for them?
5. Do I just pay the full asking price for the dress???

Thanks a million
kxx

LEJC

How much budget do you have for the dress?

Is it a case of finding out other stockists of the dress and phoning them for a quote...sometimes the dress can vary in price from shop to shop and some saving is certainly achievable that way....although that really depends a lot on your overall budget.

Its perfectly reasonable to ask the bridal shop if the price quoted is "the best price" so theres no harm in a bit of polite haggling...the same with the other stockists....hopefully you will be able to get either a discount or something added for the price...no harm in trying and if you dont ask you dont get!

Set aside a morning or a day to ring round as many stockists of the collection as you can it may be that one of them will have the dress you want in a sale or closer to the price that you want to pay...most shops will hold sales but there isn't really a set stock so its probably more of a case of keep tryng and you may find what you want.

Ebay is a great place to look...there are loads of both seconhand and new dresses there and many people do indeed save hundreds and possibly thousands on their purchase that way...I would be wary though of anything that mentions China in the description without first having done a lot of research...some people have good experiences and others shocking tales to tell...so if you decide on that route please research what you buy well.


The veil is another area you could cut the cost of dramatically by simply buying not from a bridal shop...but from somewhere like ebay..or even a preloved site...it all depends if there is a particular veil you want or "one in the style of"...

If the wedding is not until next year then it is perfectly possible that your dress will appear on sites like ebay and I guess its just a case of regularly checking back to see if you can "strike lucky"

catterlen

I got a Maggie Sottero dress that was the same as my "dream dress" on the top- wide straps to form a cross-over v-neckline and very soft satin- for around a third of the price it was in shops. The skirt was far too large and full for me, but my mum is good with a sewing machine and took all the fluff and frill out, and narrowed the skirt down, and you can't tell. I imagine a seamstress could do the same- don't know how much for. Mine was bought from the Birmingham wedding show, which had several discount designeer stalls- e.g some designer dresses for £1000 instead of £2000, and then some of the other designers like maggie sottero in a few stands that were super cheap- mostly sample dresses from the last season I think. Lots in sizes 12 and 14 (UK) which seemed common. I was unlucky as I got to one stall and asked about my dress and they had sold their sample 2 hours previously, but I found this other one that was very similar. Mine did have some pulls on the satin, but nothing I couldn't live with. I think it depends what you want or are willing to put up with alot of the time? If you do go- get there early and on the Friday, not the Saturday!

TheSeventh

If you know that THAT is the exact dress you want and nothing else will do, then perhaps you could trawl around everywhere, every stockist you can find, in case one of them has a (slightly) damaged display dress in your size? They'll probably sell it you at reduced price.

At a push, you could risk leaving it as long as possible, until the dress goes out of season? My dress is an out-of-season ex-display which we got for much less than half price (it's my dream-dress too!)

Alternatively, gather as any pictures of the dream-dress you can find (preferably of you wearing it!) and then go dress-shopping with a passion, tell the stores THIS is what you want it to look like, what can they do for you? You'd be amazed at how many similar styles a good shop can pull out for you. If you're happy to have the look and not the exact dress you can probably find one in the same shape/style/fabric that'll do.

Sammyj1988

honesty is the best policy ordered mine yesterday and it was displayed at £700 which was still out of my budget, anyway tried the dress on fell in love and i asked the lady directly how much? i said i cannot afford that as my budget is £400 (budget was £500, room for haggeling), she now doing the dress for£450 including alterations. hope this help and you get your dream dress x