Dress Contract

I had to pay for my dress in full at the time I ordered it. When the dress came in though, I did have to pick it up, despite the fact I had postponed my wedding date for an additional year. The boutique was in another state 4 hours from me, so they did work with me and allowed me to pick it up 4 weeks after it arrived. Most dress shops are going to require you to pick up the dress ASAP because they do not have the space to store dresses and do not want to take on that liability in case something were to happen to the dress while it was in their possession. And of course you will have to pay the full cost of the dress prior to taking it home. This is standard practice at most shops.

No. I havent dealt with this. My vendors worked with me

In terms of storing your dress, just keep it in a breathable garment bag, preferably laying flat in a dark place (on the top shelf of a closet, under a bed, etc.). Some people allow their dresses to hang while storing them, but that can stretch out the sleeves/shoulder areas if the dress is heavy or could damage it if it’s a delicate material (thin lace, tulle).

I think this is common. When I purchased my dress, the shop required a deposit at the time I ordered it, with the remaining balance due in full at the time I picked up the dress. Most places will not let you leave with it until it's paid for, and often times, they require for it to be picked up within a certain amount of time from when it arrived to the shop, not from when your wedding date is. Many boutiques don't have the room to store dresses for an extended period of time. However, a seamstress may be able to store it for you! Check with the place that will be doing the alterations for you to see if they can store it for a while. Otherwise, I would lay it flat in its garment bag in a dark closet.

I went with a dress from David's bridal and had to pay in full the day I bought it. Also they don't store them so I had to find a place to store it until the wedding. I bought the dress back in March and my wedding isn't until August, I've been storing it since then.

I had to pay a 50% deposit at the time of purchase and then the remaining balance at the time of pickup. My dress came in 5 months before my wedding and they let me know I needed to pick it up within 2 weeks. They don’t store dresses nor did they have the space to. It seems pretty standard.

I had to pay for my dress when I purchased it. I’ve never heard of a payment for a dress having any contractual connection to the wedding date? It’s just like buying any other dress, except they have an obligation to make sure the dress is delivered to you before your big day. If they’ve met their end of the obligation, their job is done, and I don’t see why they should wait to be paid.

I think this is common. I owed a deposit when I ordered my dress and once it arrived we had like a week or two to make the final payment. I decided to hold off on alterations, since we postponed the wedding. My bridal shop offered to store the dress for us or we could store ourselves.

View Quoted Comment Interesting...did you try your dress on before your final payment? Also where did you store your dress while waiting for your wedding? Did you have it altered and pay for alterations and then wait for your wedding?

View Quoted Comment I paid for it upfront, so there was no “final”payment. When it arrived, yes I tried it on in store when I picked it up. It has been safely laying flat in a breathable fabric bag under the bed in my guest room for about six months (it is too heavy to store on a hanger as that could have damaged the shape as another poster mentioned above). My first alterations appointment is actually tomorrow!

View Quoted Comment I absolutely agree

I paid 50% of my dress when I bought it and the other 50% when I picked it up a few months later. The place I bought my dress allows you to store it there but they charge a monthly fee for that so I just picked it up when it came in and stored it in our spare bedroom closet.


Boutiques aren’t going to store dresses forever. That’s space in their store they could be utilizing for other inventory.

I paid a deposit for my dress (maybe 60%) when I "said yes" and the remainder when it came in and I tried it on. However, they are storing it for me for free until my new date, which is 6 months after the old one (I didn't ask, they just didn't say anything to me about taking it home).

We had to pay for the dress based on our original wedding date when we signed the contract. I moved my wedding from Aug 2020 to July 2021 and ended up paying even more to get it boxed and preserved as they didn’t recommend it hang in my closest that long. I feel that ever since I had to postpone I’ve been having to spend even more money which is horrible! Never thought you would have to worry about looking for a pandemic clause in contracts!!

Your dress will have to be paid in full regardless, so it doesn't really matter when. I had to pay half when I ordered it and the remaining balance when I picked it up. My wedding date was irrelevant.

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I'm not looking for them to store it forever, just until my wedding is able to actually happen. And I would be glad to have an option to pay for storage, which I think is a reasonable option in this case.

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So I'm in the same situation date wise - my wedding was July 2020, and moved to August 2021 (which I only recently decided upon). My dress was actually NOT in by my original date as it was shipping from China & they said only if my original date was still happening they would put me on a 'rush' list. I agreed it was fine to have it come in late and when I new what my new date was we would work on it from there...but your right about the contract because mine states payments are based on my wedding date...I wish mine would have offered to preserve because I am very worried about storing it on my own, but apparently thats what everyone has had to do...

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Did you get married before the pandemic? I'm asking about how brides handled paying for, picking up and storing their dress while postponing their wedding due to the pandemic...my contract is based on and mentions my wedding date multiple times. Not sure how the wedding date would be considered irrelevant if the contract and payment schedule is set around the wedding date.

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You can’t just pick up your dress and pay for at anytime? Your bridal boutique should give you your dress in a garment bag that will be safe to store your dress in until your wedding.

I think it's pretty standard to have to prepay or pay at pick up for a wedding dress and have a timeline to when it needs to be picked up. If you live with your fiance, maybe ask a trusted friend or family member to keep it (or store it in the closet shelf)