With so many wedding dresses out in the market, what research do you need to do to learn what distinguishes one from another? Why would one dress be $250 and another dress be $10,000 or more? Here is some information that can help you!
As a leading bridal store in the Philadelphia region, we do extensive amounts of research on the designers and the lines that we bring in. A particular designer may design several lines, for instance: we carry the designer Kitty Chen. She designs a line called Couture, another called Ivoire, and she also designs a line called Jessica Morgan. We happen to carry all of the lines, because of the uniqueness and the price points.
It is the same with designer Madeline Gardner, also known as Morilee. She has seven lines for bridal, one dedicated to curvy brides, one is a higher end couture line, another one is a very simple less expensive line.
How do you know what is best for you? How do you know what you need?
It’s not easy – especially when you are all over Pinterest. There are brides who show us their Pinterest board and it’s full of dresses that are way out of budget. They can be very disappointed and confused. Why would a dress that looks so “affordable” be so expensive? And what do we have that looks like that in her price range?
We have also had the opposite. We have had brides try on dresses and fall in love and when they see the price, they think something must be wrong with it. Why would she fall in love with a dress so under budget? As an experiment, we offered a dress to a bride that was exactly what she asked for but was well under budget. She loved it until she saw the price, then she didn’t. She said the fabric “looked like plastic”. We then gave her a dress by a different designer that was over budget – in the exact same fabric. She tried to convince us of how much better the fabric looked then the “cheaper dress”. The only difference was the label inside.
It is similar to purchasing a car. Certain cars, based on the make, will be more expensive than others. I think it is safe to say most people know a certain make of car will be more expensive than others. They both do the same thing and they have the same main parts, but one goes a little farther for the luxury. If you are not knowledgeable about cars, you could just go and pick out the one you like best based on the look. When you find out the price is usually when you would decide yes or no.
Now picture shopping for your wedding dress in the same way. If you don’t have a budget, you will find the prettiest ones, try them on, and make your decision. What makes one dress cost more than another would be the same concept, that is mainly the name of the designer. Other things considered are: the fabrics used, the beading/beadwork, how it is constructed, perhaps additional accessories, etc. The bottom line, however, is the name on the label.
The research that we do allows us to find who we feel are the best designers, in affordable price ranges, who offer a wide range of styles and sizes. In addition, we want to make sure we carry unique designers, not ones that are found in every single store. There is nothing better than when a bride tells us she’s been everywhere and is shown the same dresses over and over. We get to wow the brides, which is really what she is looking for!
Research for you should also include thinking about the season of your wedding and the fabric that would make sense. If you are getting married in the winter on the East Coast, a heavier satin, sleeves, or layered lace would be more appropriate than a strapless chiffon for example. If you are getting married on a beach, a heavy satin wouldn’t make any sense, but lightweight chiffon would be perfect!
or outdoor affair
Also the venue makes a difference in what type of dress. A formal church wedding followed by a formal reception would dictate a more formal type dress, rather than if you are getting married outside in the garden in a casual type setting.
Having a budget for your dress will make a big difference in making your choice. You can research various lines and find those in budget that have styles you love. If you are a bargain hunter, you can always look for sample sales which is when the dress in the store is marked way down for a faster sale. It is that dress, as is, and has been tried on, but it’s never been worn and you can save a lot of money at a sample sale if that’s your thing! We hold sample sale events several times a year and they are very popular with many brides!
Our dresses new start at $1000 and our selection in various price ranges is outstanding. Make your appointment today to see all that we have to offer!