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Savvy January 2022

Wedding Dress Shop wont disclose designer until dress is purchased?

Terry, on November 18, 2020 at 8:08 PM Posted in Wedding Attire 0 27
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Hi I was wondering if anyone else has come across this? I didn’t know if it’s common practice. There’s a wedding dress shop near me that won’t disclose who the designer is of a dress that I like (or any of their dresses) without the dress being purchased first.


Their reasoning is that brides come in and have an idea of what designers they like, but when they try on those dresses they don’t find a good fit. So they rather you describe features you like, and they bring you things they feel match that request.
I had actually found a dress that I liked, but I was also wondering if the price was even fair on it since I didn’t know the designer. Just looking for your thoughts on this practice and if anyone else has experienced this.

27 Comments

Latest activity by Michael, on February 16, 2024 at 12:21 AM
  • Mrs. Spring
    Master April 2021
    Mrs. Spring ·
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    Oh my word. Never heard of this before.
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  • Hanna
    VIP June 2019
    Hanna ·
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    That seems very shady and I've never heard of this practice before. Seems like a big red flag to me and I would not purchase from this shop

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  • Michelle
    Master April 2021
    Michelle ·
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    That’s crazy-never heard of anything like that! In fact, when I went dress shopping, the lady asked me if I had any designers in mind, inspiration photos, likes & dislikes.
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  • Mrs. Spring
    Master April 2021
    Mrs. Spring ·
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    I agree with Hanna, i would not purchase from this shop.
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  • Olusola
    Dedicated November 2020
    Olusola ·
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    I’m curious as to there return policy. Idk... I don’t even know my dress designers name and I’m indifferent to finding out. Granted, I don’t know anything about dresses.
    I do think that they should let people know the names if they would like to know. I can see where they were going with their rule, but it can definitely make people feel skeptical.
    • Reply
  • Chrysta
    Master November 2022
    Chrysta ·
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    I did run into this! I’m not sure if this is what is happening to you, but here’s what happened to me... The shop didn’t want to disclose the designer, which I thought was odd. Finally found out it is a private label designer- they create the dresses but don’t market or sell them. They sell them to bridal stores then the store gets to set the price of them (the higher they set the price, the more profit they make off you). They didn’t want to tell me the designer or the name of the dress because they knew I might be able to find it cheaper elsewhere.
    • Reply
  • H
    Master July 2019
    Hannah ·
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    I have not heard of this. The reasoning they gave you doesn't even make sense. Sure, that may happen, but knowing the designer after you decide you like a dress is not going to suddenly bias you. It sounds like they just don't want you to be able to look up the dress and see the going market price.
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  • Lisa
    Legend July 2022
    Lisa ·
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    I have not experienced this. I personally wouldn't buy from that shop. I would want to know exactly what I'm buying before I spend the money.
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  • T
    Savvy January 2022
    Terry ·
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    I don’t know much or care to have a specific designer dress either but I’ve noticed certain designers gravitate towards styles I like. I’m glad I’m not the only one skeptical!
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  • T
    Savvy January 2022
    Terry ·
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    That’s my thought as well as to partially what might be happening. This store has two shops and apparently says they have the widest variety in California. I do know that it is the only store in my area that carries certain designers. But it is my worry too, that I’d be able to find the dress for less elsewhere.
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  • T
    Savvy January 2022
    Terry ·
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    They did ask what designers I like. They also have an online look book where before your appointment you’re supposed to go online and favorite some dresses so that they have an idea of what you like when it’s your appointment time. But they don’t have the designer tags on the dresses at all.
    • Reply
  • I
    Expert August 2021
    Ingrid ·
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    Sounds a little fishy! I get being hyper focused on a specific designer but this also means they've removed all tags from the dresses. Sounds more like they don't want you shopping them on the price. These practices do not seem like good business. What do their reviews on Yelp and Google say? Anything about this mentioned in the reviews? I'd be careful if you purchase from them. Good luck!
    • Reply
  • M
    Savvy November 2020
    Margaret ·
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    I ran into this at both boutique stores I went to. They asked which designers I liked for inspiration, but if I asked the designer of a dress I was in they said they couldn’t share that information. The reasoning they provided was because some people get the pictures and the designer name and order a knock off from someone willing to make it cheaper. I also noticed at the second boutique, the tag was still on it so I could easily see the designer name 😂
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  • T
    Savvy January 2022
    Terry ·
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    I haven’t seen it specifically mentioned in their reviews but they have great reviews on here, Yelp, and the Knot. I think I’ll just continue to search for dresses and circle back if I don’t find anywhere else with a selection I like. But I just thought that was really fishy!
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  • T
    Savvy January 2022
    Terry ·
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    Oh wow! So with your experience did they not allow you to take photos? I have photos. I was thinking I might ask on here if anyone recognizes the dress 😂 I searched for the tag. Nothing but the stores tag.
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  • W
    VIP September 2020
    Willow ·
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    Super duper shady. I'd find another store
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  • CountryBride
    VIP April 2022
    CountryBride ·
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    This sounds shady i wound shop there
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  • Yasmine
    Master October 2020
    Yasmine ·
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    I seen 1 other bride talking about this before on this website and I was shocked that Bridal shops would even do that because its shady. That by itself would make me not want to purchase a dress there!

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  • Nicole
    Dedicated September 2021
    Nicole ·
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    As some of the commenters said, it’s more likely they didn’t want you to shop around for lower prices and sample sales etc. This happened to me in an LA bridal shop and besides this practice of non disclosure making me uncomfortable (I really just wanted to know!) the staff was rude and the shop was less than clean so I went elsewhere to an actual boutique, where my consultant was happy to discuss all the designers.
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  • M
    Savvy November 2020
    Margaret ·
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    I do have pictures! Such an unusual policy. I know on a different thread, someone used a google reverse image search to find out more info on a dress they liked. You could try that! Best of luck!! 😊
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