Buying a wedding gown offline

Don't purchase your wedding dress online. I could go on and on about why, but I'd probably bore you. Really what it comes down to is: You get what you pay for.

When you say "offline" do you mean at a store or from an online website?

An online site

You can by a dress in store for less than $500, just fyi.

First rule is- you have to try dresses on. You do not know what looks good on you until you try. I changed my dress style a lot between what I liked online and what I liked on me.

Second rule is- do not buy a knock-off. Only buy online if you have buyer protection. Feel free to try on dresses in a store and then buy the authorized version online as a used/sample/new with tags dress from Craig's List, oncewed.com, woreitonce.com, recycledbride.com or preownedweddingdresses.com.

Stay away from china knock-off sites. Poor materials and shoddy construction.

read up on some brides that have gotten used dresses

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/would-you-buy-used-dress/c8ef88d35bd10b32.html?page=1

tips for buying preowned

https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/which-is-safer-ordering-wedding-dress-from-china-or-preowned-wedding-dress-com/9ccd4d620c3ec7ae.html

sites

http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/

http://www.bravobride.com/

http://www.recycledbride.com/

http://www.oncewed.com/used-wedding-dresses/

http://www.woreitonce.com/products.cfm

~below is reasons to avoid china knock-off sites~

I was looking at dresses online and they were 250.00 and 300.00 and I really just wanted to know if that was realistic. So I could lower by budget a bit.

Your wedding is still a ways away, so you have plenty of time. Don't be intimidated by shows such as "Say Yes To The Dress," either. Not every bride pays $5,000+ for her dress! Shop smart, and you'll do okay, and get the dress that you want at a price that won't break your budget.

I do disagree with the idea that a bride doesn't know what will look good on her. In all reality, a wedding gown is, simply, a dress. And you can take it down to the basics. When I shopped, I knew I looked best in V necklines, with a slight empire waist, and A-line skirt. I also knew I did not want strapless, and a train was optional. I had a budget not to exceed $500. I found the dress that suited me perfectly, on sale, for $299. With all alterations, total price was just over $500.

You WILL find what you want!

It really depends on the style dress you like. I myself like them big and bigger =) so I knew 300 was not realistic. But that's not to say you can't find your dress. I would go to the bridal shop and try some on and get a feel for what the dresses look like, materials, pricing and what kind of alterations you may need. Also it's very important to know your size/ measurements if ordering anything off the internet so trying on dresses would really help with that. Sometimes buying off the internet could mean lots of alterations which really bump up the cost of the gown, no need to order the wrong size on top of it. I would definetly consider a used gown as well.

I would not do it! every dress i tried on I was a difference size in. its just like jeans you never know what they are gonna look like or fit until you try them on. and also a lot of dresses i thought were ugly on the hanger and pretty on and pretty on the hanger and ugly on so i would for sure try your dress on and purchase in store!

Michele- I guess you know what looks good on you, but most people look at a dress online and fall in love with it but when they try it on it's not what they pictured. Happens on "Say Yes to the Dress" all the time.

It's not just about fit, though that is part of it. It's also about color, detail, etc. I thought I wanted a plain dress with little or no beading. Turns out I was wrong. I put on a dress without beading and it looked plain. I put on a dress with a little beading and thought, hmmm...I'd like more beading!

David's is always having their $99 sale quite a few times a year... go during that.... and they also have TONS of dresses under $300

The dress I ended up with I would have never bought had I only seen it online. The dresses I choice online, I hated once I tried them on. So, I think you don't always know what looks good on you. Wedding dresses are not dresses you wear everyday.

First of all - you have plenty of time to plan and save for your dress. honestly it is not worth it to risk buying a dress online - unless you have tried them on and know the exact designer and dress you want and have found it on a reputable site.

BE SURE you are trying dresses ON and not ordering by sight alone. they are VERY different on than they look in pictures -- the dress that i ended up buying was NOTHING like what i thought i wanted before i started trying them on.

I would def avoid the knock off sites. You get what you paid for.

However, if and only if you try the dress on at a bridal boutique first and you know what size you require, than you can check an online site. However, do your research. See if there are reviews.

www.bestbridalprices.com is an American owned and operated website that is part of Carole Frews Bridal in Illinois. I had issues with them because I did not try on my style. I was measured incorrectly by the seamstress. Also, the dress I chose was a no name/designer whose dress did not match the photo. So, they refunded my money.

If you know you want a Maggie Sottero, and you try the style on at a boutique, I see nothing wrong with buying that same dress from the same designer via a website. The only downside is that you have wasted a consultant's time. If that bothers you, send your BM's there for their dresses.

Good luck!