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Let’s recap my dress saga, shall we?
I originally found my dress in September. David’s Bridal offered to sell me the sample I tried on at a discount, but it was way too snug. Instead of buying it with the hopes that I’d lose weight, I ordered it a size bigger.
They told me it should arrive in four to six months.
Three months later, I got a call. The dress was in! Early! Score!
But in the meantime, I’d lost weight. And the dress was now huge on me. I tried on the original sample, and it fit like a glove. Once again, they offered to sell me the sample and credit me for a discount, but I’d noticed a pull in the skirt of the sample dress, and I wanted a pristine one. Not an issue, they said. They’d exchange my too-large dress for a size down, no problemo.
The store manager told me that exchanges usually take less time to come in. But I wasn’t in a rush—the wedding isn’t until May.
Well, she wasn’t kidding. I got a call three days later that my dress was in. Three days later.
I just don’t get it. Why would it take several months for one size to come in and three days for another? I think that a quick turnaround on wedding dresses would be a huge value add for a chain like David’s. Right now, if a bride wants a wedding dress quick, she has to go to somewhere like Nordstrom or BCBG. Wouldn’t it be a huge benefit if David’s offered a quick turnaround on their dresses as well? I’m living proof that it’s possible! Why not take advantage of it, DB?
Were you surprised by a super quick turnaround for your wedding dress?
I don’t know about David’s but he good people at Pronovias explained to me that my dress would come in in April for my July wedding because they would not put the order in until January.
Maybe they do it that way to force you to order really early, which then leaves ample time for brides to see another gown, and possibly buy another (or 2 or 3), thus making them a lot more money as an industry.
I ordered my dress from DB too. I ordered it in mid Nov. and they told it would be in for Dec. 21st, but could be in sooner.
Sooner it was for me - as maybe 3 weeks later I got the call my dress was in! 
So, I don’t get why they’d say that either - unless just to cover their own ass’ for the just in case times.
Better to probably say it could take longer than to promise it sooner and something happen. ??
Regardless though - it is a pain to have to deal w. that.
Though glad you got your dress!
Mkae sure they are not trying to palm the sample off on you. It can happen. The book Bridal Bargains talks about this issue with salons.
I was told Memorial Day of 2011. I got a call last week saying it’s in. Go figure… not that I mind, of course (Oh, and my dress isn’t from David’s. Maybe it’s a weird wedding industry conspiracy).
I work in clothing manufacturing - Dance costumes to be more specific. Our stuff usually has a 6-8 week lead time except for during our busy season (dec-may) then lead times may be as long as 16-20 weeks. Typically this is because we use a cutting rotation (i’ve heard bridal industry does too.) we collect orders for a couple of weeks on a style then cut what was ordered plus some extra for “padding”. Then as orders come in we deplete the padded stock and start filling up a cut cue again but we may not cut that style again for another 3-4 weeks.
So to be sure your dress will be in for your wedding most salons will add time to their expected date to cover their asses. If your lucky they place the order and maybe it gets cut and sewn in the next week other wise it might not be cut for 5-6 weeks. If theres issues with the fabric or trims it may be even longer.
In your case Miss Sloth if your dress just came in and the turn around was that quick on the new size they probably exchanged your dress from the “padded extras” they now have in stock.
I got my dress from DB, and ordered a size smaller than the one the recommended I buy. (I ordered the size of the sample I tried on, which fit like a glove). They told me the larger size wouldn’t arrive until November (our wedding was in October), but the sample size would be in the last week of September. (Them trying to sell me a size higher is a whole other irritation).
So I ordered the smaller one, at the end of August (very short engagement) and exactly 6 days later I received a call telling me it had arrived.
Something similar happened to my sister with Alfred Angelo. Her dress took about 3 months to come in, but it was the wrong color (it was white, and she ordered ivory and champagne). They told her that they wouldn’t be able to get her dress in for another couple months, but they *somehow* got it in two days later.
I ordered my dress on November 20th from a local bridal shop. They told me that the expected arrival date was April 15th, which wasn’t an issue b/c my wedding in August 27th. Well, I got a phone call a couple of weeks ago from them telling my my dress was in already! I asked why it got here so quickly and they said that they must have had my size in stock so it didn’t take as long to come in. I thought I had until April to find shoes! I haven’t been in to try it on yet. Hopefully, it’ll fit!
I bought the sample of my dress, because they were discontinuing it and there was no other dress around of mine except the one I bought. As far as my bridesmaid dresses go (which all dresses including mine came from DB) I ordered them at the end of October.. and was told that they would be in Dec. 1st, they came in a week and a half later. I loved getting those emails saying that they were in!
Oh, where do I start with this one? I worked in a bridal salon. There are a few things that affect the time it takes for a dress to come in.
Across all the brands, dresses sewn overseas in places like China and Taiwan have very fast turn around times. The factories are larger with more workers, sometimes semi-automated equipment for things like embroidery and they frequently use synthetic, readily available, and inexpensive fabrics.
Dresses sewn here in the States, specifically couture brands (ex. Vera Wang, Panina Tornai, etc) are frequently smaller operations with fewer workers that use imported fabrics and lace which aren’t ordered until the dress is ordered, adding more time to the order.
There are unpredictable things that can affect a dress’ production time as well. For example several years ago there were rolling blackouts in france where alencon lace comes from holding up production. Dress makers couldn’t get the lace in on time or, in some cases, at all. I believe the year was 2007? So if you look at the collections from around that time you’ll see less lace in the designs.
Anyway, places like DB have very quick manufacturing times and frequently have popular styles in popular sizes in stock for immediate shipment or they have returned dresses. For example, your first dress is being returned and will be in the warehouse. When someone orders that size of that dress, they will simply ship it to the store.
I hope that all makes sense and helps explain the variable turn around times.
@kayakgirl73: You are so right! One of the contributing factors to leaving the salon I was at was because they sold a sample to a woman who did not know it was a sample. As the customer YOU ARE ENTITLED TO A DISCOUNT for a sample dress! If you see anything suspicious when your dress comes in, report it to the BBB!
I ordered my dress from DB in early June and was told not to look for it until October - two weeks later, it’s in!! And then I had to figure out what to do with it for 5 months…
The consultants are probably clueless on turnaround time and shipping processes. When I worked retail and somebody would ask me when such and such would come in, I hadn’t a clue. The best I could do for a customer was take their phone number down and call them and let them know when it came in. The consultant probably pulled some ish out of her butt! 
When I worked at David’s Bridal we almost always sold the dress off the floor. They keep an inventory either at HQ or pull from another store. My guess is that they pulled it from their inventory. Check the dress over very very carefully.
Smart girl ordering the bigger size -I don’t order things I think will fit after I lose weight anymore! I LOVE tea length wedding gowns -yours looks great on you! You didn’t need to lose a #! And I’m so frugal, I think I woulda taken the damaged sample, but you shouldn’t settle on your wedding. I ordered my dress online from a storefront in MA, & I couldn’t believe how long they told me it would take. Thank goodness for long engagements as it took a full year of Internet stalking to find my gown!
I’m still waiting on my dress to come in. I ordered it at the end of October, and they said to expect it around late Jan. or early Feb. I’m super excited to get it. I happily wiggle in my chair just thinking about it!
At Providence Place in Rockwall we put your order in the day you order it. The problem can be an array of things when scheduling it may be high bridal gown season which is crazy for the designers to handle, or it may be that they are waiting for another bolt of silk to come in with the exact dye match. That is why we say that you have to wait 16 weeks normally. Most times you get lucky but every now and then you have one that slides in right on the due date.
Remember to check your measurements if you are losing weight. You can often come in and get remeasured after about 6 weeks if you are losing it fast. Most alterations experts will not even fit you in your gown though until you get as close to the date as possible - that way there are no issues. You can save stress and time if you work with a bridal shop that has this type of process.
Hope this helps!
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Ms. Sloth, Philadelphia Age and Occupation: 35, Account Manager and Fashion Blogger Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Design Admin Engagement Date: December 25, 2009 Wedding Date: May 2011 Venue: Bartram's Garden About Me: I'm an internet junkie and music snob with a good eye for a bargain. I couldn't live without thrift store shopping, cheeseburgers, sushi, Coke Zero, websites devoted to silly photos of baby animals, Photoshop, and Mr. Sloth. Speaking of which, he and I are a pair of goofball homebody nerds who love our beagle (the most ridiculously adorable dog EVER) to an embarrassing degree. We're planning a low-key and intimate yet festive and quirky outdoor wedding with DIY details and deeply personal touches, and it's all taking place in the city where we fell in love and call home: Philadelphia.
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