Sample sales for wedding gowns

[princessplease]

I''m brand new to this wedding stuff, so I''m beyond lost, lol!!! But, I''m already having a blast.
Where can I find information on sample sales for gowns? I live in NJ, so I''m close to NYC.
Any upcoming dates in my area or NYC would be awesome. TIA!!!

 

[jerseygrl]

Call Kleinfelds and ask when their next sample sale is, they have one every month, usually the first Sunday. Some local stores may simply have a "sample rack" that you can choose from any day you go in. Call beforehand and ask.

 

[jerseygrl]

Also, you must know that sample sales are ** FINAL SALES **. I ended up buying my dress from a sample sale at Kleinfelds and had a serious case of buyers remorse. I am now stuck with a wedding dress that was a good deal and is a "very pretty dress" but not one that I love or feel special in.

Many many brides have buyers remorse and the ones who place orders for their gowns at bridal salons are usually able to change their mind with small penalty if the dress has not started production yet. Sample sales are always all sales final and = if you end up deciding on another dress (which is normal now days, there are many 2-5 dress brides on here) you are stuck trying to sell it, etc.

If your wedding is 10/10 I would wait a bit to purchase your dress- especially if you''re looking for a sample, your wedding details can change a lot in 1.5 years! I don''t mean to be a downer but I don''t want you to make the same mistake I did!

 

[Rachie]

topbutton.com is a good place for sample sales. My sister uses it all the time (she lives in NYC) and is responsible for finding the sample sale where I found my dress in NYC! Sample sales are final sale like the pp mentioned so it helps to try on dresses at salons before hand to get a better idea of what dresses look good on you and which designer(s) you like or even help to narrow it down so that you are able to look for a specific dress. They are a great way to get awesome deals. Good luck!

 

[Diamond Confused]

I would recommend against it. There are far too many brides that buy on impulse at sample sales (I am one of them). My gradmother always said "trying to do things cheaply always ends up being expensive" and it is true. I wasted $1500 at a smaple sale on impulse and because the dress was cheap. Look into Encore bridal or preownedweding dresses.com. Both are online stores where you can find sample dresses that in some cases (depending on the seller) can be returned. My friend bought a dress on preowned and she returned it. I think she paid a 5% restocking fee but at least she could return it.

 

[dcgator]

I am going to give a bit of positive twist to this thread. I bought a sample dress and am so happy I did. I ended up getting a Platinum (POB) dress for about 3,000 less than what it should have been. Although I loved the Platinum line, I thought there was no way I could afford it. When I saw that a bridal store had a goregous Platinum dress for such a great price, I asked to try it on, and poof, I was sold.

Moral of the story; sample dresses don''t have to be a pressure-buy experience. If you know what designer/style of dress you want, call around to see if anyone has that in a sample or when you try on a dress that you like, ask if you can buy the sample. You can end up saving thousands of dollars, and get the dress of your dreams.

Just Fyi, here is my dress, and I LOVE it

...

http://www.priscillaofboston.com/dress_detail.jsp?gid=100&sfid=290&f=

 

[Clairitek]

Definitely get yourself on the Kleinfeld mailing list. I receive emails everytime they have one of their blowout sample sales (twice a year according to the TV show on TLC) to get rid of the previous season''s gowns.

Many bridal salons I''ve visited have also had a sale rack with samples on them. Other bridal salons I''ve been to have offered to sell me the sample if they thought I was really into the dress. It doesn''t hurt to ask!