Is It Crazy to Buy a Wedding Dress Online?
Online shopping is a fantastic way to get the things you need without having to spend time driving to stores and dealing with crowds. But is it crazy to buy a wedding dress online? Many people do, and have wonderful results. Below are the pros and cons of buying the most important dress of your life online.
Pros
• Selection: You will find that the selection at many online bridal shops is greater than what you would find in many traditional bridal boutiques. You will have access to virtually every designer and will have the ability to search by style, price and other criteria.
• Cost: The cost for online dresses is often less than at brick and mortar stores. This is because online stores do not have the same huge amount of overhead, such as rent and a large sales staff, like traditional stores have. Often, these savings are passed on to brides, allowing you to buy a higher end dress than you may otherwise be able to afford.
• Convenience: You can shop for your wedding dress at home, at any time of the day or night. You can shop for fifteen minutes between phone calls or for six hours while you watch the telly. Online stores never close, so you can shop when it is most convenient for you.
Cons
• Sight Unseen: This is, perhaps, the biggest reason that many brides will not consider shopping online. You have to buy the dress without seeing it or feeling the quality of the material. If you are buying a name brand dress, you may be able to see the exact same dress at a local salon before ordering online, but this isn’t always an option.
• Alterations: When you shop at a bridal salon, the alterations are done by in-house staff. When you buy online, you will have to find your own seamstress to make any needed alterations. This will usually cost a bit more than using a salon’s alteration department.
• Return Policies: Some online bridal shops have very strict return policies. Be sure that you have a complete understanding of the return policy BEFORE you order a dress online. Do not order a dress from a company that does not allow returns or that only allows returns for store credit.
• Timing: If you order a dress online and then do not like it when it arrives, you may be in a tight spot when it comes to finding another dress. If you want to shop online, be sure to do so well in advance of your wedding so that you will have time to find another dress if the need arises.
It’s not crazy to shop online for a wedding dress! Many brides have found their dream dresses online. Maybe you will, too!