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All stressed up with nowhere to go: 8 tips to de-stress wedding dress shopping
Planning your wedding dress shopping strategy and getting all stressed up with nowhere to go? It's time to take a step back and look at... Read more
Did you hear the news of wedding dress behemoth Alfred Angelo closing down, taking along with it thousands of dresses already on order by brides? Are you one of them? Are you now dress-less? Don't panic, there are some things you can do to snag a last-minute wedding dress…
Hit up your local major dress chain
If you have a David's Bridal, House of Brides, or department store nearby, they WILL have options for most dress sizes available and have been known to be super cool about making alterations quickly. It may not be your dream dress, but their selection is usually large enough that you'll find something wearable, at least. Just know it may not fall into the “offbeat” category…
Check out local sales
Today is National Bridal Sale Day, coincidentally enough. 850 stores are participating in nearly every state plus Canada, and tons of dresses are available at discounted prices. This could be the place you could find a last-minute wedding dress. Here is more information and where to find local retailers involved.
If you have enough time, try online
Etsy sellers, custom dress creators, sites like ASOS, eShakti, BHLDN, and even Amazon have wedding dresses, wedding separates, and occasion wear that'll totally be formal enough to serve as a wedding outfit. Think outside of traditional dresses and search for “long tulle skirts, “lace tops,” and “cocktail dresses.”
Etsy and custom dress sellers can be particularly useful if you get in touch with a seller/designer and ask if they can rush over something already crafted and in stock. It's worth a shot. Separates can be a lifesaver when it comes to sizing something quickly.
Have YOU gone through this before?
We've got a personal story to share later next week about a last-minute dress (spoiler, David's Bridal to the rescue), but has this happened to you? Share your tips for finding a dress at the last minute in the comments! Help a fellow Offbeat Bride out…
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About the Author: Catherine Clark
Catherine Clark loiters at her local library, makes art, watches movies en masse, plays video and tabletop games, poorly cooks healthy things, cuddles with her feline fur babies, and blogs at BijouxandBits.com.
David’s Bridal is also doing discounts for anyone with an Alfred Angelo receipt – 30% off wedding dresses, 20% off bridesmaid dresses, and alteration rush fees waived. The discount stacks with other discounts and sales.
http://www.davidsbridal.com/Content_Bridal_alfredangelo
Thats so wonderful for them to do that! I bought my wedding dress from them and they do a wonderful job with helping their brides.
I was one of the lucky ones! Somehow they had my dress, though it had been only 2 months and not the estimated 3 from when I purchased. My veil and other accessories were missing so they took it off my final balance.( that I had to pay in cash cause their credit machine had already been shut down!) There were plenty other brides at the shop in tears as they were left with no dresses and no answers!
I can’t say “last-minute”, because my wedding is Sept 17, but my bridal outfit has fallen through three times. My best advice is to call for help on Facebook (and be specific about what you need). I did this after the third fail (when the designer I’d hired made the absolutely wrong dress and didn’t realize it until she was about to ship it to me). Friends of friends networked like wildfire, and within 48 hours I had tons of recommendations for local designers (as well as, of course, less helpful recommendations). I went with my gut and just had my first meeting- so far, everything’s perfect. You just never know what hidden creative and connected mojo people can bring, and everyone loves helping.
I think this is so sad that these brides paid their hard earned money and now they will not have their dream dress! Its my opinion that the dress chain should have handle things better than that. They could have allowed all those brides who paid to get their dress and whatever else they paid for.
I feel so bad, this is horrible. When I got married, there was a huge fire on the street where I purchased my wedding dress on what we call “wedding row”. Several of the bridal stores caught on fire and it was just horrible. I was lucky in that the store I purchased from only had minor smoke damage but I really can’t imagine, so terrible. My heart goes out to all the brides caught in the middle of this and I only hope that you get your dream wedding dress. Every woman deserves this.
Looks like former brides and bridesmaids who had dresses from Alfred Angelo are taking to Twitter to help out people whose dresses are locked up. And wedding dresses in general – not just AA dresses.
#dressmatchmaker
I put my downpayment on an AA dress the Friday before everything went to hell. Thankfully the bridal store (not an AA store, but one that carries the line) said that if they’re not honouring orders made, they’ll give me my money back or put it towards a new dress. Thank goodness it was only a week!