I am looking online for deals on wedding gowns and there are sites were you can get $1,000 + gowns for $200-300. How do I know these aren’t scams? Does anyone know of a site where you got a great deal on a gown? Any sites you know are BS?
Some of the really cheap ones are copies for the real dresses made in cheaper fabric. I used House of Brides, and the dress was a lot cheaper, but not fake!
I had a great experience with them and recommend them fully.
http://www.houseofbrides.com/home.php
A lot of them may look like the gowns from far away, but the material is very cheap and plastic-y. The people who make them are also usually from third-world countries and the stitching is horrible. Both of these are most likely the reason why the prices are so low.
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Try http://www.rkbridal.com and http://www.pearsplace.com
Both are very reputable companies and they actually have a store front. RK is in NYC and Pearls Place is in New Orleans. They’ll ship anywhere in the US. I’ve heard great things about both places.
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If you feel like it’s a scam, then it probably is. It’s not worth taking the chance, I’d rather pay full-price for a $1,000 dress, then risk my identity or my credit information, so I can get the dress for less.
But, I’m a skeptic. I don’t even like the concept of E-Bay.
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It may not necessarily be a scam, but you get what you pay for. THey are likely knock offs, you won’t get any sort of customer support if they have problems, and they may look like crap.
There are tons of ads out there for wedding stuff because they know there is a big demand and people are focusing more on the $ than on quality. I saw on ad that said "More selections thank ever", yes the blatant typo really makes me want to shop at that site.
I think there are better ways to save money. Go to reliable stores and see what sales they have. Jessica McClintock has some very reasonably priced gowns. I bought my prom dress in one of their regular stores but ordered it in my size, no problems.http://www.jessicamcclintock.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10002&storeId=10001&categoryId=10331&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=10318&page=1
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I used the seller gianinarbridal on eBay. They are a seller in china. My dress cost $219 including shipping. It looked exactly like the photo, fit perfectly (won’t require alterations), and was made very very well and NOT with cheap, crummy fabric.
Here’s the thing: most designer gowns are made in china or other countries with an association of producing "cheap" goods, but we don’t bat an eye paying a grand for them because they are XYZ Designer.
The thing to watch out for are "knock offs". This is where a seller shows you the picture of a designer gown and tells you they will make your dress "similar". You might be expecting an exact duplicate of the dress you saw in the picture, while their idea of similar might be different fabric, lace, embroidery, beading, etc.
There are some sites that might be selling samples, overruns, or discontinued dresses at a discount that are legit. I can’t speak for those as I didn’t deal with them.
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Some of the really cheap ones are copies for the real dresses made in cheaper fabric. I used House of Brides, and the dress was a lot cheaper, but not fake!
I had a great experience with them and recommend them fully.
http://www.houseofbrides.com/home.php
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Married 06-07-08 and paid $800 for my dress, when the shop wanted $1400!!!!
Because they are likely gowns made even cheaper and with less care than the mass-produced gowns everyone buys at Davids Bridal…by the way, ALL of those wedding gowns are made by borderline slave labor, and we all buy them. Well, not "all." I don’t.
In general, you will get what you pay for.
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