A sample sale is perfect for a bride who has a tight wedding timeline or who is looking for budget friendly dress options. The advantage of finding a dress during a sample sale is that you are getting a designer dress at a great discount price. You fall in love with a dress and you get to take it home with you the same day! We know it can be a little daunting trying to find the dress during a bridal gown sample sale. Do not stress! We are here to help every bride navigate the sample sale experience. The more a bride knows about sample sales the easier it will be for her to find the perfect wedding dress.
What is a Bridal Gown Sample Sale?
First off, lets break down what a sample sale really is. A sample sale is when a bridal boutique sells their designer sample gowns. This allows a bride to buy a dress off the rack at a heavily discounted price, usually from 10-50% off. Generally, these gowns have been tried on before and most sample dresses are featured in a range of designers, sizes, and prices.
Know What You Want
Sample sales are going to be packed with brides on the hunt for their perfect dress. We highly recommend you come in knowing what you are looking for, or at least have an idea. It will be easier for a stylist to help you pull the right sample dresses that are what you want. Do your research, it will help you find the perfect dress faster without having to try a million wedding dresses on. Sample sales are perfect for brides who have been to multiple shops and know what style looks best on them. Also, they are perfect for brides who know what they want but who are on a tighter budget so they attend sales to purchase a gown at a more suitable price. It is important to come with an open mind because you may not know what the selection will actually be.
Work With a Bridal Stylist
It is important to schedule an appointment to have a stylist help you every step of the way. The consultant is there to help guide you select the right gown. The stylist will sit down with you to get an idea of what you are looking for and help recommend possible improvements to a sample dress if you were to buy it off the rack. Your bridal stylist is there to assist you and to help you find your dress! Use that to your advantage.
Bring the Right People
Brides cannot pull the trigger to buy the dress without the right people by their side. It is best to bring the people that matter the most, usually that involves their mother, siblings, and closest friends. They will give you honest opinions and make the appointment fun. However at the end of the day, this is your dress and you will make the ultimate decision. We stress to only bring the essential people with you who are going to help you through the process. Avoid bringing those who may create a distracting environment and may hurt your chances of finding a dress.
Alterations, Alterations, Alterations
Sample sales are going to have a range in quality of dresses. It is important to acknowledge a dress in a sample sale may not be in perfect condition. If a bride purchases a sample gown she needs to realize that more than likely alterations are going to need be done on the dress. Brides should only buy a dress that can be realistically altered to fit their size and that will be within their alterations budget. Most seamstresses can fix minor issues on dresses and take them in to properly fit you. Make sure you examine the dress thoroughly to address any questions or concerns about possible alterations. We do not advise anyone to buy a gown in a sample sale that is more than two sizes bigger than what you measure. Dresses that are too big cannot be altered down properly. The design and integrity of the dress could be lost, which can completely change the look of the dress. If a bride is buying a sample sale dress, she should find a dress that is the closest to her actual dress size. To learn more about the alterations process please refer to this guide. To book an appointment please contact us today!