Wedding Gowns & Consignment Shops: The Truth!

We're experiencing a tough economy and in fact, for the first time in decades, the average cost of a wedding has decreased. Everyone wants to get married and the numbers are strong, but the fact is brides- and grooms-to-be are doing it for less, a lot less! 

For that reason, consignment shops appear to be a great place to shop for a wedding gown at a bargain price, but here's the truth that you, the bride-to-be, needs to know.

After a bride is married, she may decide to sell her gown. She has it cleaned and takes it to the consignment shop. The consignment shop will sell the gown and most times, give her 50% of the sale. Here's the problem.

How is the gown priced? The consignment shop has no way of knowing how much the bride paid for her gown and the bride, wanting to get as much as she can, will likely pad the price.

I will give you an example. A woman once walked into my bridal salon looking for invitations. When I asked about her gown, she said she found a lovely dress at a consignment shop for $800, which she was going to purchase. 

The problem was that I had the exact gown in my shop, which the woman could order new, for $900. She bought the dress. 

* When shopping at a consignment shop, find out which manufacturer made the wedding gown (there should be a label in the dress).

* Look for the gown on the Internet, find which gown it is, and the retail cost of the dress.

* If the wedding gown cost $1500 retail, for example, it should be no more than $750 at a consignment shop.

CAUTION: If you decide on a wedding gown from a consignment shop, make sure it fits you. If it's too big or too long, it can always be taken in and made shorter. But if it's too small, or too short, consider another gown.