I wasn't referring to House of Brides specifically, and that particular site does have mixed (bad) reviews on various wedding-related web communities. However, Pearl's Place in Louisiana, and RK bridal (New York) do give you a significant discount on off the web sales, they are totally legit (they're listed on Watters website as their authorized dealer as well as other brands). They also do price-matching. You are not cheating anybody; they give you a discount because you are not getting the same customer service you would get as you would dealing with a physical bridal salon (although I have heard of some bridal salons not coming through if there's a problem with dress). Again, my disclaimer is that 1. I haven't personally purchased anything from these websites (but plan to buy bridesmaid dresses from them) 2. I'm not talking about those websites that claim to sell dresses at 1/10 of the original price - I believe those are knockoffs produced in China. 3. By buying online, you do forgo a lot of the benefit of personal customer service that you would get from a physical salon.
In the end, it's really up to your level of comfort. I personally chose to save my money and bought my couture sample gown off Ebay, and it turned out beautiful. But absolutely no customer service there, lol!!
I agree, YOU MUST DO YOUR RESEARCH! But it is possible to pay less than pricey bridal salon prices by searching on the web.
Good luck with your gown purchase PIXIEPRINCESS no matter what you decide!
MANDIETERRIER1 6/9/08 3:27 P
I heard of all those websites. I believe netbride has a pretty good reputation among brides. I've read mixed reviews on House of Brides. These are not just discount websites; they actually have physical stores (I think House of Brides is in Chicago), and they are official distributors of those brands. Pearl place is another one that has a pretty good rep. I haven't bought anything from these websites personally, so if you like a first hand opinion, go the the knot message board or weddingbee (weddingbee.com). I believe some brides posted reviews there. Anything wedding-related has a horrible mark up, so yeah, while some things can sound too good to be true, it's also smart to do your research. You can easily save 10-30%!!
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DO NOT buy your gown from anyone except an Authorized Dealer. If the store/ website is NOT an authorized dealer, it would be foolish to purchase your gown from them.
Couture gown designers like Watters and Watters, also Maggie Sottero, say they DO NOT sell to House of Brides WEBSITE.
DISCLAIMER: There are many brick and mortar stores called House of Brides that have nothing to do with the website.
Do your research and Buyer Beware. You can't cheat an honest man.
PIXIE-GEM 6/9/08 3:47 A
I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to reply! I think i have decided to buy my dress over here, i'm a little too worried about getting what i want if i don't actually see a person who is accountable. I did find a reasonably local stockists in the UK, a little travel but what's that to find what you love!!!
Many many thanks!! :) :)
ISHTARSKYE 6/9/08 3:29 A
I own a bridal boutique and I also starting to sell on the internet through an approved website, but not everything that is listed on the website is able to be purchased off the site. In order for someone to buy one of these items, they would need to either call and do so by phone/fax or set up an appointnment to actually come to my physical location. I carry a lot of the same designers that houseofbrides.com and netbride.com carry [I've not heard of the last website before] and do not deep discount like they do. I stick with the MSRP that we are all provided with at the beginning of each season and I also do not tack on additional amounts to the standard upcharges for services such as shorten/lengthen the hem, add/delete sleeves, size upcharge, or rush cut fees (on these services I charge only the exact amount that the designer charges me - I do not make a profit off of it).
In all honesty, I would probably stay away from House of Brides based on the number of complaints that I have heard from brides who had decided to try buying their bridal gown or maids' dresses from them and not receiving what they wanted/paid for. In the past month, I have had 3 brides come & see if I could fix their House of Brides problems because they received the wrong items/colors/sizes or just did not get their items in the promised delivery time. As a seller not involved with the original transaction, my hands were tied. I tried to see if my reps could get the brides what they needed but was only able to help one - which meant that she had to pay a 2nd time for what she wanted.
Any site that promises the sun, moon & stars and super low prices should be regarded with caution. As JC1004 suggested, call each of the designers that are listed on that site to verify that the store is a registered and authorized retailer in good standing before buying from them. Don't just check the designer's website for verification. Sometimes, they do not frequently update their lists of approved vendors so a store that actually is approved might not be listed while another store that had their account terminated might still be up there. Most designers are only concerned with having their products shown and tend to put off the other areas of their own sites.
About the price differences between Europe/UK & the US.... in the US, retailers do not have to pay any sort of tariffs or business import fees for receiving their customer's merchandise or their own stock dresses, whereas outside of the US, the retailers not only have to pay the wholesale price for each item, but they are charged an exorbitant tariff per item on top of that. Then they have to add in the costs of overhead to help defray their daily operating fees, which accounts for the massive difference. In the US, retailers normally just add on an averaged amount of their operating costs.
I know that you are trying to keep within a sensible budget for your wedding, but be careful of where you shop. Any store that will tell you to go to another shop in your area, try on the dress (or dresses) that you like and then give them [shop #1] a call so they can finalize a sale that they did absolutely no work on, is only out to make a buck. In reality, shop #2 deserves the patronage because they took the time to do your fitting and to assist you with finding The Gown. Most shops are willing to offer bridal packages and some even offer discounts for entire wedding parties. Find a shop that you're comfortable with and let your associate know that you want to stay within ... price range, show her pictures of your dream gown and even tell her prices that you've seen for it and see if they will be willing to do you a custom package. It doesn't hurt to ask.
Whatever your decision.... just be a smart shopper and do your research before jumping into a financial situation such as this. A wedding gown is a delicate and expensive purchase - I would also advise that you check and see what would be the cost of bringing in the gown you want. Once you pay your postal and customs fees, you might end up paying as much as you would have if you had just bought the gown from a retailer in your country.
Best Wishes & Congratulations on your engagement!!
JC1004 6/7/08 6:10 P
I heard of all those websites. I believe netbride has a pretty good reputation among brides. I've read mixed reviews on House of Brides. These are not just discount websites; they actually have physical stores (I think House of Brides is in Chicago), and they are official distributors of those brands. Pearl place is another one that has a pretty good rep. I haven't bought anything from these websites personally, so if you like a first hand opinion, go the the knot message board or weddingbee (weddingbee.com). I believe some brides posted reviews there. Anything wedding-related has a horrible mark up, so yeah, while some things can sound too good to be true, it's also smart to do your research. You can easily save 10-30%!!
MANDIETERRIER1 6/7/08 3:56 P
Read buyer beware on this web page.
www.watters.com/catalog_list.php?coll=wtoo#
Only purchase your gown from an authorized dealer. I would classify them as House of Hell!
MANDIETERRIER1 6/6/08 9:38 P
If it sounds to good to be true it probably is.
Go with your gut.
MANDIETERRIER1 6/6/08 9:33 P
I would say run.
Maggie Sotero (one of the brands they 'claim' to carry) does not sell to discount websites. This is the very sight that I asked them about. They also don't sell to discount stores.
They probably sell you a copy and since you are not ably inspect it, probably a very poor quality copy.
I am sure that other couteriers do not sell to discount websites, as well.
MRSFOOTE2B 6/5/08 7:22 A
Why couldn't you just buy it in the U.S.? I mean, is it just sold on the internet or can you find it in a store? If you can get it in a store, and afford to come to the U.S. to purchase it, I say come on over! There is no way that I'd pay that much in the UK, if I knew I could get it for a song somewhere else. Just my opinion. Obviously, if you have to take a trip to get it, you'd have to figure if a plane ticket plus the price of the dress is any better than the price of just the dress in the UK.
PIXIE-GEM 6/4/08 3:27 A
Hi, there are actually 3 sites that i've found that can get the dress. They are as follows:
http://houseofbrides.com/home.php
http://netbride.com/
http://www.bestbridalprices.com/
They all have the dress, and although i really am quite scared about it, i also cannot justify so much of a price jump for the same thing in the UK.....
Thanks :)
MANDIETERRIER1 6/3/08 6:35 P
I also looked up House of Brides and there are many wedding businesses that go by that name. Could you provide a link?
MANDIETERRIER1 6/2/08 3:29 P
If it is a specific brand, I would email the company and ask them if they actually do business with the website.
I say this because I found a website that claimed to sell Maggie Sotero gowns at 20-50% off of retail. Sounded to good to be true, so I contacted the Maggie Sotero website. They told me they do not, and they will never deal with discount internet websites, that one in particular.
Hope that helps!
STEELER74386 6/2/08 7:45 A
i have never heard of this place.
PIXIE-GEM 6/2/08 5:36 A
I've fallen in love with my dress, but over in the UK it's £895 which is $1,756, but over there in america it's $478 which is only £261. I would love to see it in person but obviously if after all this time i've still only found 1 that i really love, then i have to do what i need to do. Has anyone used or had dealings with this company or could maybe recommend another reputable company that would be really great :)
Edit:Have found the dress on another site called netbrides.com if anyone has used them?? :) Pixie x
