Some time ago a bride--we’ll call her Laura-- walked into our store in a frenzy--the wedding gown she bought online six months before had arrived, and the moment she put the gown on she knew she hated it. She said the dress looked as advertised, but she didn’t like it now that she’d seen it in person--she didn’t think the gown was as flattering on her as it had been on the model in the picture. Laura had managed to get most of her money back from the company she’d bought the gown from, and now was in the market for a new dress. With only a few weeks left until her wedding day her choices were limited, but within the hour she found a gown that she loved. As I prepared the gown for her to take home, Laura said something that stuck with me--she was surprised that she found a great gown she could afford at a bridal boutique, as she had been told that most boutiques only carried expensive, high end gowns. If she had known that bridal stores carried gowns in her price range, she would have tried shopping there before purchasing her wedding gown online.
In the not so distant past, a bride like Laura would have started her search for a wedding gown at actual bridal shops and boutiques-it was the norm, and buying a gown online would have been considered unnecessarily risky and odd . Nowadays, however, the convenience and lower prices of online shopping have attracted more and more brides to turn to the internet to find their wedding gown. With a single search a bride can browse through hundreds of gown styles and designers without having to go through the trouble of spending weekends at bridal salons searching for the perfect dress. Online scams are always a risk, especially with bridal gowns, but today’s brides are wise to the ways of scammers and do all they can to avoid becoming a scam victim. The internet has changed the way brides shop, and it has changed the way brides view bridal shops and boutiques--they think boutiques like ours don’t have as much variety in styles, that our prices can’t compete with prices on the internet and that there are few benefits to actually shopping in store. This isn’t true! Below, I’ve listed a few reasons why brides should consider buying their gowns from bridal stores rather than online.
Bridal stores have more styles available than you would think.
Many brides are attracted to shopping for their wedding gown online because they think the number of styles available on the web far exceeds the variety you could find in a bridal store--guess again! Bridal stores know that brides have a number of different styles and tastes, and so their stock reflects a variety of different designers and cuts. They want both the off-beat bohemian bride and the bride who wants to look like Cinderella on her wedding day to be able to visit the store and find a number of styles that would be perfect for her big day--she just has to be willing to go in and look!
You can actually see and try on the gowns before purchasing one.
Finding the perfect wedding gown takes time, and it is difficult for a bride to do without actually seeing how the gown will look on her body. Going to a bridal boutique or store allows a bride to actually look at the details of the lace and beading on the gowns, and feel the softness of the fabrics. She can visit a store with close family and friends to try on a variety of styles and looks until she finds the perfect one. The process is both fun and exciting, and nothing beats that moment when a bride turns to see herself in the mirror and realizes that she’s found the gown. Brides who purchase their gowns online often miss out on this experience, and see the gown for the first time after they’ve paid for it and waited several months for it to arrive. If a bride decides she doesn’t like how the gown looks on her or if it doesn’t look as she envisioned it, a bride has less money and time to shop around for a new gown.
You have a trained bridal consultant helping you find the perfect dress.
Shopping for a wedding gown can be difficult--there are a number of styles, cuts and options to sift through and brides often have a difficult time finding ‘the dress’ on their own. A bride might enlist the help of family and friends when buying a wedding gown online, but bridal consultants are trained to help you find your dream dress. They’ve seen most of the gowns in the store on brides of all shapes and sizes, and can tell you exactly how you can expect the gown to look once it’s altered to your size. There might be a gown you didn’t even consider that they know you’ll love once you try it on, and they can answer all your questions about what alterations can and can’t be done to each gown. Having a bridal consultant there to help you find the gown is like having a fairy godmother making your wishes come true, and you’ll be very glad you had their help when choosing a gown!
Just because a bride can’t find a specific gown she loves at a local store doesn’t mean the only place she can buy it is online.
Brides often have a very particular gown or a vision of what they want their wedding gown to look like, and become disheartened when they cannot find the perfect gown in a local boutique or store. Once this happens they turn to the internet to find the gown of their dreams. Rather than purchase their gown online, however, they should use the internet as a tool. If a bride can find a picture of a gown she loves online, she can determine the designer of the gown and find the designer’s webpage, where she’ll typically find a list of retailers. Some of these retailers might be able to order the gown she's looking for and have it shipped to her. She could also print the picture and take it along with her to bridal boutiques in the area, to ask if they have similar designs. Another alternative would be talking to a local boutique about creating a custom gown, or ordering from a designer that offers custom changes to a gown that has some similarities to the dress she wants. These alternatives definitely require more thought and work than clicking that ‘add to cart’ button on some website, but they are worth it to ensure that a bride is really getting her dream dress.
Bridal store prices aren’t necessarily more expensive than prices you’ll find online.
One of the biggest reasons why brides today are shopping online is that it allows them to price shop--they want a great designer gown, but they often have a strict budget or just don’t want to pay thousands of dollars for a gown they’ll only wear once. Having a small budget is no reason to not actually visit a boutique! Most bridal shops know that not every bride has an unlimited budget, and so they carry designs at different price points. Most stores also have sample sales on discontinued styles and specials--sometimes gowns get marked down from $1,000 to $100! Bridal consignments shops and boutiques are also becoming increasingly popular, and are a great way for a bride to go if she’s planning a wedding on a budget.
If something is wrong with the gown when it arrives, the bridal store will help fix the problem.
While most of the time the gown arrives exactly as you wanted it to, things can happen. If there's a problem with a gown purchased online, you have to spend hours on the phone calling customer service, and it might be difficult to contact anyone who can help you return the dress and fix the problem. If this happens when you purchase your gown from a bridal boutique, however, you have people who are going to take care of the problem for you. Both the bridal consultants and the designers will be working around the clock to make sure you get your dream wedding in time for your big day.
Wedding gown designer Carolina Herrera once said, “a wedding dress is both an [sic] intimate and personal- it must reflect the personality and style of the bride.” For most brides, finding the perfect wedding gown isn’t like shopping for any other piece of clothing--brides want to choose a gown that not only accentuates their own beauty, but will also let their individual personality shine through. While buying a wedding gown online might seem faster and simpler, brides should remember that what they wear on their wedding day is going to be very special and remembered for years to come. Buying a gown from a bridal boutique is the best way to ensure that the gown you’re getting will look and feel exactly as you imagined. It is definitely worth the time to visit bridal boutiques, to take in the beauty of the gowns in person and make shopping for a wedding gown a memorable experience that you can share with your loved ones!
