Weddingbee Blog

So, after a few setbacks, I had put my wedding dress search on hold. That week, I had a chat with Jennifer Nichols, our wedding photographer, about what we would wear for our engagement photos. Jennifer suggested I wear something brightly colored. When she saw me visibly cringe at her suggestion (I’m a neutral kind of girl), she suggested that I wear some sassy shoes to the shoot. I was thrilled about the idea and left her studio for Neiman Marcus Last Call (the Neiman Marcus Outlet) in Austin.

As soon as I walked in, I spotted a wedding dress in the front of the store and a big “SAMPLE SALE!” sign. Although I knew I had my mind set on the Lia and Amelie dresses, I had to check out the sale. I walked to the back of the store, past the doors, and into the warehouse, where I discovered racks and racks of designer gowns! They had Vera Wang, Reem Acra, Carolina Herrera, Monique Lhuillier, and others! And what did I find among the racks and racks of gorgeous gowns, but my coveted Amelie dress! I also found another, similar, Monique Lhuillier dress named Ava that I loved. I couldn’t decide which one I liked better so I bought them both! The best part is that both of these dresses were in AMAZING condition and cost a fraction of the original prices!

Amelie

Ava

I never did end up finding any shoes that day. After I found my dresses I ended up calling an engaged friend of mine and ordering her to come check out the sale. We closed the place down, leaving with two dresses apiece! It turns out that Neiman Marcus closed the bridal departments in all of its stores except for its flagship Dallas store. It was selling off all of its samples, no matter what style they were or condition they were in. And they decided to have the sale in Austin, of all places! It was a once in a lifetime sale that I stumbled upon on accident!

Did you buy a sample gown? Share your tips for buying sample gowns with the hive!