The Pitfalls of Shopping For a Wedding Dress Online

There are plenty of reasons to love online shopping: No terrible fluorescent dressing room lighting, the ability to take advantage of additional sizing and styles, and buying that perfect dress or pair of shoes you could never have found in a store. We love to browse for the next great find on our lunch break just like everyone else, but when it comes to looking online for your wedding day look, you may want to reconsider.

A perfect fit?

One of the most important parts of finding the right dress is how you look and feel in it, but gowns rarely fit perfectly right off the hanger. That’s where trained bridal associates come in—they can help guide you toward silhouettes that will be the most flattering and provide insight into how the dress can be altered. They can also help you determine the correct size, which can be a challenge since bridal sizing isn’t the same as street sizing (a.k.a. the size you pick up when you’re shopping for everyday clothes). While e-tailers may have measurement guides, nothing compares to the expertise of someone seeing you in dresses in person.

Results may vary

All online wedding dress sellers are not created equally. If you’re buying from a brand you’re familiar with, you have some idea of the quality of the product you’re getting. Other online sellers? Not so much. Keep in mind that a photo can be misleading and your dream dress could wind up being a cheaply made nightmare. Beware of sites claiming to offer deep discounts on designer dresses or prices that seem too good to be true. While doing your research and reading up on an e-tailer can give you some peace of mind before you order, seeing a dress in person, feeling the fabric and trying it on is the best way to truly tell if a dress is for you.

Return to sender

Returning what doesn’t work once you try it on is a fundamental part of online shopping. While some online retailers adopt a fairly standard return policy, always be sure to read the fine print. You may have a very narrow window of time to return the dress and be on the hook for return shipping costs and other hidden fees. And if the return policy is nowhere to be found? Run for the hills!

Deal or no deal

The biggest reason brides order dresses online is that they often boast a smaller price tag. But there are plenty of other ways to save money on your bridal fashion while still getting a high-quality design and enjoying a personalized experience, like buying your dress from an off-the-rack bridal boutique like Savvy Bridal. And although we don’t recommend purchasing a wedding dress online, the web can be a great way to find deals on other pieces of your wedding day look, from gorgeous shoes to trendy jewelry.

Say yes to shopping

Let’s be real: Shopping for a wedding dress is not always the delightful experience romantic comedies make it look like, even when you find the right gown. But we know for many of our clients, it’s a special experience to gather with the women closest to you to shop for something you’ll remember for the rest of your life. Yes, snagging a dress while wearing your pajamas on the couch may be less stressful, but that’s a moment you won’t get to share with loved ones, which can be one of the most memorable parts of the wedding planning process.