Many of us partake in bargain shopping to find the best deals. We're all guilty of stalking an item until the price drops, heading to the internet for the best deals, and googling relentlessly for coupons. While bargain shopping saves some a lot of money, in the bridal realm it is a dangerous game. Bridal designers are notorious for having strict contracts that don't allow vendors to sell online. The dresses are almost always only available in stores.
However, if you google "cheap wedding dresses" or even the exact designer and style number of the gown you're interested in, chances are several links will pop up with pictures from the designer's site.
Generally, these sites list dresses for extremely low prices, and the deceiving pictures convince brides-to-be that they just found the deal of the century.
The pictures above are just a few examples of what can happen if you order a wedding dress online, especially one that claims to be a designer gown for less than half the cost. Some websites even claim to make exact duplicates of the dresses, but instead send over cheap polyester gowns that look almost nothing like the originals.
Not only is the fabric cheap, but the cut usually tends to be totally different and unflattering, the claims of detailed beading turn out to be appliques, and even the color can be totally off.
For some things, the price you pay reflects the quality of the item. For bridal gowns, this definitely rings true. Your big day is nothing to take chances on. If you're looking for a specific designer gown, visit the designers website and check out their authorized retailer page to find a vendor in your area. Let them know ahead of time the budget constraints you're working with, that way they may be able to work with you on the cost.
Keep in mind: most of these designer replica websites will not refund your money. By going to a bridal store and actually trying on and buying a dress from them, you cut out the guesswork and save yourself a future headache. Do you have any horror stories about ordering wedding gowns online? Let us know!
All images from Daily Mail