Don't fall for that "Great internet deal"

When planning a wedding the budget can sometimes be the most difficult part. Brides are always trying to make sure they stay within their budget boundaries while still finding the perfect dress. Because of this, a lot of brides turn to online deals to ease their pocket books. After receiving too many phone calls and E-mails about ruined wedding dress stories, The Perfect Dress is here to tell you why the online deal is too good to be true. Even our designers are trying to spread the word. Maggie Sottero includes this link to help brides find the dress they love.

Candace came to us after exhausting her funds on purchasing a wedding gown at a previous store and online. Her friends came together to help her find the right dress with a new budget and a new hope of getting the dress of her dreams. This is her story:

"My search for the Wedding Dress of my Dreams began even before I became engaged.  I went to my first shop and felt a lot of pressure to put a down payment on a dress I liked Ok.  I realized quickly that you shouldn’t just like your dress just “Ok” so I got out of the contract, but not without losing $180.  I felt slightly panicked and a girl suggested looking online for a wedding dress from the designers I loved.

I went to an online store called “www.Peridress.com” and the dresses were exquisite – not to mention super cheap!  No dress I could see was over $500 and I was in awe that the pictures were still the Designer’s pictures.  The dresses were ‘copied’ after the designer dresses, and they ‘guaranteed’ it to arrive in a timely manner as well as perfectly sewn to order.

I ordered a dress I had found in another bridal shop by my favorite designer – Justin Alexander – and it cost me only $300!  (Rushed shipping and all!) I should have known that it sounded too good to be true… The packaged dress came in a UPS vacuum-sealed bag. I was a bit worried about the wrinkles, but my worry turned to despair and anxiety when I saw what came out of the bag. 

Sequin were sewn ALL OVER MY DRESS & were in place of the diamonds & beading.  SEQUINS.  Nowhere on the website did it mention such substitutions!  It claimed to be almost EXACT to the designer’s dress.  Also, the stitching was in plain view – and the string was Ivory while my dress was stark white.  The material was a very cheap taffeta and I had ordered “natural silk”.

I was in awe of my own stupidity. I had been royally ripped off.  I quickly emailed the company (which was only reachable by phone during 1am to 7am since they were in China).  They responded back with a nasty email replying they had sent me exactly what I had ordered, and if that wasn’t the case – I had to “Prove It” by taking a picture of it and sending it to them and THEN they would decide if I could send it back for a refund (less the $55 shipping of course).  It was a nightmare and I was heart-broken.  Not only was I sure they wouldn’t care to refund my dress, but I knew I didn’t have enough time to send it in and get another dress back.  (I was 2 ½ months away from my wedding date at this point)

Naturally, I cried to my friends about the issue. They banded together and approached several bridal shops with my disastrous story in hopes of help and a solution with such short notice.  The Perfect Dress saved the day by helping me find my dream dress and making it affordable for my friends to purchase as a gift to me!!  The Perfect Dress was patient with me and worked hard to get me the dress I wanted in the time I needed!  Couldn’t ask for more wonderful service!!

Thank you ‘The Perfect Dress’ for being kind, understanding, and well, for helping me find THE PERFECT DRESS. 

May this be a warning to all present & future Brides:  IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE – Trust me, IT IS!!  Online ordering is never the way to go! (unless the Bridal shop does it for you)"

Below are a few pictures of the dress Candace found at The Perfect Dress. She looks absolutely beautiful! Also, come in to the store to check out the dress that Candace purchased online and compare it to what it should have looked like.

Congratulations Candace! We're so glad you were able to find the perfect dress!