How safe is it to buy a wedding dress online?

I wouldn't recommend it if you meet the following criteria:

1. You are extremely particular and detail-oriented.

2. You are on a very tight budget

3. You don't know anyone that does alterations

The above factors will decrease your chances of being very happy with what you get. If you are one a tight budget, you should prefer to see what you are getting and have a person with a store available to you where you can go and know exactly what you are getting. I have seen brides on a tight budget get a gown this way, and since they don't have anyone to go back to sometimes, they end up having to get a new gown entirely, and are often at the mercy of Goodwill or other local shops. If you don't know someone who can do alterations on a wedding gown (it's not like hemming pants, seriously), and you don't have a shop that will do them for you, you won't get a perfect fit, and everyone wants their dress to fit perfectly.

However, if you don't notice a few missing beads, you've got someone who has proven alteration skills for a wedding gown, and you don't want to spend a lot, and are not particular about every detail of your gown: you just want a nice affordable gown, online may be a very good way to go.

I'm not saying this to get you to go to a store (you may have seen my other posts stating that I work selling wedding gowns), realistically I have dealt with hundreds of brides and many are not overly concerned with details, but many are, and those that are should have someone to deal with that understands them and knows the level of quality expected. It is your wedding day and the last thing you need is a wedding gown headache, so keep those things in mind. Also, with a store you can actually touch items. When you're looking online all you have is a picture, and you don't know the materials they've used. I've talked to brides who've ordered items that looked beautiful online, and then were cheap junk when they came in.

Also, where I live many brides drive hours to go to bridal stores, so this is not uncommon. :)

How safe is it to buy a wedding dress online? The best place to buy cheap Wedding Dresses online is at Amazon.com. Many people overlook them but they truly have a massive Wedding section including of course Wedding Dresses.

http://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Dresses/b?node=29694...

Check these Wedding Dresses out as the nice ones seem start at about $180 and up but it does depend on what style you want. They have a huge stock of different styles to suit just about every budget.

Wedding dresses can cost you as little as $100 if you really want, but for something special it is going to cost a little more.

http://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Dresses/b?node=29694...

Because its Amazon you know that the prices will always be fantastic but also many items qualify for free shipping and if you are already a prime member that can be in just 2 days.

Honesty I dont think its a good idea or that its safe. Its best to try on, feel, and see the dress in person so you can make an informed decision. Some people try to other states to go to their bridal stores. With a lot of retailers they dont authorize their dresses to be sold online anyways. For the dresses you do like you can right down the name and catalog number from the designers website and call bridal stores that are near you to see if they carry the dress so you can try it on.

I ordered my wedding dress from a seller in china on eBay - talk about risky! But it came in just as in the photo, in the time they said it would, and it fits me perfectly.

My advice is:

~ order in advance so in case there is something wrong (lousy, damaged in shipping, not as it appeared, doesn't fit, etc) there is time for the seller to correct your order OR for you to get to a salon and buy a new dress

~ make sure you get your measurements taken properly. Even if it means paying a tailor a few bucks, it'll be worth it in the long run.

~ do not do the "i'm going to lose weight so I'll order 2 sizes smaller than I measure" thing. DUMB IDEA! If you order your size now and happen to lose weight before the wedding, a tailor/seamstress can take the dress in.

~ try to make contact with someone that has dealt with that online seller and get a personal (or as personal as you can via computer) recommendation.

1} Buy from a reputable person who accepts returns

2] read sizing info carefully Bridal gowns are not cut like off the rack clothes you may need a larger size than you normally wear. Get someone who you trust to help with your measurements.

3] Make sure you have a local tailor/seamstress who can alter a wedding gown . Example gowns are shortened at the waist not hemmed at the bottom

4] go to a bridal salon in your area and ask questions about fabric and design terms. Try on a few dresses to see how each style looks.

5] Many salons can order gowns they don't have in stock.

I haven't bought many clothing items online, but I would be very worried ordering a dress online and hoping that it will fit me right! If there are more shops say an hour or two away, I would plan a day trip one weekend to go and look, that way you can try on dresses and get measured so that the dress will fit you correctly.

it depends where you buy it from. if you're looking on ebay do not buy anything from china. There are a lot of people on there who say things are quality and they aren't. A good piece of advice I heard was make sure you get detailed pictures of the ACTUAL gown you want to buy, not just some model. it must be the one they plan to put in a box and ship to you.

I am getting mine from www.bridalonlinestore.com my friend got hers there and it was perfect and gorgeous. They also allow you to return it if something isn't to your liking. that's another thing...make sure there are no loopholes in the return policy for them to catch you in. There are other sites that are good too, but I don't know them first hand and I will never recommend anything online that I don't know about.

remember also that anything you buy online will likely need alterations so make sure to budget for that.

I have picked out my dress but I plan to go to a bridal store and try on similar styles to make sure it suits me before I buy it as well, something you may want to consider.

good luck and congrats

I think its ok if you get the measurements from the dress and make sure it will work for you. The only problem is, if it doesnt fit, it may be difficult to return, or you may have to spend more money to get it altered. If you are buying from Ebay, make sure the seller has a good feedback rating, and make sure to ask questions before you commit to buy.

It all depends on the site. I would specially if it is cheaper. Always get the next size up because you do not know how it is going to fit. It is better to have it bigger so you can take it in rather than it being too small and cannot use it.

I shop online ALL the time. I love it!! It would be fine ot buy a gown online you just need to allow yourself time to send it back if it doesn't fit.