How to negotiate prices for a wedding dress?

My motto is if I’m spending my money no matter where I’m at I’m definitely asking for some type of discount. The worst they can say is no... So at that point I decide if I want to spend money or not. I definitely asked for and received a discount on my wedding dresses and alterations.

You can definitely negotiate! But like any negotiation you have a better chance if you have a stronger starting stance. For example, if you know the dress you want, you can call stores to see if they have the same dress in stock. You can research where that designer is having a trunk show and call those stores to get the trunk show price. Some stores can also “extend” trunk show pricing if a trunk show just came through. If you are ok with buying a sample, stores will frequently have more wiggle room and you should try to negotiate the price down. You can also try to get a quote on alterations and try to bundle all alterations with the dress purchase. Alterations are generally negotiable at small shops.

Ps. You can also do the call around, compare prices and ask for a price match method for bridesmaids dresses too!

I've never heard of negotiating price on a dress. If you need to do that, I'd wait for sales at stores or go to reused bridal stores.

I told my place my budget was 1k and they showed me a 1.8k but it was clearance I think to 1.6k then she brought it down to 1.2k! So I got it ♡ and got a free $300 cathedral veil from a promotion they had that month

I wouldn't compare a wedding shop to a grocery store... Maybe a car dealership? Wedding shops carry very little inventory (why you have to order), aren't high-volume. Instead, they provide a service (trying on styles, making a decision, etc.)

So in my opinion, prices seem more flexible in this arrangement as service is easier to discount than goods (their saleslady's salary is a sunk cost). That's not to say that making profit as a wedding store seems easy, but kind of like a car dealership, making a sale can be worth a lot. So, I would probably negotiate ("If I were to buy this dress....") , especially if I was interested in a veil or jewelry, etc.

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I did the same for my first dress!

For my second I had planned to buy off pre-ownedweddingdresses.com or stillwhite.com (you can negotiate on that I think), but I ended up at a bridal consignment shop and purchased my $4K dress for $900!

You can definitely negotiate in downtown Los Angeles