Weddingbee boards

I'm placing my order for my wedding dress through an eBay seller, Jeff Liu of April Bridal. I'm attaching some photos of my request. After doing a LOT of online research, I decided to go with April Bridal because of the photos that I've seen of completed work. Because that was so helpful to me (fingers crossed), I'm going to post on my experience so that this will be helpful to other brides out there.

I really didn't fall in love with any one dress, and I just couldn't stomach the $2,000+ price tag out there for the ones that I even kinda liked. So, I went on a mission to find the dress I feel I want to walk down the aisle in.

I finally found a gorgeous Jim Hjelm dress, style 8051, but there were some things I wanted to change about it.

So, I'm placing the order on Ebay (I found that the reviews said make SURE to place through the website, not just paypal) tomorrow afternoon. The dress is $359 because I've asked for boning, tulle, and extra lining. Communication has been good so far. I'll post more information and pictures as I get them!

Oh, my god! That looks GORGEOUS!

You just made me feel so great about my decision. We're actually similar shapes, and I'm requesting a similarly shaped dress. You look beautiful! If my dress turns out half that good, I will be so pleased.

I also know that there is a lot of moral debate, but he's been very professional, and truthfully isn't offering much lower prices than some David's Bridal dresses. I feel like I'm going to get an amazing deal, but I wouldn't call what this company does a "sweat shop", as I've heard thrown around by some people. They should be very proud of what they're able to create from a simple picture.

So excited for this to actually happen. Thank you for the gorgeous picture!

Ok.

So, let me just say: yes, it is good to get professional measurements when ordering a dress online. No, I did not need a half hour lecture about how dangerous it is to have someone other than a bridal salon or David's Bridal make your dress for you. I didn't even mention that I was purchasing online; I just didn't lie when asked, "Are you having a dress made for you?"

Let me just say that I know what I'm getting into. I know that this is a big risk. I'm TOTALLY rolling the dice here. Which is why I'm ordering the dress online with enough time to spare to go to the store and pick out one that I'm less in love with (but that I can live with) at David's Bridal.

I told the seamstress several times that- if she was uncomfortable taking the measurements- that I could go elsewhere. But, at the end of the appointment, she finally took my measurements, and I was on my way. Shaken, but I didn't change my mind about what I wanted to do.

Ugh.

Well, aside from that experience, Jeff Liu did set up a listing and invoice on eBay so that I could have that extra bit of security. I sent my measurements and payment last night. I'm looking to get a confirmation of receipt today, and hoping to see pictures soon.

Fellow Bees: did any of you have similarly harsh experiences with seamstresses, and how did your post-payment communication go with Jeff? How long did it take before you saw a picture of the dress, and how long did it take to arrive at your house? Thanks!

So, I just wanted to provide some updates on my dress order. I waited 2 weeks to allow for production time, and then this weekend. . .I couldn't wait any more! I sent a nice email to April Bridal, asking to see some pictures of my in-progress dress. 24 hours later, I received these photos:

Front of dress:

Back of dress:

So, is it an exact replica? No. Are there things that need to be changed? Oh, yes. Does it need a good steam and press? For sure. But. . .overall, I love this dress MORE than I liked the inspiration dress. My big thing was that all of the dresses I had tried on were too low cut on the waist, or not low enough, too poofy, or not poofy enough, not the right fabric, not enough ruffles, too many ruffles, and especially, WAY too much bling and detail. I love that I'll be getting a corset back. I'm more of a rectangle shape, and the corset back really gives me more of a coca-cola bottle shape.

I am asking for Jeff Liu (and company) to add another layer of fabric to each tier, as I had requested, to make the top tier longer, because I can see the seam of the second tier underneath, to even out the front hem, because it looks uneven, and to send me some closeup pictures of the seams, so that I can correct any bulky rouching issues before I have to make a seamstress deal with that.

But, honestly, it was a little rough dealing with the lost sleep, frantic worrying about finding a David's Bridal replacement dress, and the "will it just be AWFUL?" worries. I'm more relieved than freaked out over this first "draft". They are making the changes I've requested, without additional cost, and will send me another set of photos in 3 days. Fingers crossed.

So, tell me, what do you think of this dress? Keep in mind that it is too big for the mannequin (I'm a size 14), and that changes will be made. I'll post more pictures when they come in!

@KristenGotMarried: Agreed. I mean, I was under no illusion that this was going to be an exact copy. It was this or a David's dress (and still may be a David's dress, depending on how it looks once it's on a real person.) But, hey. I'm getting married at a brewery, we'll be rocking picnic tables, and our officiant works at a comic book shop. High class people we are not. So, all in all, I'm optimistic that it will be appropriate for the wedding that I'm having. I'm mainly concerned about the shape, and if that looks good, then I can deal with imperfections. I just couldn't stomach the high price tag. I appreciate the feedback. I'm not looking to fool anybody into thinking this dress cost $2,000. Because- let's face it- it didn't. But if it looks like a nice $350 dress, then I'm cool with that. The most important thing is that I'm marrying the man I love, and it wouldn't hurt if he thought I looked purty. :)

Thanks for the thoughts. I definitely had that understanding that the quality would be lower, so that didn't shock me too much. I think the replica route is a lot about managing expectations.

UPDATE!!! (long post)

So, I want to say that the last 3 weeks (has it only been 3 weeks?) has been PAIN-ful. But, I'm hoping it will be worth the wait.

I was determined to be the positive one throughout this experience, so that if things went south, the vendor couldn't accuse me of being a "difficult customer with unrealistic expectations". I sent an email every week, along the lines of "How's the dress coming along? I'm so excited to see it. Do you have an estimated completion date? Thanks!"

One week into my "revised" dress, I got an email. It was going to take a couple more weeks, as they had to literally scrap the entire first dress and make a new one. OK with me, as I didn't want to get something totally unusable if I could help it.

As you might recall, I asked for the layers to have 2 tiers, to even out the hem, and to generally straighten out the tiers on the skirt, as they were gathered in some places/straight in others.

This is what I was sent this morning:

Front of dress:

And the Back of the Dress:

So, overall, I'm feeling MUCH better about the dress. I almost had them ship it out, so that I can see it on a real person, but I decided to address the fact that one cup looks quite a bit larger than the other. Waiting on another picture to confirm that's because my size 14 dress is on a size 8 mannequin.

But, overall, I'm pretty happy. . .and I found a backup dress. Just in case. Waiting to press "buy" on that shopping cart if it doesn't look right. But I'm feeling pretty confident so far.

Aside from the obvious fact that this is a replica and not a designer dress in any way, what do you think?

I'll most likely be posting pictures tonight. The package just came in! My MOH is going to be there with me to celebrate or cry with me. Fingers crossed!

Boo!

So, I knew going into this experience that there was a chance that the dress could end up just not being wearable. And unfortunately that's the case. Though I was pleasantly surprised by the fabric, the very neat rouching (in person), the corset back, and even the boning, I don't think I'll be able to wear this dress.

It's like. . .90% great. But the 10% that isn't is the top of the cups. Though they assured me that the lopsided looking cups were because the dress was on a mannequin that was too small, it ended up actually being lopsided in person.

The company said that they were willing to have me mail back the dress and they would remake it, no charge. Right now, though, with only 7 months before the wedding, I'm cutting my losses and have made an appointment to find another dress.

I'm pursuing a refund on the dress, and trying to negotiate a slightly reduced refund so that I don't have to mail the dress back. I don't want to deal with the postage price and drama.

I do think that, given enough tries, they would get the dress right. Maybe my standards are too high, but at this moment, I'm just not comfortable wearing the dress down the aisle. Because I'm larger chested, my seamstress didn't feel that she could even out the cups and still give me enough coverage. :(

I'm trying to be positive, though. I didn't really see negative reviews of this site until after I ordered the dress, and then it was too late. If I went back in time, I probably would have ordered from a different place, but I still think I would have given the custom route a go.

I'm determined to stay positive about it. Hey, when I met my fiance, I cancelled our first date, and three months later, we met up again and have been together ever since. Maybe it'll be like that. A dress that I've already tried on, but passed by could be THE ONE!

I'll update on how the refund process goes, and how much of my purchase price I actually get back.

I don't know if the stragely shaped cups are common with the company's work. Something tells me I just drew the short straw. I'll post pictures and details for future brides as they come!

@adw2c:

If I can ask, what percentage of your dress did they refund? They asked me what I thought was "reasonable", and I said "the price of the dress minus what you shipped, and minus $50, because that would be what it would save me if I didn't have to ship the dress back. No word from them yet. I'm trying to prep myself for the worst. In the end, who ended up proposing the final number, and how did you get any refund at all?

I've thought about going through another dress place, but I just don't have time. I've selected a Mori Lee dress that I think I'm going to purchase next week. I'm going to David's Bridal as well this weekend with my family. One way or another, I'll have a dress order in with a store this time next week.

I just wish I'd found the negative reviews before I clicked "buy". All I had seen were positive. Live and learn, I suppose. I have threatened them that if I don't receive a fair refund that I will leave negative feedback on whatever avenue I can (ebay, wedding blogs, wedding boards, etc.)

Here's hoping I can get at least $150 of my $359 back!

Update!

So, I just got $120 of my $359 refunded, but I didn't have to ship back the dress. My sister is going to try to sell it on ebay or craigslist, as she doesn't think the cup difference is that significant, and someone with a smaller bust could alter it and still have enough coverage.

But, that ordeal is done. I'm back wiser, but poorer. I would not suggest ordering from this company based on my experience. Especially not if you're like me, and have a background in design and clothing construction.

I have my eye on a Wtoo Yardleigh dress which I will most likely be placing the order for through a salon. Best of luck to you other bees, but I would steer clear of Jeff Liu and April Bridal if you want to avoid headaches and heartbreak.

I realize that I never posted any pictures of the final product here. If anyone else is considering using April Bridal, here's the warning I got too late. I hope you make a better choice than I did!

(sorry for the mess in the background!)