I should have waited but I was so excited to buy my gown or in hindsight, a gown.
It's beautiful by Yolanda Couture (Grace style) from the new 2008 collection. I put a deposit down in Sept 2007 and my wedding is May 2009. So of course I kept looking, which isn't hard in my line of work, and found that I wanted something more me..instead of "bridal-y". I just want a chic sheath and birdcage veil. This dress, while totally gorgeous, is not that.
My question is how to handle this with the bridal salon. I know I won't get a refund but am I responsible to pay for the dress? I really don't want to pay 5k for a dress just to turn around and sell if for half. Such a waste of money. Can I get a credit towards another gown? Any one with any advice, I would appreciate it.
You think they haven't ordered it yet?? That would be great. They didn't tell me when they would place the order, they did say that it may arrive in June.
you can probably just leave the dress there, but lose your deposit. but, that dress is gorgeous! I had the same experience....I ordered a dress, 5 months later hated it, and when out to look for something else. but before I bought something else, I looked at it again, and remembered how much I loved it. Its those evil wedding magazines! I still to this day look, "just to make sure", not that there is any way I can get something else now, the wedding is in 3 weeks. oh well! I do think that if you order a dress way to early, you have a greater chance of changing your mind. Especially when styles change and new collections come out every season. If I were to do it all over again, I would go shopping 7 months out, rather than over a year. But I do still love my dress (even though I know my dream dress is out there!).
I think you just need to call the salon and deal with them directly. If they have the OTHER gown you are looking at they might be more easy to work with rather then wanting to buy a new dress elsewhere
call the owner of the salon and explain, but i think you're on the hook - you've already paid money towards the gown, and if it's been ordered, it's bad faith on your part to not pay the balance.
look at it this way - if you owned the shop and a client just "changed their mind" on a whim - you'd still collect on what was due to you right?
a bad purchase decision on your part does not excuse you from paying what is due...
You really need to look at your invoice, and maybe call the shop. Generally your signature on the receipt for your down payment is your agreement to buy the dress - which is a legal contract. They should have explained this to you at the time, but that is how it works in most cases. Most dresses take at least three months from order to ship date, and some take six months or more. If they gave you a ship date, that probably means they placed the order. I agree that its worth calling to ask. If the store thinks they may be able to resell the dress, they may let you get away with only your deposit lost, but if you signed a contract to buy the dress they can hold you responsible for the balance of the purchase price.
I did the same thing twice! The first gown i sold (well I found someone to pay the remainder of the balance). I posted it on the dress on here and also craigslist. so that was that... and now I have another gown I have changed my mind on... almost! I love the dress but I think it is just too much for me. I think I want something even more simple. ... My bridal salon was not nice about it, by the way. And they aren't even out any money - Good luck!
I am so glad to hear there are other people out there with this dilemma!! My mom lives really far away from me and came to visit in December. We decided we would go dress shopping while she was here and I had two days to look for dresses with her! She suprised me by telling me that she was paying for the dress and was willing to spend much more than I ever would have spent. We went to a few shops and the third one we went to just felt so right. I tried a dress on there that was totally different from anything I had pictured in my head but I loved it and my mom was with me and I felt pressured to get something while I was with her. After mulling over a cup of coffee we went back and got it. For about a month and a half after that I was FREAKING OUT. I just didn't think it was the right dress and I was sick over how much it cost and felt for that much money I needed to be absolutely in love with it, which I didn't know I was. I think I drove my shop crazy because I did call them and they were willing to put the money towards another dress but they were really pressuring me to buy the one I had initially wanted. I agree with dreambml - it IS those evil wedding magazines!!! It's like a sickness. You just can't stop looking. If you REALLY don't think the dress is for you then call your salon and explain this to them. See what options you have. If the dress you think you want is there, I think they will be more likely to work with you on exchanging one for the other. But I also think that getting a dress is just a really emotional experience. Now that I am pretty much over my freakout I'm happy with my dress and even though it's something totally different than I had envisioned, it's really "me" in a different way. Good luck, I hope things work out for you!!!
Another thing to remember is that, like Jess, you did pick the dress for a reason. Since the best you can probably expect is to lose your deposit, and you may have to actually find another bride to cover the rest of the price of the dress (like MsIndecisive) you may as well try the dress on when it arrives. It may look different/better than you remember.
I should have waited but I was so excited to buy my gown or in hindsight, a gown.
It's beautiful by Yolanda Couture (Grace style) from the new 2008 collection. I put a deposit down in Sept 2007 and my wedding is May 2009. So of course I kept looking, which isn't hard in my line of work, and found that I wanted something more me..instead of "bridal-y". I just want a chic sheath and birdcage veil. This dress, while totally gorgeous, is not that.
My question is how to handle this with the bridal salon. I know I won't get a refund but am I responsible to pay for the dress? I really don't want to pay 5k for a dress just to turn around and sell if for half. Such a waste of money. Can I get a credit towards another gown? Any one with any advice, I would appreciate it.
posted by Indigo 16 posts 8 months agoI doubt they've ordered it yet, so call them. They may be willing to put your deposit toward another dress.
Did they tell you when they'd be placing your order (or when it would arrive for you to pick up)?
posted by PinkyJules 40 posts 8 months agoYou think they haven't ordered it yet?? That would be great. They didn't tell me when they would place the order, they did say that it may arrive in June.
posted by Indigo 16 posts 8 months agoIf it's going to arrive in June, they may have ordered it. Sounds like you're gonna have to suck it up and call them to see the status, good luck!
posted by AOEBuckeye 143 posts 8 months agoyou can probably just leave the dress there, but lose your deposit. but, that dress is gorgeous! I had the same experience....I ordered a dress, 5 months later hated it, and when out to look for something else. but before I bought something else, I looked at it again, and remembered how much I loved it. Its those evil wedding magazines! I still to this day look, "just to make sure", not that there is any way I can get something else now, the wedding is in 3 weeks. oh well! I do think that if you order a dress way to early, you have a greater chance of changing your mind. Especially when styles change and new collections come out every season. If I were to do it all over again, I would go shopping 7 months out, rather than over a year. But I do still love my dress (even though I know my dream dress is out there!).
posted by dreambml 425 posts 8 months agoYou might be responsible for the entire amount of the dress--did you sign a contract when you purchased the gown?
posted by ljlkclark 41 posts 8 months agoI signed the receipt. This is giving me a stomach ache.
posted by Indigo 16 posts 8 months agoI think you just need to call the salon and deal with them directly. If they have the OTHER gown you are looking at they might be more easy to work with rather then wanting to buy a new dress elsewhere
posted by hayley2themax 15 posts 8 months agoAsk the salon directly. There is no use worrying about something that may not be an issue.
posted by tberry 231 posts 8 months agocall the owner of the salon and explain, but i think you're on the hook - you've already paid money towards the gown, and if it's been ordered, it's bad faith on your part to not pay the balance.
look at it this way - if you owned the shop and a client just "changed their mind" on a whim - you'd still collect on what was due to you right?
a bad purchase decision on your part does not excuse you from paying what is due...
good luck!
posted by Anti-Zilla 385 posts 8 months agoYou really need to look at your invoice, and maybe call the shop. Generally your signature on the receipt for your down payment is your agreement to buy the dress - which is a legal contract. They should have explained this to you at the time, but that is how it works in most cases. Most dresses take at least three months from order to ship date, and some take six months or more. If they gave you a ship date, that probably means they placed the order. I agree that its worth calling to ask. If the store thinks they may be able to resell the dress, they may let you get away with only your deposit lost, but if you signed a contract to buy the dress they can hold you responsible for the balance of the purchase price.
posted by suzanno 1,955 posts 8 months agoI did the same thing twice! The first gown i sold (well I found someone to pay the remainder of the balance). I posted it on the dress on here and also craigslist. so that was that... and now I have another gown I have changed my mind on... almost! I love the dress but I think it is just too much for me. I think I want something even more simple. ... My bridal salon was not nice about it, by the way. And they aren't even out any money - Good luck!
posted by MsIndecisive 88 posts 8 months agoI am so glad to hear there are other people out there with this dilemma!! My mom lives really far away from me and came to visit in December. We decided we would go dress shopping while she was here and I had two days to look for dresses with her! She suprised me by telling me that she was paying for the dress and was willing to spend much more than I ever would have spent. We went to a few shops and the third one we went to just felt so right. I tried a dress on there that was totally different from anything I had pictured in my head but I loved it and my mom was with me and I felt pressured to get something while I was with her. After mulling over a cup of coffee we went back and got it. For about a month and a half after that I was FREAKING OUT. I just didn't think it was the right dress and I was sick over how much it cost and felt for that much money I needed to be absolutely in love with it, which I didn't know I was. I think I drove my shop crazy because I did call them and they were willing to put the money towards another dress but they were really pressuring me to buy the one I had initially wanted. I agree with dreambml - it IS those evil wedding magazines!!! It's like a sickness. You just can't stop looking. If you REALLY don't think the dress is for you then call your salon and explain this to them. See what options you have. If the dress you think you want is there, I think they will be more likely to work with you on exchanging one for the other. But I also think that getting a dress is just a really emotional experience. Now that I am pretty much over my freakout I'm happy with my dress and even though it's something totally different than I had envisioned, it's really "me" in a different way. Good luck, I hope things work out for you!!!
posted by jess3800 2 posts 8 months agoAnother thing to remember is that, like Jess, you did pick the dress for a reason. Since the best you can probably expect is to lose your deposit, and you may have to actually find another bride to cover the rest of the price of the dress (like MsIndecisive) you may as well try the dress on when it arrives. It may look different/better than you remember.
posted by suzanno 1,955 posts 8 months ago