Potential Cons Of Buying A Sample Wedding Dress:
There is some risk to buying a sample wedding dress. Sample dresses are typically final sale, so theres no returns or exchanges if you have a change of heart. There can also be extra wear to the dress because so many people tried it on. There may be small defects like missing beads or tiny tears that make the gown imperfect. But if the imperfections are something that wouldnt be noticed or that a tailor could fix, its so worth it for the savings! If you are looking for a budget-savvy dress, look into buying a sample gown. It is a great way to find a unique designer dress at a great price!
How To Measure For Wedding Dresses
At Kennedy Blue, and most bridal stores, your size is dictated by the measurements of your bust, waist, and hips. Once you have taken all of the following measurements, we recommend ordering your size based off the largest of the three.
- Bust: Wearing the undergarments that you will wear with the dress, wrap the measuring tape around your back and under your arms at the fullest part of your bust.
- Waist: Stand up straight and bend to the side, the crease created is your natural waist. Wrap tape around the narrowest part of your natural waist.
- Hips: Stand with your feet together, wrap the tape around the fullest part of your hips and seat.
Wedding Dress Measuring Tips
When taking your measurements, we recommend that you have someone assist you and use a soft, flexible measuring tape. If possible, seek help from a professional, like stylist at a bridal store. Be careful to consider the dress length . Always remember, it ‘s easier to make a dress smaller than it is larger! If you are in doubt, order a size up.
What Is A Sample Sale Appointment & What Sizes Do They Come In
it’s awesome. basically it’s an appointment where you get to shop all the dresses we no longer need in shop or that have been discontinued after being tried on are marked way down and put into a sale where you can take your dress home as-is that very day! most of the dresses will fit like a street size 4-10 and will need alterations.
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What Is A Sample Dress
Why buy a sample dress?Sample dresses are perfect for a bride who wants a designer dress at a discounted price! The other great part of buying a sample gown is that they are available to buy off the rack. This can be a great solution if you have a wedding fast approaching and not enough time to order a new gown.
What is a sample dress?When we buy from designers each year we buy one of each gown we wish to stock. If we decide to add the gown to our sample sale it will have been used for other brides to try on in-store and this is why they are discounted. They are usually in a size 10 or 12.
How does it work if I buy a sample dress?Samples can be altered down or in some cases up to work for your body type. We have a brilliant partner tailor we recommend who can complete these alterations for you. If there is damage the dress will have been discounted accordingly and the tailor will also be able to help in repairing the gown. Dry cleaning the gown can also help restore it and we can arrange this for you!
What is the discount on a sample dress? The price and percentage of discount varies for each sample depending on how new they are, their condition and their popularity. We are really happy to tell you our sample sale page has the reduced prices of all the gowns available for you to see. We recommend checking out this page and emailing through any dresses you wish to try at your appointment.
How Does A Sample Sale Online Work
Bridal sample sales are a wonderful opportunity to find your perfect wedding dress at a gentle price. They also have the added benefit of being available straight away which makes them a great option for any bride who has a short lead time. Our sample sale days used to be bustling affairs at our London Studio, lots of lovely brides-to-be would come to see us and we would have all of our dresses available to try on in store. At the moment we are unable to operate our sample sales in the same way but we still wanted to create an accessible and easy option for our brides to purchase our wonderful samples that need new homes.
Our online Archive Sample Saleallows you to view all of our sample wedding dresses for sale online, each dress is listed with sizing, condition and the price. We do understand you may need a little more assistance before you buy which is why we have set up our online chat or you can e-mail us at to ask any questions you may have about sizing or the condition of the piece. If you have any questions it is always best to ask us straight away so that we can help you in the best way possible.
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The Truth Behind Why Wedding Dress Sizes Run Small
Wedding dress shopping is an exciting moment that many dream of, oftentimes long before an engagement! Now that your appointment is on the horizon, you may be wondering how bridal sizing works.
Being a size 10, you may be shocked when a stylish hands you a size 14 wedding dress. So, what on earth is going on? Were here to explain the history of wedding dress sizing, and why many wedding dress sizes run small.
What Is A Sample Wedding Gown
Many of you have asked and here is your answer! What is a sample wedding gown? A sample wedding dress is a gown that has been tried on by brides but never actually altered or purchased. At a traditional bridal shop brides order off of the samples in the color and size of their choosing. What happens when the sample gowns run their course, or next seasons style comes in? You find the gowns on the racks of Sabrina Ann and Sabrina Ann Couture!
We partner with bridal shops from California to New York consigning their sample wedding gowns. We also work directly with designers who consign their samples and discontinued styles with Sabrina Ann.
As many of you may know our standards are high. We turn down many gowns we absolutely love, but do not meet our strict criteria for style and condition. We want our brides to be in the most beautiful gowns. We never want Sabrina Ann brides to feel they are compromising on quality or style. Our forever mantra is it is the dress not the price that matters.
Every week we are taking in new gowns and updating our website. So stop in and take a peak through our ever changing collection of sample wedding dresses at both our Ardmore and West Chester, PA locations.
Just remember every day here is a sample sale!
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Know Your Budget And Stick To It
“Ask yourself what you want to spend because the gowns typically go pretty fast so, if you find something, you wonât have time to think about whether you can afford it,” says Grecco. Kruszka also advises budgeting for dry cleaning the gown, in case the hem or train is dirty. Keep in mind, too, that the longer a dress has been in a sample sale, the lower the cost will go.
Pro: You’ll Likely Still Work With A Stylist
Sample sale appointments will generally look different than typical wedding dress shopping appointments, but you’ll more than likely still be assisted by a stylist who is familiar with the gown and is able to answer any questions you may have about alterations, fit, and other important details. Make sure you ask as many questions as you can to ensure you’ll be happy with your purchase.
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Go Dress Shopping Beforehand
“I do not advise a sample sale if it is your first time dress shopping,” says Jennette Kruszka, director of marketing and public relations for Kleinfeld Bridal. “You should go to a sample sale when you have a better understanding of the styles you like because if you find ‘the one,’ you will need to say ‘yes’ and take it home that day.” Grecco advises searching for regular-priced gowns at least once or twice before going bargain shopping. Plus, this gives you the opportunity to revel in the full wedding dress shopping experience.
What Is A Used Or Preowned Wedding Dress
A dress is considered used, preowned, or preloved as soon as it is worn for an event or pictures. It may have had alterations done to it and it may or may not have been cleaned after being worn.
When a wedding dress is cleaned and placed into a preservation box the seller does not typically get to see the dress before it is sealed up. This means there could possibly be blemishes or damaged areas that the seller does not know about.
As always, ask the seller for pictures of the dress in its current state to verify the exact condition it is in.
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Con: You’re Essentially Buying A Used Gown
Sample sale wedding dresses are the gowns tried on by brides during their shopping trips. While these dresses have never been technically worn down the aisle, you’ll find that most have had a lot of wear. What’s more, the majority of salons or designers sell these dresses “as is,” meaning that they will not include alterations or cleaning costs on the gown. It’s important to carefully check for damage before taking one home.
What’s The Deal With Sample Wedding Gowns
One of the most common questions I get is: “What’s the deal with Sample Wedding gowns?” Brides often wonder why are sample gowns cheaper than the retail price and why the sizes are limited.
Essentially, a sample wedding dress is a gown that has been tried on by brides in a bridal salon but has never been altered or worn outside a salon. At a traditional bridal shop, brides order a dress based off of the samples in store which they try on and select the size based on their measurements.
Bridal salons that sell sample gowns allows you to purchase gowns that are “off the rack” – which means you get to take them home with you that day . These gowns are cheaper than the retail price because they sometimes have minor signs of wear from being tried on and handled and/or they are discontinued from the designer.
What are some common signs of wear on sample gowns?
- Dust along the hemline
- Missing or loose buttons or embellishments
- Small holes in delicate parts of the dress
- Make-up stains in the inside of the dress. .
Why are Sample Gowns so great?
Sample gowns are a great way to get a designer gown at a deeply discounted price! Why spend thousands on a wedding gown, when you can get it for 50% off or even less! Who doesn’t love a good bargain?! And sample gowns are more sustainable than buying something brand new.
But what about those imperfections you mentioned?
Why are Sample gown sizes so limited?
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Up To 80% Off All Sales Are Final
Are you looking for a designer wedding dress but tight on time or budget? Ladies, we got you!
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Tuesday, Thursday: 1 pm 7 pm
Wednesday, Friday: 9 am 3 pm
Saturday & Sunday: 9 am 5 pm
Monday: closed
Tips For Wedding Dress Shopping At A Trunk Show Or Sample Sale
Wedding dress shopping can be a bit of a minefield.
Not only is there so much choice but the pressure is on to find a dress you love, look and feel fabulous in, and comes in under budget.
Add a sample sale or trunk show into the mix, and were officially bewildered. But fret not, weve brought in an expert to help!
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Choose Your Companion Carefully
Because sample sales tend to get overcrowded, don’t bring an entire posse with you. Grecco recommends asking one trustworthy friend or family member to tag along as you shop. Also, since the sample sale dresses might run a little bit larger, Krawiec encourages enlisting a friend’s help to hold the gown in any loose areas.
Not Sure If The Sample Sale Is For You
are you able to make a decision quickly? since there’s only one of each dress, quick decision making is key since we can not hold sample sale dresses. are you a street size 4-10 and average height? these dresses will all need to be altered but will fit these sizes best. is there one particular dress that you absolutely have to try on or have? the sample sale is a mix of beautiful dresses and perfect for those open minded and not looking for something specific.
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Look Out For Sample Dress Sales
For those of you who dont know what a sample wedding dress sale is, its when a bridal store and designers sell the dresses brides try on in-store.
Prestigious designers tend to host at least two sample sales a year across two major cities. Typically, one in January and one during the summer. So, keep your eyes peeled for these dates and you might even find your Vera Wang gown after all!
Sample sales have a mountain of pros and cons. Most notably the massively discounted rates which are good if you are on a tight wedding budget! Plus, theres usually a wide array of sizes to choose from. So, there should be plenty of options on the way of finding the perfect wedding dress.
However, despite boutiques doing their utmost to look after their samples, there might be marks or minor damages present So, be sure to thoroughly inspect the dress before making any decisions while youre there because usually, you have to buy your designer gown on the spot.
All in all sample sales are definitely worth trying, especially as bridal trends dont vary massively from season to season. However, the nature of sample sales can be a little pressured. So, our best advice to you is to do a normal dress shop first. That way youll know the kinds of styles and silhouettes that compliment you best before you head into potential chaos!
Top Tip: Some wedding attire stores still require you to make a bridal appointment in advance, so always double-check to see if thats necessary.
