When starting to plan a wedding, usually the largest and most important purchase for the bride to be is the wedding dress. Most women have a picture in their minds of the perfect dress for the dream wedding that they have imagined since they were a little girl. But where to start looking for that perfect dress?
One of the most obvious choices is to start at a bridal salon. These range from local small individual stores right up to large national and international chains. Department stores and larger stores may offer a better price and selection but privately owned bridal stores offer personal advice and a much more individual service. Most shops require you to book an appointment for an initial consultation, although you’ll be free to look around at any time. It’s usually better to try and get an appointment on a weekday when business is slower, as at weekends the staff may be rushed and the service you get might not be quite as good. You can also buy all your wedding accessories along with your wedding dress at these stores.
If you’re not too bothered about having sales people fussing over you and you feel confident taking care of any needed wedding dress alterations yourself, or at a specialist tailor, it’s worth looking into discount bridal shops. These shops will not give you the individual attention you might receive at a specialist boutique but you’re likely to save significant money by buying your dress this way. Discount shops are great if you just want to pick up your dress, pay and take it away with you the same day, but they’re probably not the best place to start looking if you have a specific dress in mind.
If you’re an experienced internet shopper and do a lot of your clothes shopping online, you might consider shopping for your wedding dress online. Ebay is a good place to look for both new and used wedding dresses and the potential savings are significant. Make sure you’re confident of what you’re buying and that the seller has a good rating before you press that ‘buy’ button. There are also several online wedding stores listing wedding dresses for you to purchase without leaving your home. These specialist stores will usually offer you quality service and advice before you buy.
Make sure before you make any purchase online that you read and understand the sales policies of the website you choose to buy from. If there’s a problem with your dress or you need to return it for some reason, you’ll want to be sure you can get at least the majority of your money back. Usually you’ll be charged a restock fee for returning a dress.
