A warning to future brides

 I told you I'd write about my HORRIBLE wedding dress experience so here it goes! ANYONE who has ever planned a wedding knows how expensive it can be, and if you're not careful, your dress can take over your entire budget. "It's a dress you wear once" I remember my Mom saying that about buying prom dresses, which I went cheap with those as well, or I borrowed them from a friend. This dress I didn't want to borrow or rent, I wanted to cherish it, just like I cherish this man I'm going to marry, and I wanted to LOVE my dress.  When I started planning my wedding I had a budget, and I knew that photography & food was going to take up quite a bit of it. I also knew how important the photos were to me, and I was willing to spend money on it. As far as a dress, all I knew is that I had to love it. I live in a small town, and there's one bridal store here with not a huge selection, the closest city with a selection was about 3 hours away, and I just didn't want to have to go spend two days trying on dress after dress.... I had been planning it on Pinterest for awhile... so I knew the style I wanted but the price was going to be ridiculous. I had a friend that had purchased hers off e-bay, shipped overseas, somewhere in Korea or something.

I started looking online for those kind of stores Places I could get my wedding dress cheap, but it could still look like a designer dress. (no one would even know, I didn't care, I needed to save money) That's when I found this website... WWW.GINDRESS.COM Every single time you go to this website you'll see this flashy promotion

Sounds great right? Even better, my dress I wanted was ALL lace and it was only $280! It was January and I figured if I ordered it now, It'd get here by March and I'd have PLENTY of time to get a new one if it didn't work out, and if it did, I just spent $280 on my wedding dress. I mean seriously! Look at this discount!
$354.00 $1,416.00

FREE SHIPPING! ONLY 57 HOURS LEFT

(that price will be the same a week from now, just so you know)

Also, if it's too good to be true, IT IS.

BUT I sent in my measurements, and I waited...

the first of March I got an email saying my dress was on its way, and I was so excited!

THEN, red flag #1 happened

DHL was the company who was shipping my dress, I had gotten an email that said my dress was delivered but it was not. It was not on the porch, and it was not on anyone's on my street. 

It was also a weekend, and there was no way I was waiting for a report to be filed.

DHL sent their delivery guy back out from Salt Lake to go to the house he left it at and call me, he had left it at the wrong house and luckily those people were out of town.

That was about 5 hours of pure stress, and they even had good customer service.

So I met up with that guy, he gave me my dress and I had it in my hands, I took it to work we took it out of the box and checked it out and it looked beautiful.

I tried it on that night, it was a little big but it just needed to be taken in on the sides

I took it to my seamstress in April

She didn't start it until a two weeks ago, she was busy, but I was also stressing every day I didn't hear from her.

BRIDES: #1 rule for altering a dress, NEVER tell your seamstress the day you're getting your bridals done. Tell her it's like 2-3 weeks before the day it actually is. I promise you, I've experienced it, AND I've heard it from more than one person. 

 I had a fitting about two weeks ago and it went horrible
Apparently the way the dress is made, the lace doesn't "gather" right, and the lace on the bottom has holes in it that I never noticed, and it would have to be completely redone.
My seamstress said she can do it, and she can make it work
but like I said above, I have to love my dress, I don't want one that will "work."
Especially after spending the same amount on alterations, as I could on a new dress that I'd love.
So that's my story!

NEVER ORDER A WEDDING DRESS ONLINE, especially if it's out of the US
and that's my advice...
Some of you might say "well I did, and it worked out just fine"
well, that is SUPER AWESOME, but that didn't happen to me, and chances are it happens very rarely
That's why I'm sharing my story with you, so you don't make the mistake I did.

Tomorrow and the next day I will be trying on dress, after dress, after dress
at more than 3 different appointments, driving all around the city.
It's almost a month away from my wedding.
Don't do what I did... try on your dress at a store, LOVE it, and buy it.
Don't do it a month before your wedding either ;)
After the wedding I'll post pictures of the dress that I ordered VS the dress I end up wearing
Until then... tell your friends, tell anyone you know who is getting married or planning a wedding.
DON'T buy a dress online.