Buying Your Wedding Dress Online? Please Beware of Fake Dresses!
Monday, July 2, 2012
The White Room, a bridal dress boutique with two Nashville-area locations, is a staple for Nashville brides. Consistently ranked a top favorite for gown selection and service, I always recommend The White Room for gown shopping. The owner, Melanie, is all about service and quality. She is super busy but when she takes time to share her expertise, I'm all ears.
Here's what I learned from Melanie, owner of The White Room:
If you find a great new gown at a price less than what you have seen at a local Nashville bridal salon, BEWARE! The only way to get a brand new gown is to buy from an authorized dealer or a bride that never wore it. If the price is less than you've seen elsewhere, something is fishy. That's because the designer of the gown sets the price. So if you see a great deal on a brand new gown, more times than not, it's a fake! Yes, bridal salons do have sample sales at a discount. These are great deals but the gowns aren't new. Either this great deal you've found is a dress that a bride is selling to you that she didn't choose to wear (great deal!) or it's fake, not good!
These counterfeit dresses are usually found online, through a website that may look reputable or they find their way to eBay or Craigslist.
Who cares if it looks the same?
Well, the problem is you fell in love with the designer's masterpiece. The fake can never look 100% like the designer's. It may look similar, but it will not be the same. Even worse, the construction and materials will always be sub-par, inferior. So, if you tried on your gown and loved it at the store, know that the counterfeit one will fit all together different. If you start with a counterfeit dress, tried it on and loved it - well, who am I to knock it. But for those of you, most of you, start with the designer's piece, know that you will be dissatisfied! It will not be what you are expecting, which will leave you in tears and searching for another dress, doubling your expense.
The same is true for bridesmaid dresses. Melanie shared a story of a bridesmaid that ordered a dress online and when she received it, it was a completely different fabric. She ended up at The White Room buying the authentic dress.
IF you even get the dress...
What's worse than buying a counterfeit dress? Not receiving a dress at all! I learned from Melanie that if you buy your dress from a cheaper, unauthorized retail, your dress may never ship to you! That's because dress designers are always checking to see who isn't upholding the terms of their contract. If they find a retailer undercutting the rates they set, they may cancel the contract and refuse to ship any dresses.
Be smart
Buy from an authorized retailer of the gown, such as The White Room, B. Hughes, The Bride Room, Glitz Bridal or other reputable Nashville bridal salon. How do you know if you are dealing with an authorized retailer? Check the designer's website. It will list of all of the stores in Nashville authorized to sell their dresses.
If it's too good to be true, it probably is. Sorry! I know that's hard to hear. But as Judge Milan on The People's Court says "the cheap comes out expensive" or some Spanish version of that!
(Special thanks to Allure Bridal's website, the source for the counterfeit dress images as well as the link to Good Morning America's list of ways to safely save on gowns.)
About the Author:
Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide
Hey - I'm Ashley! I started AshleysBrideGuide.com to give Nashville brides, or folks planning a Nashville wedding, a local resource for inspiration and resources. Hope to see you at a bridal show soon! Happy Planning.
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Posted on July 2, 2012 |
Filed under: Advice & Planning, Attire - Bridal Gowns, Wedding Dresses & Accessories
