How to Buy a Wedding Dress — Not a Wedding Mess

Every bride dreams of finding a Robert Legere Dress for under $500 and it have it be brand new. As impossible as this sounds, it can be done. You just have to make sure that you don't get scammed.

The Old But Still Effective Bait and Switch

Yes. It's not just a used-car scenario ... it also happens in the wedding industry. Make sure the dress that you have ordered isn't the same one that you tried on at the shop. Some bridal shops try to dump their unwanted samples on you to make an extra buck.

Also make sure that the dress is not a counterfeit knock-off. If your wedding dress is supposed to be a silk Robert Legere, go to a high-end store. Feel and touch the fabric from the same designer. Run your fingers over the embellishments. This way, you know what to look for.

Keep track of all of your receipts. Make sure that the receipts describe everything about your wedding dress. The size, color, style number and manufacturer should all be included on the receipt.

Give It More Time

Don't wait until the last minute. If I was a bridal shop saleswoman that liked to scam eager brides, I'd love to see a desperate woman coming through my door with only 3 months until the wedding. Any pressure tactics a shop likes to use will triple in intensity. If you have less than three months left, you're better off buying your wedding dress off the rack, then altering it.

Be Less Anxious

Don't buy the first dress that you put on. First loves don't only come in boyfriends, they also come in "fairytale" wedding dresses. It's a phenomenon that bridal shops love. But don't we all wish we had a bridal shop saleswoman like Judge Judy who'd tell you like it is?