The Bridal Cottage Blog

When you hear the word “sample,” what comes to mind? The definition of the word varies from industry to industry. Within the bridal industry (or bridal world, as we like to call it), a sample is a gown that has been ordered by the bridal store to be tried on by brides, who then order a “new” dress in the size specified by the bridal store for her wedding. This means a bride orders the same dress as the sample gown, but it’s a brand new dress to wear on her special day!

Often times, these are gowns are not sold “off the floor”, meaning that the bridal store wants to keep in store--as opposed to selling that specific gown to the bride.  So, sample gowns have been tried on multiple times. This deems them as “shop worn”, which may sound negative; however, that just means that the dress might be a little stretched out or have a little makeup on them. They may even have a bead or two missing.

Reputable bridal stores, like The Bridal Cottage, maintain the integrity of their shop worn samples--spending time cleaning them and replacing missing beading. So what are the pros and cons of purchasing a sample off of the rack during a sample sale?

Have you seen the show ‘Say Yes to the Dress?’ Who are we kidding, of course you have! You may have noticed that the brides that the show producers decide to feature always have these tremendous budgets. Realistically, you can find the dress of your dreams, without compromising, with a budget of $1000 to $1900. Sample sales are really for brides who are true “bargain shoppers” or with budgets less than $1000. If that is you, then fantastic!  We encourage you to hit the sample sales.  But if you have allowed more than that for a gown, you can absolutely find the dress of your dreams by ordering it and receiving a brand new dress!

Sample gowns are deeply discounted because they are most likely discontinued gowns. Now, there’s nothing wrong with a gown that is discontinued. Designers discontinue gowns for several reasons. Most of the time, a discontinued gown just simply was not chosen for their next line. And that just means that you can purchase a gorgeous designer gown at a discount. Brides with a short amount of time between trying on bridal gowns and their wedding date can also benefit from sample sales. You may not have time to order, and that’s okay! Purchasing “off of the rack” means that you can take the dress home with you that day!

It is important that, when going to a sample sale, you pay close attention to the gowns themselves. As mentioned before, bridal stores like The Bridal Cottage, will take care of the samples that they have in store. However, this is not the case with every store. You have to pay close attention to the samples on the floor. At The Bridal Cottage, we clean our gowns with a special solution in a process that has been perfected over many years. We have actually seen gowns cleaned by other stores that are now permanently damaged with bleach stains or yellowing, because proper care was not taken in cleaning the gown. A bridal store might place their permanently stained gowns within their sample sale. And, unfortunately, sometimes brides spot these stains too late, after they have purchased the gown.

When calling to set up an appointment with a bridal store during their sample sale, ask them the following questions: How many samples are included in the sale? This is important because stores might use the Sample Sale to entice you to come, but actually don’t have a lot to choose from. Do I have to pay the gown amount in full the day of? At The Bridal Cottage, we offer a layaway program. We only require 30% down of the item amount to pull the gown off of the floor and place it into layaway. After that, it’s just three equal monthly payments and then the dress can be taken home! Will the gown be cleaned? Make sure that if there are any stains (not including bleach stains) that they can be removed. Are your dresses kept in plastic bags? Bagging bridal gowns really plays such an important role in maintaining their integrity. There is so much foot traffic in bridal stores that cleaning dirt and dust can be a constant battle! When a gown is placed in a bridal bag, it is kept from sweeping the floor and picking up every bit of dirt or germs that enter the bridal store.

Get to know your bridal store! Do your homework and research the store’s history. You need to know that your bridal store cares about you. So often in the bridal industry, the proper amount of attention is not paid to sample bridal gowns or even the brides themselves. And this is your wedding day! You need to know that your bridal store will be there for you.

Here at The Bridal Cottage, we want to be there for you! And we can ensure you that any sample bridal gown that you purchase here, whether a part of a sample sale or one of our many sale gowns that we have all year long, will be well kept, clean, fair in price and absolutely perfect for you!