How does buying a dress work?

It depends on what you want to do.

We paid for my dress up front in full.

You can make payments if the shop allows it.

At davids bridal they gave us an option for a credit card, but we paid in full. I think they also had a layaway type plan but I may be wrong. Another shop here where I live lets you pay towards the dress but it won't be ordered till it is all paid for.

The bridal place I ordered my dress from took half as a deposit it order it and then the rest is due at the first fitting.

I paid 50% at time of order, and paid the balance when the dress arrived. Each shop probably has different policies.

ETA I believe if you are purchasing a sample or from a trunk show, you would need to pay in full.

It depends on your store as well! At Alfred Angelo no credit card was required. You just had to pay 60% down and then rest within one week of your dress's arrival.

Most shops I've been to allow you to make payments but they have different rules depending on the time you need the dress. Like with over a year until your wedding you can go into most shops try on dresses pick the one and put a deposit I've seen 10-25 percent required. Most won't actually order the dress until a good chuck is paid 25-50 percent (usually half is what I've seen). The rest is usually due by pick up. But don't be afraid to ask the sale's person this when you first come in for you appointment. It sucks to get you hopes up then find out you need more money.

I had to put 60% down to order the dress and it has to be payed off by the time They start alterations.

I did 50% when we ordered & 50% when it arrived.

I put 60% down when I ordered the dress and the remaining balance is due within 7 days when the dress comes in.

Depends on the store ..I had to pay half at time of ordering

I had to pay 75% to order my dress. The rest was due at pick up.

We had to put 60% down and then the rest either in payments or when we pick it up.

I work at DB and you can either get their credit card which has no interest for 6 months, pay for the dress in full, or put it on layaway (if the dress is eligable for that) and you put money down on it that day and then make weekly payments and have it paid in full in 60 days, if it is paid in full after the 60 days they will order it. The bridal salon I bought mine at let my mom put a down payment on it and she paid the balance a couple of weeks later.

At my boutique, you paid a deposit to order the dress and the amount needed to be paid in full before alterations could start and before you could leave with your dress. The alterations are then an additional cost.

We put down 80% when we ordered it and the rest when we picked it up

Depends on the store/boutiques policy. For mine a 50% deposit was due to order it. They'll call me when it comes in and I have 2 weeks to pay the balance. That doesn't include alterations.

We had to put 75% down for them to order the dress and then pay the remaining once the dress came in. All alterations had to be paid up front.

As PP have said, it depends on the store. I had to pay 60% of the total order (including tax) for them to order my dress, then it all had to be paid off by the time they started alterations. I bought my dress while it was on sale and they told me that they ask for 100% of sale dresses to be paid upfront, but I was able to negotiate normal procedures with them.

At the boutique I went to, it was a 50% down, 50% when your dress arrives thing. David's had layaway and credit options. The place I ended up buying exclusively sells dresses off the rack, so I paid 100% up front and took my dress home with me that day.

I think it depends on the boutique/store.

I paid 50% down then she said I can pay half when the dress arrives.

But I believe if its on the rack/sample, you need to pay in full.