Weddingbee Blog

For weeks after dress shopping I was torn between the styles of Monique Lhuillier’s Monet and Sabine. I took the “look for less” approach and identified some alternatives that were within my budget and also kept tabs on the various online used wedding dress retailers. I prepared to make appointments at other bridal salons. Late one night as I suffered from a case of insomnia, I was restlessly browsing Once Wed and saw it. The right size. The right length. The right price. I stared at the listing. I drummed my fingers on the keyboard and furtively looked around my dark apartment.

*squee*

Personal photo from my dress fairy

I clicked on the “email seller” button, and within 24 hours I was on my way to getting the dress of my dreams. This dress has actually been worn *twice* before it ended up in my hands and had been hemmed for a 5’3″ frame + heels. Both factors probably played a big role in the price point. None of these changed the fact that I was still extremely nervous about making the commitment to buy. For any ladies thinking of going the used wedding dress route, here are some takes from the Tartlet that will hopefully give you more confidence in your decision making process:

• Go over the listing with a fine-toothed comb. Pay attention to all the measurements and alterations. I can’t tell you how many listings I came across that read “Street Size: X” but the measurements were nowhere near that size. Often times the description will contain details of further alterations. A common one is altering a straight neckline to a sweetheart neckline.
• Ask about the cleaning/preservation method AND how the dress has been stored since the wedding. Along the same lines, check whether the seller lives in a smoking home or with pets. If you can’t tell from the pictures, it doesn’t hurt to ask what kind of wedding the bride had (indoors vs. outdoors) so you’re aware of potential dirt/damage issues. Ask for the dress to be shipped in the dry cleaning bag and/or to include the dry cleaning receipt.
• Ask for additional, personal pictures. Don’t rely on pro pics to accurately show the state of the dress after it’s been worn for 8 hours and seen a dance floor. BM Tanya made a great suggestion, which was to ask for close-up pictures of the hem. That’s likely to be the dirtiest part of the dress, with a high probability of damage. Something I didn’t do was to ask for a close-up picture of the bustle. My dress *blissful sigh* had one added in, and upon closer inspection the seamstress had used BLACK thread to sew the ties in. Odd? Yes.
• Just because an accessory is shown in the pictures, doesn’t mean it’s included in the listing itself. Especially since there are some gorgeous sashes out there, make sure it’s included in the dress price! I came across a couple sellers who wore the sash for their wedding, but either didn’t want to part with it or wanted to charge extra.
• Don’t forget to take into account shipping when you set the maximum price point. My dress was shipped via FedEx and it cost an additional $40. I would also strongly recommend insuring the package; accidents do happen and you need to protect yourself.
• Use a secure payment method (like PayPal or escrow). If a seller asks for cash or a personal check, forget it.

How did I know to pick this dress over the Sabine that had everyone in tears at the bridal shop? Once I sat down and thought things through, I realized that I loved Sabine because of everyone else’s reaction to it (especially my mom’s). Not to sound disrespectful, but after I took them out of the equation there was simply no comparison. Know thyself, know thy dress. I knew I would regret missing out on the ravishing details of the Monet that make me giddy with delight.

*chortles* And a glimpse of my darling dress on me thanks to a self-timer and a few well placed boxes:

How about it, ladies? Would you consider wearing a used wedding dress?