The search may not be as difficult as
you think.
You don't have to spend hours with a seamstress and thousands of dollars.
If you want that perfect fitting gown, and maybe even a 'one of a kind', just follow these simple yet not so well known tips to get a customized wedding dress
for a very affordable price.
- Order your dress online.
Most brides wouldn't dream of ordering bridal dresses online.
It's the most special (and most stressful!)
day of your life.
So, the tradition is to drag your mother and best
friends along to the bridal boutique and spend countless hours trying on dress after dress after dress.--
Am I right?? (I get tired just thinking about it!)
A simpler solution, however, is to order a customized perfectly fitting bridal gown online.
No, it's not as sentimental as finding that dress in the boutique and seeing a tear in
your mother's eye.
BUT, if you're on a budget, and looking to save a ton of cash, AND you want a bridal dress that looks like it cost a fortune,
then my dear, it is the wisest thing to do.
And, the best thing is.....it's quite easy.
Most of the online bridal factories are located in China.
Since I have spent some years in Guangzhou,China (which is known for it's bridal factories), I can
give you some first hand advice on 'what to do' and 'what not to do' to make your dress buying experience the best possible.
(Read some great tips here for buying wedding dresses online.)
- First, get some detailed photos.
You can do this easily from the comfort of your own home by printing online photos of the dress you want.
Or have your girlfriends help you find good clear photos of bridal dresses in a bridal magazine.
If you're a 'touchy-feely' person, then by all means go and try a few on at a boutique, just to give you an idea of what kind of look and
material you want.
Take photos of the dress in detail. If you find a photo from a magazine or online,
try to get as many photos of that design as you can.
And if you're the creative type, you could even consider
designing your own gown to give it your personal signature.
- Find a good company that will customize your dress.
After deciding exactly what you want, now it’s time to find a company online. Most of the online companies offer dresses in standard sizes as well as the option
of ordering a dress custom made.
If you're not sure which company to choose, read here for some great advice.
If they do not state it clearly on their website, just ask them if they custom make bridal dresses.
Many times they will agree to make the dress for you from a detailed photo that you send them.
That Maggie Sottero bridal gown you've been dying for??.........Just ask them to duplicate it -- even add a few minor adjustments of your own if you wish.
What about Carrie's 'one of a kind' dress from Sex in the City?
Find a few detailed photos and you can have that same dress!
The best part is, the price is much lower!
Before choosing a company, first ask these questions:
This dress is an Amy Michelson inspired design. The customer sent photos of this design to a factory in China.
They duplicated the design and the quality and it was customized to fit her perfectly.
This photo does not do this dress justice. Her friends
seriously thought she spent $3000 on a designer dress!
It only cost $400!
You can read more about it
here.
- Is it a reputable company?
Make sure you find out all you can about a factory before you choose them.
There are a lot of Chinese companies out there who feature gorgeous designer gowns on their site and claim they can make them. But,
when you get the dress, it turns out being very poorly made or looks nothing like the photo. This has happened to me on more than one occasion!
The last thing you want to do is send your money
to a factory overseas and never hear from them again.
Many of the companies have a lot of happy customers, but then they also have a few
unhappy customers who have really lost their money. It's kind of like playing Russian roulette and ...you don't want to be the next unhappy customer.
There is only one online company that I truly recommend and that's Dream Wedding Dresses.
They have great prices, and great quality. Quite frankly if I were getting married again, I wouldn't go anywhere else.
- How is the customer service and communication?
While people from the western culture place great value on good customer service and communication skills, Chinese people
tend to view these things as not all that important.
Make sure that the company you choose is responding to all your
questions in a timely manner from the very beginning.
This will give you an indication of how they will handle the
whole process from beginning to end.
Also, during the 30-40 day production time, you may have a few questions that you must get answered.
- Be sure of the details.
Make sure all your questions are answered about
fabric, dress size, production time and shipping time.
Don’t just assume that they are clear with all the details or special
requests. Make sure of it.
It’s also a good idea to save all your email correspondence in case of any discrepancies.
Many companies will
also customize a veil for you to match your gown. Make sure you know
what wedding veil style will compliment your gown and face shape and what veil length will suit your dress first.
- Send your correct measurements!!
This step is SO important! So do it right!
The best way to do it right?--Have a professional seamstress do it for you. Don't do it yourself. If you
can't find a seamstress, then have a friend do it for you.
Most companies
will not allow returns or refunds on custom made bridal dresses. And if your measurements are not taken correctly, your dress will not fit right.
You would have the option of having it altered if it doesn't fit, but why not get it fitting like a
glove the first time. Alterations can cost a lot of money and the goal here is to SAVE!
- Will they produce a dress of excellent quality?
Some Chinese companies show photos of bridal dresses they claim they can make;
however, it has been my experience that they do not always come out looking exactly like that photo--- I’ve had to learn this the hard way!
If you send them a photo, they will usually claim they can make the dress to 90-95% just like the photo. It is really impossible to duplicate a dress
100% exactly the same unless they have an actual dress to copy.
Many dresses have intricate beadwork or embroidery and if it cannot be seen clearly in a photo,
how can they duplicate it exactly the same?
But sometimes when they claim that they can make the dress 90-95% the same, that small percentage is the part that
transforms that ‘dream wedding dress’ from the photo into a ‘thrift shop find’ at the swap meet. Been there-done that!! Not fun!
When I was living in China, I searched for a
wedding dress factory to have my friend's dress made. I personally took a photo of the dress to a factory who showed me their workshop and completed dresses they had done.
Boy, was I ever impressed. The dresses were gorgeous and I thought I could trust them. So I paid them the money to have them make my friend's dress.
It was so cheap and I was so happy. I felt like I was helping my friend get such a good deal.
Then, when the dress was 'ready',
I went back to the factory to find a poor shoddy creation that looked absolutely nothing at all
like the photo! I was so upset...I felt like they had lied to me and tricked me. I just about cried...yea, I think I did cry.
Well, they apologized profusely and finally agreed to give me my money back.
I then decided to search for another factory. I gave them my money and the photo of the dress I wanted. Guess what? Same thing happened!
Apparantely they were offering me such cheap
prices because they were planning to use fabric that looked like plastic. It looked like something a kindergartner made!
I wish I had photos to show you
how it turned out...I was just so shocked at the time I didn't even think about taking photos.
Luckily, I was living in the same city as
the factory, so I was able to get my money back. But if you are dealing with a Chinese company like this overseas, something like this could be a big problem for you.
So, make sure the
company has a good reputation and that you feel confident with them.
After spending a lot of time searching for just the right dress factory,
( because I
lived in China, I had an advantage that most people don't because I could actually go to the factory in person),
I was able to find a really great wedding dress factory.
Dream Wedding Dresses
is THE ONLY online
wedding dress store I would recommend. Seriously, I wouldn't waste my time going anywhere else. I recommend them to all my friends and now
I'm recommending them to you.
Dream Wedding Dresses specialize in custom made dresses so if you don't see what you want on their site, just send them a photo and ask
for a quote. They'll be open and honest with you and you'll get a high quality dress for a good price.
If you see a designer dress for $3000, they can
make that same dress with the same quality and save you a bundle.
The best thing is, if you order your dress from them you can sleep at night knowing you're
going to get a great looking gown.
Go with a cheap Chinese company who promises the world and you never know if you're going to get a nice dress or a
shoddy one.
Please take my advice on this one, 'Sistas'! Don't make the same mistakes I did!
China does make the best wedding dresses, you just have to know where to look.
Next- Read all about Inexpensive Wedding Gowns and where to find them!
Happiness is.....
