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Where to Find Affordable Wedding Dresses

Friday, April 18th

Where to Find Affordable Wedding Dresses

As the economy has closed the doors of many specialized and boutique bridal shops the demand for dresses has shifted sales to the internet. Brides are benefiting not only in better pricing but several aspects of internet shopping for their gown over traditional methods.

Benefits of Shopping Online:

  • Cost Savings: If you are looking for a beautiful wedding gown that is affordable online wedding gown stores provide the best pricing available. Without an expensive store front, employee wages, benefits, sales commissions, and the cost of sample dresses an online wedding store allows you to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars over your typical bridal shop.
  • Convenience. Most of us find ourselves with not enough time in the day as it is. Our work schedules rarely mesh well with bridal shop hours and that makes it difficult to search several stores in even one month. In addition, if you've ever gone wedding dress shopping you know how long the process can take. The effort can be exhausting, frustrating and very time intensive. The internet provides significant shopping convenience when it best fits into your schedule.
  • Comparison Shop: The internet allows you to quickly identify a number of wedding dress styles, materials, dress lengths and more in the convenience of your home and within a few minutes. Online dress shops allow you to quickly refine your search to sheaths, casual, beach, formal, long trains, off white and more. With the click of the mouse you can open another internet session and quickly compare dresses between two, three or more stores.
  • No Pressure: Wedding shop employees are often paid a commission and you'll realize this soon after trying on your first dress. Generally a very pushy woman will insist you look beautiful in the most expensive gown and ask if you are ready to buy. An advantage of shopping for a bridal gown online is that you don't have a salesperson anxious to make a hefty commission and no one is breathing down your neck. Let your imagination and your heart guide you as you examine each beautiful gown, not a sales person looking to make a dime and move on to their next bride.
  • Dress Selection. A traditional bridal shop has a budget to maintain and will limit the number of dresses they carry as a result of space and cost. If you want to peruse a wide variety of plus size dresses, have a particular style you're looking for or simply want something that's hard to find and not overdone shopping online will allow you the greatest selection to choose from.

Where to Look:

  • Independent Reviews. If you're wondering where to start you're online wedding dress search locate independent reviews of dress shops to find the top few stores to consider. These unbiased reviews do a good job of weeding out who has the best selection, prices, website, customer service and more.

Important Rules:

  • Return Policy. Always, always, always confirm that a strong return policy exists if you are buying your dress online. Understand the specific policy and what it entails as far as time and any cost. If the dress shows up at your doorstep next week and it's not what you expected you'll want to return it and find something else.
  • Customer Service. If you have questions or concerns with your dress purchase you'll want a friendly human to talk to. Make sure that the customer service team at the company you choose has regular business hours, are knowledgeable and willing to promptly assist.
  • Solid Background. Do some research on the dress shops you're considering to make sure they don't have a history of problems. A company in business for several years with a strong BBB rating is your best bet.. The Better Business Bureau website is a good place to look for this information.

Your largest selection of affordable wedding dresses is located on the internet. Online dress shops do a great job of allowing you to quickly peruse their selection and narrow down exactly what you're looking for. Make sure any store you choose has a solid return policy and background.

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Wedding Dress Store FAQ

Congratulations! You can start looking for your dress whenever you like, but a good rule of thumb is to have your date and venue arranged first - so that you'll have an idea of the season, look and theme for your wedding. (For example, a beach wedding in August requires a very different dress from a cathedral wedding in January!)
Most off-the-rack dresses will fall somewhere in the $500-$3000 range, but you can find options priced much lower and much higher. You'll likely need alterations as well, so don't forget to factor in those costs (which will depend on which service you use).
In today's world, you can buy anything on the web - including a wedding dress! In fact, as many as 20% of brides in the US get their dresses online. If you've had a hard time finding one that you love locally, the internet may be your best option. Online retailers of wedding dresses make it much easier to find the right sizes, hottest trends, and all of the accessories to match.
That can be tricky, but almost every single online wedding dress store has a helpful sizing guide. You can usually reach out to the store's customer service team for extra help in taking measurements and finding several dresses to choose from that should be a good fit. Keep in mind that wedding dresses tend to be sized differently from regular clothes, often 1-2 sizes higher than what you wear day-to-day. (So unfair, we know!)
For wedding dresses, it's usually free. (Good luck finding anything else about your wedding that will be!) A few retailers have a minimum order requirement, but let's be honest: with as much as you'll spend on a wedding dress, you probably won't have a hard time reaching that amount!
That's probably the biggest fear brides-to-be have when buying their wedding dress online, but rest assured that most stores let you send it back - as long as it's still in new condition with all tags attached (no wearing it for your big day and then returning it!). Make sure you read the return policy of any store you're considering for your purchase, though: some don't accept returns under any circumstances!
When budgeting and planning for wedding attire, many brides forget that it's not just the dress. You'll need shoes, any desired accessories like a veil, gloves, and/or jewelry, and suitable undergarments!
Great question, because without preservation your dress may yellow or oxidize, experience mold or mildew, or be permanently creased in the wrong places. You can pay a professional to preserve your wedding dress; expect to pay anywhere from $250 to $700 for the service.
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