Weddingbee boards

So bees, here's the deal. While I'm always reading happy posts by those of us who have happened to buy a sample dress, I'm actually kind of planning to either buy a sample dress in person, or buy a sample or used dress online. Basically, do you think this is crazy and/or not going to work? If it helps, I am usually a bridal size 10, and for the most part, the way a dress looks in the stock photos is almost exactly how it looks on me.

What do you think, am I putting myself on the train to crazytown, or being reasonable?

@tksjewelry: Yeah, there are a lot of great sites out there. I'm a little addicted to preownedweddingdresses.com at the moment.

@love108: Oh, I'm started! That's a good point, maybe I can talk to some local alterations places ahead of time and find out how much time they usually need. Most dresses I've tried on, the main alterations I would need would be taking in the bust and some form of train removal or bustling. Hopefully not a big deal.

Absolutely a good idea. I actually bought my wedding dress in the Classifieds section on weddingbee! Several shop owners all over the country will, from time to time, post samples that they're willing to sell for x amount of dollars. Just be sure to ask for actual photos of the dress if you plan to order online. I got a Maggie Sottero Megan for $300.00 plus $30.00 shipping! Couldn't be happier. It came with the original tags and certificate of authenticity. 

I bought mine off the rack and it was a larger than a sample. It was a great price and I wouldn't have been able to find anything else that cheap without ordering a bridesmaid's dress in white. This way, I was able to have a real gown! :)

@pccl:  Exactly! For some reason, the idea of waiting and not knowing what the actual dress will look like really bugs me.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone, this is really helpful! I would also be happy to hear from anyone who thinks it's a bad idea, this doesn't have to be all reassuring or anything.

Bump for daytime bees!

As long as you give yourself enough time, this should work out great!  I bought my dress pre-owned from a fellow Bee!  I LOVE my dress!!

I think you are in good shape in terms of size.  Most of the samples I tried on were bridal size 10.

I just wanted to add to the PP that certain materials are more likely to show wear and tear from being taken on and off repeatedly than others.  The dress I ordered is tulle, and I absolutely would not have purchased the sample--it was pretty beat up.  I also noticed that embellishments, such as flowers, tended to be smooshed on the samples.  On the other hand, all of the taffeta dresses I tried on were still in pristine condition and could definitely be worn.  As long as you don't have your heart set on anything too delicate, I think you will be fine!

@atalante:  Good to know. I have been to one store that really hadn't taken care of their samples, but others (including a consignment store!) where they were in great shape.

@LittleRiver:  I hadn't thought about that! Dang, too bad I don't like taffeta more.