Not sure how I feel about this.. does it take away from the whole experience and the 'specialness' of ordering the dress, receiving a brand spanking (never been tried on) new one and going in for a series of fittings leading up to the wedding?

Have the added alteration costs meant that in fact the overall cost of the dress is not that much cheaper than if u had ordered a new one?

What have peoples experiences of this been like? Is it worth considering this as an option (particularly if you're having more than one dress)?

Can a dress be taken in by two sizes? Or is one size the limit?

Sorry to ask so many questions but would really appreciate your thoughts! x

Personally don't think that it takes anything away from the dress, AND if it means it is slightly less expensive in the long run then thats more money on nice shoes etc.

I assume it depends on the dress and make but I have heard that it is fine to take a dress in by up to 4", after that it is still do-able but a bit tricky. Most dress makers work pretty quickly so to take a dress in, alter the height etc would be a few hours work. Mine has got to be shortened and we've been told it will end up about £100 to do this (quite a bit of work as it's lace).

As long as the dress isn't stained, smells or has damage that cannot be repaired I don't see why not?! x

I bought a dress in the sample sale and dont see an issue at all - I had a budget of a max £350 for my dress and so could never have got a "sparkly new dress" but TBH you would never be able to tell! And no one will know on the day. It was all but perfect when I tried it on, and they threw in dry cleaning and steaming free after fittings so is definately perfect now!
The dress cost £250 and fittings about £100 so worked out fine.
Also, if ur as impatient as me ull never last the time it takes for ordered dresses to come in! LOL. I bought mine, had it fitted, and now have it at home - all within about a month (altho could have been done quicker - I just didnt rush). Means I can look at it whenever I have a dress wobble - which TBH hasn't happened since I got it home!
You still get to go to a bridal shop, and for fittings and whatnot so dont loose anything from the experience at all!
And as far as I am aware - even ones that have been ordered in have fitting costs on top...

How do you find out about sample sales....is it just a case of trawling around the shops and asking or is it pot luck and good timing ?

Agree with DandM.
I fell in love with my dress after popping into a shop in dorchester that just happened to be having a sale. My dress is Ian Stuart...they are going to carry out alterations for £80 then steam clean for free...and I got the dress for half the original price (in London it would cost a lot more).

It's beautiful and well under my original budget...so go for it.

Maybe ring a few stores and ask when they are likely to be having their sales.

I have a pristine sample that was £400 instead of £1000. I was originally having a couture dress made to my design for £1200, but I fell for the detail in the sample. Not only am I altering it to fit, it is being changed into a different dress by cutting off the huge skirt and train to a 50's tea length, I'm also changing the buttons and some of the details so it is exactly what I want as well as shrinking it 2 dress sizes. I could have had a pristine brand new dress, in fact I could have had whatever dress I wanted as there was no budget for it, but I fell in love with the sample and didn't see the point in buying one full price for me to chop it up, so I am 100% happy with my choice and I know it's perfect for me x

Also....having bought my dream dress for such a good price I'm not going to be so 'precious' about it during the day (as I might have been if I'd gone for a much more expensive dress) I can really enjoy it...and it will be as good as new. No-one will know the difference.

With the money I will have saved...I will be able to take trips up to dorchester for fittings etc and will still make huge savings.

Hi i got my dress in a sample sale £400 instead of £850. It has been altered from a 14 to a small 10. i wouldnt of been able to afford £800 felt a bit guilty bout £400. I do like it but wish i could have afforded a dress i was wowed by. Maybe its just coz i havent seen it for ages. Was suppose to pick it up 2day as it finished but lady cancelled due to family probs. Its the 3rd time. I was Really annoyed. Just wana get it home even tho the wedding isnt till april. Ive put £250 deposit down already. xx

I got my dress in a sample sale-got an e mail as must have signed up to something and went to sale in hotel in central London. Not sure what called though but sale of old display dresses so were all the famous brands at a fraction of the price. My dress was the first dress I tried on and just thought would spend 6 months looking for the dress and never find it. Since I bought it I haven't seen anything remotely like it which I really like. It is a Jenny Packham-I call it vintage but it is just from an old collection.

I paid £470 plus £60 for professional dry cleaning. I think this was a bit much but needed it packed up properly as posted back to Northern Ireland. I was quoted £265 for alteration but found someone at home to do it for a fraction of the price.

I knew it was the dress for me as perfect length and I am about 5'2''. It needs to be taken in around the hips but even if bought new it would have had to be altered. Wedding dresses are made for alterations that is why they are so expensive-the material is stronger than normal dresses.

I had a budget for my dress but it terrified me spending over £1000 on a dress for one day so the sample route really appealed to me. It also meant that I took my dress home with me from the sale so no waiting nervously for it to arrive and could plan accessories around it early.

Keep an eye out-might be easier in London than other places to find one but sure there will be plenty in September after wedding season in the summer. The people who ran the sale I went to were lovely and didn't diminish experience at all-apart from that of my sister who was due to fly over the next week to help me look!Got her bridesmaid dress instead!

I have a £4000 dress for £700, and to look at it another way, I still have over £3000 in my pocket.

samples are the way to go ;)

I had not really decided on a budget, but would have spent around 1500 pounds when I came across a spotless sample dress for 200! It did not even need drycleaning. I had it taken in and the train cut of, which came to 150 pounds.

To me it did not feel less special than a specifically ordered dress would have (but then I am not much of a girlie girl anyway...) and I could spend all the money I had saved on gorgeous accessories :-).

Thanks for all your responses ladies! You have all significantly reassured me. I fully agree that if you manage to find a great dress for a fraction of the price then it seems like a no brainer.

The reasons behind my hesitation are that the sample dress that i am consdering is still £2,500! (Full price is £4,500). So, I'm hesitant to spend that sort of money on a dress that may not be in perfect condition. Also, the sample is in Ireland and I'm in London so I either have to just risk it and have it shipped over, or I fly out there and try it on etc... I have seen different dress that I like almost as much here in London that I could order (i.e. a 'new' one) and for just over £3k.. so not sure whether spending almost the same on a sample is a good idea?? (That said, I do love the dress...)
What do you all think? I'm confused!!

Aliceelizabeth - wow!! that's the best bargain ever!! who's your dress by? and where did you get it?

xx

I also got mine in a sample sale, it cost £480 instead of £1000, luckily its a perfect fit, may need length altering depending on shoes, the added bonus is I don't have to wait for a dress to be specially ordered, or worry about any cock-ups with the order. I'll have it dry/steam cleaned prior to the wedding and I must admit, I feel very smug for the massive saving on the budget! The saving is equivalent to my wedding cars/travel!

Is there anyway you can get the shop to send very detailed/high quality pics before you purchase the dress? I completely understand your reluctance to buy blind. I agree flying over there is what I'd most likely do as it is a lot of money at the end of the day and you really need to try it on. If its not perfect or the right dress for you, you've lost the cost of the flights, but at least you know you've checked it out and you'll not be kicking yourself later. I'd still expect that dress to be in pristine conditon even for the reduced price and if it is, you get a £4500 dress for almost half price, you could always try a little haggling or asking for veil/shoes to be thrown in.

mandak13 - wow, another fabulous bargain! and how lucky that its a perfect fit! just make sure that you don't lose any weight before the wedding and have to have last min alterations!

I have asked the shop to send me pics, which they've said they'll do this week.. I really hope they do so sooner rather than later (I'm starting to get obsessive over the whole thing!)

According to the lady in the shop, the dress is in great condition but it is a bit dirty at the bottom "from the floor", although she says that it could easily be cleaned.

Do you think its reasonable to begin the haggling process from now before I even go out there?

For example, if they agree to have the dress cleaned and maybe throw in a veil (or possibly even knock a bit more off the price) I'd be a lot happier about the whole thing (bearing in mind that I have to factor in the cost of flying out there and the alterations that I'll need to have done in order to make it 2 sizes smaller).

Haha! Corset closure, so I should be safe if a drop a few pounds, although chance would be a fine thing!!

I don't see why not, especially as it is still a highly priced sample which may put a lot of peeps off, so you could be in a strong haggling position. They've already mentioned the grubby hem, so I wouldn't think it would be too unreasonable to ask for a few hundred off, as there is always the possibility that dry cleaning won't remove every mark (highly unlikely if we're talking just a dusty shop floor). You are also travelling to view and adding veil and shoes would kina negate the flight costs. I'd also ask how long the dress has been in the shop, it will give you a good understanding of when the dres was launched by the designer and maybe why it hasn't been snapped up yet. It could simply boil down to the fact that no bride in the market for a £4500 dress was willing to buy a tried-on version or make room for that option, which could really work to your advantage. TBH, if you have £4500 to spend on a dress, a bargain is unlikely to be the first thought. Which is where you can make a complete killer of a saving as you have the vision to see past that! I have to admit, I don't love my dress any less, I mean, I try on clothes all the time in shops and proceed to buy them, as do we all! Imagine walking into Topshop and demanding a item that has never been worn! I also heard on here of a b2b that was allowed to try on another brides made-to-order dress in a shop, so it does make you wonder how many specially ordered dresses are real "virgins" at their final fittings??

My dress was 700...original price was 1450...and in London the original price would been higher than that. It's a quality Ian Stewart...not this seasons...but beatiful.

My shop are giving the dress a steam clean for free after alterations...I would advise you request the same.

I would negotiate them losing another £500 off the price. What dress is it btw? You should be getting couture for that price

and...can't you try the dress on over here first...just to be sure?

Corset closure is probably one of the best inventions of all time!

I'm glad you think it's reasonable to begin haggling from now. Now I just have to remain firm and actually do it!

Apparently the dress has been in their shop for a year. The dress was part of the designer's 2008 collection and has since been discontinued everywhere except Browns Bride in London.

It's funny you should say that, mandak, I was thinking the same thing and asked myself why I was even making this an issue when ALL of the other clothes that I buy from the shops have almost certainly been tried on by other people.
Hehe, mental image of walking into Topshop and demanding an item that has never been worn is v funny! (May try that just for a laugh!)

Cupcake - the dress is by Peter Langner, here in England he's only stocked in Browns Bride. I have tried it on there, and it looks lovely (but the sample in Ireland is 2 sizes bigger than the one at Browns).

I hope I can strike the right balance and not come across as too desperate for the dress or too pushy..

I think the ball is pretty much in your court...

i gotta off the rail dress it cost under 500 that included alterations i dont think it took away from exerience and i totally love the dress x

Aha! You are in a very strong position, its discontinued, one of a kind, in a designer boutique (from the sounds of it, with clientele not interested in "secondhand" as it were) and a touch dusty/dirty to boot! Yeah, I reckon they could shave a considerable amount off, there is absolutely no point in them hanging onto a sample of a dress thats no longer available to their customers and is taking up space. If its from last year, the cost of the sample I would expect has already been balanced/offset against last years profit and loss figures and any money they make on it would just be a boost to this years takings. I'd even go in as low as £1000-1300 and if your very brave, less than a grand, making a gentle point that you can imagine its been left so long for all the above reasons. I'd even mention you really love the dress and you can see past all the above reasons and simply do not have the funds available to buy a brand new one from a designer range. I'd also mention it'd be a shame for it to sit neglected for another year! They may just be pleased to be shot of it for any money at all! You never know if you don't ask, you can always up the offer if you really, really love it! Follow aliceelizabeth's example higher up the page, a £4000 dress for £700!!! What a bargain!! She's my new haggling hero!

mandak13 - hats off to you sweetie, you put forward a very convincing argument! i'm minded to simply copy and paste what you've said in an email to them, hehe! (wish you could talk to them for me! ;-p )

aliceelizabeth is a haggling superstar!
My haggling dream team would be you two!

The lady hasn't yet emailed me the pics.. hope she hasn't sold it in the meantime! (That would be just my luck!) Have sent her a gentle reminder email and hope she'll get back to me soon so that I can begin the haggling process asap!