Bridal Discounts May Be Deceptive

Every bride wants the best price when purchasing her wedding gown. Be certain that you are comparing “ apples to apples” when making your decision. A “discount” does not necessarily mean that you are saving money. Look at the “free services” that are included (or not included) in the price and the terms of payment. Be especially cautious of anyone who requires you to pay in full before ordering your dress.

“No Inventory” Dealer

Many discount offers come from part-time “gray market” dealers who have no dresses. Some call themselves a personal shopping service; but instead, they ask that you shop around and find the style you want and call them with the manufacture’s name, style number and your measurements. They order your dress, not from the manufacturer, but through a third party. You may have to pay shipping charges, the full amount before seeing your dress, find a seamstress, go to another location for fitting, and, in many cases, pay more for pressing and alterations than in a bridal store. When you add up all these extras, you would have probably paid less, and saved a great deal of time, by buying the dress from the bridal store that assisted you. Our advice, “If a dealer can’t show you dresses to try on, don’t show her your money.”

Payment Requirements

Savvy brides should beware of discounters that require you to pay in full for your dress before they order it. They are saying, in essence, “We do not service what we sell. We do not guarantee the fit. We do not want to be responsible.” Our advice: A bride should never pay in full before her dress is ordered.

800 numbers and “the Internet”

It’s smart to buy some things over the phone and the Internet, but not an item that requires measuring, fittings, alterations and professional pressing. Following is a TRUE story. A bride had been in a full-service bridal store looking for her wedding gown. She found what she wanted; however, she ordered it over the Internet as she found a source that would sell her the same gown for $100 less. After receiving her wedding gown: (1) in a small box, (2) dirty and (3) not the correct size, she is having to pay $250 for the necessary alterations and $175 to have the gown professionally cleaned and pressed. When she tried to phone the Internet business where she ordered the dress, their number had been changed to an “unpublished” number. In an article in USA Today, it was reported that shoppers were getting a poor deal from Internet retailers. The Consumers International research group ordered 151 items from various Internet sites. It found that one in ten items never arrived. Your wedding gown is too important to take a chance.

National “Chains”

Many brides that buy from a national chain do so because they assume they will save money. It’s our opinion that they do not. It’s understandable how a bride could be confused, because a chain may advertise $99 bridal sales and, like Wal-Mart, proclaim, “We sell to the masses.” However, unlike Wal-Mart, some bridal chains only offer their own line of imported wedding gowns. They do not offer the designer wedding gowns featured in bridal magazines. They sell the same style dress to many brides. It appears that they carry more styles than they actually do, because they stock many dresses of the exact same style. One of the comments that we hear is that a chain store may have styles that look similar to designer gowns, but the fabric is lower quality. Our advice: If there is ever a time when you deserve quality, it’s your wedding day!

Full Service Bridal Stores

Full-service bridal stores like McDaniels offer brides savings on bridesmaid, mother and flower girl dresses, shoe-dying, tuxedos, and gown preservation that far outweigh the so called “discount” being offered by others. These are owner-operated stores that specialize in assisting brides select their gowns. They encourage brides to try on various styles to find the perfect dress. They fit the style and offer alteration services. They press the gown, place it in a protective bag, and take responsibility for customer satisfaction. They feature nationally advertised designers and offer many different styles. The selection, service, and individual attention are big advantages. A McDaniel’s bride also has the option of special ordering her gown or buying the one she tries on.

The Best Place To Buy Your Gown

We recommend that you buy your gown at the store that gives you the best service. Beware if the store cannot provide gowns to try on as well as assist you with your fitting, alterations, and pressing services. You can usually save time and money by doing it all at one place – with assurance that your satisfaction will be guaranteed. Naturally, we are hoping you will choose to be a “McDaniels” Bride!

Bridesmaids

McDaniels has a wonderful selection of bridesmaids’ dresses starting at just $98.00 …styles can be worn again and again. Traditionally, bridesmaids wear dresses identical to each other, but the bride can certainly choose different dresses for her attendants. If different dresses are chosen, we recommend they be kept in similar styles and color. When going to select your bridesmaids’ dresses, a good rule of thumb is to bring in just one bridesmaid with you. Select a bridesmaid in whose taste you trust but also one that has a body type opposite your own. This way, you both can try on dresses and get a good idea of how they may vary on your attendants

Mothers of the Brides

The dresses of the brides’s and groom’s mothers should be in harmony and within the overall look of the wedding in regard to style and color. One thing to consider is that the dresses compliment each other for the pictures, while still complimenting the ladies themselves. McDaniels makes it easy to achieve this by having so many beautiful styles for mothers and they can coordinate the selections with the color scheme of the rest of the bridal party. One more reason that one-stop shopping at McDaniels makes planning weddings fun.

Tuxedos

A handsome and well-dressed groom is as essential at a wedding as is a beautiful bride! It is so much more convenient when you make your selections at McDaniels. We will help you coordinate selections with your bridesmaids; personalize and accessorize with cufflinks, studs, cummerbunds, vests and shoes.

We have all the leading designers; including After Hours, After Six, Andrew Fezza, Claiborne, FUBU, Perry Ellis, Chaps, Ralph Lauren and Fumagallis.

And don’t forget the ring bearer! A ring bearer always adds personality to the ceremony, and along with the groom, best man and ushers, makes the male segment of the wedding party complete. He may wear a style similar to the groom. McDaniels can show you all the options.

Ten Ways To Have Happy Bridesmaids

We have put together some guidelines to help you select bridesmaids’ gowns with the greatest of ease. When these steps are followed, the selection, sizing and delivery of gowns will be worry-free! We are pleased to offer you the leading designers and a large selection of styles.

1. If you have two or more attendants, choose a style that will flatter all body types. The A-line style works well for all figures.
2. It would be beneficial for you to select a few styles and colors for your bridesmaids, then let them choose from your selections. This will save you many hours of decision-making and frustration. Consider bringing one attendant with you to help you with your selections. Fewer choices make it much easier to come to a decision for the whole party.
3. McDaniels will provide you with bridesmaids’ measurement cards to be given to each of your attendants. They can be measured anywhere as long as it is done professionally. Simply have them return their cards to you along with a 50% deposit. If they send a check, they need to include their current address, phone number, social security number and/or license number. We accept visa and Master Card credit cards. To ensure timeliness of your bridesmaids’ dresses order, provide your bridal party with a deadline to return all measurement cards and their deposits.
4. You then bring all deposits and measurement cards into McDaniels to place the orders. This will give you the confidence and assurance that all bridesmaids’ gowns will be ordered at the exact same time. We do not order any gowns until all deposits have been received for the whole wedding party, so you can be certain all gowns will be cut from the same dye lot.
5. Sizing is always “by the book” …the manufacturer’s book. Bridesmaids’ gowns are not custom-made, but special ordered according to the manufacturers’ size charts. A McDaniels Bridal Consultant will go over the measurements and size charts with you before a size is selected. She will offer advice, but leave the final decision to you. If there are any questions about size, the individual bridesmaid will be contacted for final size.
6. If a person is over 5’8”, an extra length charge from the manufacturer may be necessary. If the person is size 18 (in some cases 16) or above, there may also be an extra size charge from the manufacturer.
7. The average delivery time for bridesmaids’ gowns is approximately 10-14 weeks. Some manufacturers offer 6 week delivery with a “rush cut” charge. This does not happen often, so don’t panic!
8. Once the gowns have arrived, McDaniels will notify you by phone or mail. It is your responsibility to notify your bridesmaids that the gowns have arrived. (If you move or change your phone number or address, please remember to notify us immediately to update our records.) Please advice your attendants that dresses must be paid in full within 30 days of notification and always before any fitting, pinning or alterations.
9. All McDaniels’ customers receive a substantial discount on alterations, so it’s to your bridesmaids’ advantage to have alterations done at McDaniels. Please communicate this to all of your attendants. Most importantly, we have Springfield’s best seamstresses.
10. You or your bridesmaids will need to call and set up an alteration appointment with our seamstress. Each one will need to bring the shoes and undergarments she will be wearing with her gown. This is essential for the proper fit. McDaniels has an excellent selection of bras, slips and shoes at reasonable prices.