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Wow, this is a really tough call. In my opinion, it really depends on how much you love it. If you feel llike this is YOUR dress and that your day won't be complete without it, then go for it. It's just money. OR, you can wait and look around online. There are lots of sites which sell used Carolina Herrera dresses (http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/search/by-designer/Carolina-Herrera-21.html), but they tend to be close to the $3,000 range. Also, if the dress started out at 9K, it will be hard to find it much cheaper than what they offered you for the sample.
Another option is to wait and look around at other dresses. A-line princess gowns are very popular, so you might be able to find a dress which is comparable to the one you like at for a much cheaper price. In any case, it's a tough call so good look!!
If I were you, I'd wait a few more months (like 2ish). Try on some more dresses, even designer gowns. I don't doubt you'll still be head over heels for your original dress :). Always keep an eye out for YOUR dress on preownedweddingdresses and oncewed.com (and ebay!). I knew I wanted a lace ML gown, so I checked those 3 places religiously for several months. Then one day a ML Miranda in AWESOME condition came on ebay! I bid, thinking I wouldn't get it, but I did! And then I had my dress! I had to do a few alterations (you invariably WILL need alterations), and after paying for that, the total for my dress was just under $2000! I'm happy! Now I can't look at another dress and imagine myself in it. Good luck!
The dress is gorgeous, and I personally know how hard it is to avoid getting sucked up into dress mania.
My wants and desires shifted a couple of times, so I paid attention to what direction I was shifting in.
I was progressing to slinkier dresses with wilder details... There was a certain threshold I hit that I knew would be a balance between "wedding dress" and "different". That's when I knew to stop looking!
There will continue to be lots of good deals out there, and a 70% savings is only really a value if you are saving money. In your case, you'll still be extending yourself to get the well-worn CH sample.
I don't know what the right thing to do it, but I would say that 1) you have plenty of time to decide and find good deals 2) you might evolve your vision for the wedding.
I wish you the best of luck in your decision. It is a truly stunning dress!
I know this will only add to your confusion, but I wanted to give you a tiny piece of information I learned last year in case it helps you decide. The regular price they are quoting you is for a custom made "real" gown. The sample is often NOT made with the same quality or fabrics as the "real" gowns. For example, if the real gown is lined with silk, the sample might be lined with a synthetic polyester. It might also be missing some of the boning or details of the real gown. So buying a sample is not the same as buying a real gown, and when trying to decide, you should not think of the $9,000 price. The sample could be worth far less even if it were brand new and pristine. If you love THIS dress for the $3,100 price, then you should buy it. But don't be swayed by thinking you are getting the real dress for the sample price.
105118_closeout1.jpg (55 KB, 48 downloads) 2 years old 105117_closeout_JPG.jpg (33 KB, 42 downloads) 2 years old 
I can't offer any advice on this since I had the same situation pop up this weekend. I found what seemed like the perfect dress at only the SECOND shop I visited! It's a Mia Solano so not QUITE the same level of gown as a Carolina Herrera (gorgeous dress, by the way) but the fit was perfect and the price was awesome --50% off!!
I searched online after the fact but even the direct gown sites couldn't match the price I got so it was definitely a great deal. And I'm at least 85% sure that I'll still be happy with it once the wedding rolls around. *fingers crossed*
Thanks so much for the help. For now I'm waiting it out and looking into a craigslist lead thanks to lilmissha. I've decided if I can't get it out of my head in a week, I'll just be on a very big money diet for a few months :)
I just feel guilty for deviating from the budget. I suppose there are ways to trim it elsewhere.
Again, thanks for the replies. I absolutely appreciate it.
Another thing to consider! I'm having my dress made, and it's WAY cheaper than buying one from a store. Could you look into finding someone in your area that could make you one like it? That one's pretty complicated, to my inexperienced eye, so it might be hard to make, but there's at least a chance you could get one made perfectly just for you for cheaper than even the 70% off price. Good luck!
Update: Thanks to a tip from Lilmisssha, I've just bought the same dress for $1000 :)
Thanks everyone
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Since my wedding is over a year away I've been slowly easing into the planning process. I decided to start looking at dresses because it seemed like the "fun" part. I heard about a local sample sale and decided to start there.
Paying very little attention to the pricetags, I tried on a few gowns. My dress budget is really 1500, 2000 if something earth shattering. So of course the unthinkable happened: I tried on a Carolina Herrera tulle mess (dream to me), originally priced at 9k and beamed. Its 70% off price? Still 3100, with tax.
Now I have several things I need help considering: It's a sample, so it's not perfect. The bows are bedraggled, it needs to be hemmed a lot, but the fit otherwise is good. My wedding is over a year away. Will I suddenly be stricken 5 months from now with a vision of an entirely different dress?
If it was 2000 I'd buy it in an instant. Part of me thinks even that is an obscene amount for a gown. But it's such a romantic, girly, gorgeous gown and I can't decide what I'd regret more: buying it our passing it up.
The dress in question: http://www.brides.com/fashion/dresses/gallery/wedding_dresses/runway/designer/carolinaherrera/detail/144298?offset=62#_chip=0
Opinions?