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Buying A Gown
Online
 The Internet
has become one of the most valuable tools a bride has to plan
her wedding. Through sites such as the Austin Wedding
Guide site (www.austinweddings.com), couples can access
information on all the professionals they need for their
wedding.
Brides should
think long and hard, however, before purchasing their wedding
gown online. Price-wise, buying a gown online may look like a
money-saving idea, but there are many pitfalls. If you are
looking at gowns online, here are some points to consider
before making that purchase.
The most
obvious draw back to purchasing a gown online is the fact you
can’t try it on. Most brides will spend hours at various
bridal salons trying on gowns. Don’t assume you are going to
be able to try on the gowns and then go order the same thing
online. Many salons do not display the manufacturer or style
number in their gowns. Once ordered, your gown will include
all necessary tags, especially regarding care of the gown, but
this information is generally not included in display gowns.
Even with the manufacturer’s style number, many of the gowns
offered online are not the same quality as gowns purchased in
shops. Often gowns sold online are actually seconds, or not
first quality, gowns.
Virtually all
gowns, even first quality, have problems when received. The
gowns are sometimes dirty and very often have loose trim or
beading. When you purchase your gown at a bridal salon, the
gown is inspected and repaired before you even see it. When
you purchase a gown online, you are responsible for checking
for problems. The seller will often repair the gown, but the
window of opportunity to get problems fixed is very small. The
major online gown sites have varying return and repair
policies. Most of the major sites allow you 3 days after you
receive the gown to notify them of problems. One site allows
you 24 hours after receipt of the gown; another allows 10 days
from the shipping date. All require you to pay for shipping
the gown back for repairs.
 Another thing
to keep in mind when considering a gown online is the cost of
alterations, cleaning and pressing. Even if your gown arrives
pristinely clean and with no loose trim or beads, odds are it
is going to have to be altered to fit you. It will also have
to be pressed. Again, these services are generally included
when you purchase your gown at a salon. To arrange for these
services on your own, you can expect to pay $100 to $200 for
alterations, depending on the extent of the alterations.
Pressing will add about another $100 to the total cost.
If you
are looking to save money on the gown, you are much better
served to shop the sales at full-service bridal salons or at
one of the many discount salons in town. Not only will you see
be the dress you get, it is much easier to get disputes
settled when you have person to deal with.
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