Sample Dress?

I have not, but I'll comment to bump your thread. :-)

When I tried on gowns at DB, I asked the manager about the sample gowns and he told me not to waste my time, those gowns are 90% trashed and the money it would take to restore them could be used just buying a new one.

My reception dress is a sample dress from David's Bridal. It is perfect. I can't find a single flaw except they marked through the tag with black marker. If there is a flaw it must be in one of the layers or inside because I haven't found one.

They state that they refurbish and clean each dress. Plus you get 14 days to return it.

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Content_Bridal_samplesale

ETA: I bought mine from David's Bridal online. It is regularly $699 and the sample was $448. It was worth it and it was already restored and cleaned.

The reason I bought the sample is because the sales girl was so awful and rude. When I first walked in she told the lady at the front she didn't want to take my appt because she'd rather take the walk-in who was looking for a higher price point dress. She said this in front of me and rolled her eyes at me when I looked at her in shock.

This was at 1pm on a weekday and the store was empty so she could have helped both of us. The manager ended up helping me try it on. I asked her who would get credit for the sale and she said the sales girl would because it was her appointment. I left without buying it. I went home and got online and came across the sample while searching for it.

Thanks girls! @KatelynnC that is awesome! My main concern was the kind of wear and tear the dress would have but I've heard about good experiences with the sample dresses before. It seems worthwhile to try it out since they give 14 days to return, I saw some beautiful dresses on there.

I actually bought a sample at David's Bridal. I tried on a few dresses, and the one that I liked the best was in my size. I will have to get it shortened and a few other alterations, but it fits perfectly in the waist, etc. I inspected it pretty carefully and there did not appear to be any flaws. I still have to make an appointment to get it altered (not at DB), but seems good so far! It was nice to get to take it home that same day. Actually, it is living at my parents' house so FI won't accidentally see it. Here's me posing at DB with my mom (picture is a little blurry).

My wedding dress is a sample dress, I love it and I cannot wait to wear it for my big day I'm in mobile and it cut off my head . The pic I have from the front cut me off from the chest down so this is the best I've got at the moment

I have not, but will bump for you.

I found a dress I loved lived in David's bridal that was 1250 came home and seen it online as a sample sale dress for 499. It took some investigation because the samples online do bot have the designer and the model and pictures are often different from the reg priced dress. I ordered a total of two sample dresses online one was perfect the other had a few snags but it was repairable. However, David's bridal tried to give me a hard time in regards to alterations on a sample gown even though their website clearly states they can do alterations on a sample gown, they just will not restore it to it's original state. I would give it a try, you have 14 from the received date to request a RAM # to return and another 14 days from that date for them to receive it

I have a friend who went this route and the advice I gave her was to be really careful, double and triple check every inch of the dress over and make sure you are aware and comfortable with all parts of their return/exchange policy. Some samples are trashed, I agree, but others can be as good as new after getting them cleaned.

I got a sample dress but not from Davids. I think it's just important to make sure it's in good condition. Mine had a stain on the train but they cut it off during alterations since I'm so short and am wearing flats.

Mine was a sample gown. It was still in pretty decent condition, but the seamstresses at David's fixed all of the beading and cleaned the gown for free. They said it would only be a spot cleaning but honestly, it looked like a new dress when I tried it on after alterations. I'd definitely recommend buying a sample dress in mostly decent condition if you decide to go that route.

Another detail worth noting, I got my dress altered at David's and I think they have a policy about touching up their sample gowns. I wouldn't buy a sample gown if you're going with an outside seamstress because you will have to pay for all of the restorations.

Mine is a sample dress but not from David's, the woman who owns the shop gets samples form stores that have ordered too many or right after a runway show and sells them. Technically it is a consignment shop but most of her dresses have never been worn for a wedding and haven't been tried on by more than 1 person.

I also purchased a sample dress from a boutique and the bridal consultant made sure to go over the whole dress with me before saying yes to see if there were any flaws or damages. I think if you can find a sample dress you love you should go for it! Saves $$$$!

I did. The dress was great! I purchased it online unseen since DB didn't sell the dress in store. When I got it the dress was too small but there was absolutely nothing wrong with it as far as the condition. A seamstress said she could add a corset back to make it work but I ended up purchasing a second dress. Hopefully I won't have any issues selling the DB dress. Here's a pic of the dress on the model

I bought a sample dress as well, however, they had just got it in the day prior to my visit and I was the first person to ever put it on. I didn't get the discount of sample dresses because it was brand new but it did save me shipping costs.

I ordered a sample from DB online. It looks perfect. Couldn't find any wear or issues, save one easily fixable thing. The lining hangs a little lower than the lace in the front, easy to fix. Otherwise, it's perfect.

Wow, you guys look AMAZING! Loving the pics and loving the fact that you all had mostly good experiences! I'm pretty sure this is the route I want to go thanks to you guys

Mine was a sample. $99 during their sale.

@Ashley B. you look gorgeous! So they discount the samples even further during this sale?

@nan I'm not sure about all of them, but I went to the $99 sale and found this dress. It was a little dirty on the bottom from dragging the floor and a bit under the arm pits. I asked about it, and they said it was a sample and that style was discontinued. Killer deal for me! It was an extremely heavy dress though. I soaked the dress in oxy clean for a couple hours and it was bright white again. I was super careful with the bodice though as it was sequin and tulle. I'll add an up close picture.