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 San Antonio 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.