I have suggested to some girls to go eat some lunch, discuss it with family or friends and then come back to make your purchase. Once you buy your gown that is it. Most shops do not allow returns or money back especially on special orders. Once you put money down on a special order, the dress is yours. The majority of manufacturers require 8-12 weeks for a special order unless you are making drastic changes to a dress. Did you even know you could change designs on a dress. Most manufacturers will allow you to lengthen a train, shorten a train, take off some beads, or add beads. If there is something you would love to add/change to your dress just ask the salesperson. Not all manufacturers allow this but some do. It never hurts to ask. If a bridal shop gives you a delivery date of 6 months or more then I would be very careful.

You have decided on your perfect wedding dress and now it is time to order it. First of all I would pay one one-half of the deposit. If the shop asks for more than that then walk out. You do not want to put more then half down on something you do not yet have in your hands. Also if the wedding is cancelled, you have lost only one-half the cost of the dress because remember deposits on special order dresses are not refundable. Being in the bridal business, I understand why stores ask for more then half. Weddings sometimes get cancelled or the bride decides she does not want the dress. Also, I suggest you put your deposit down with a credit card. This way if anything happens like the store closes down or never places your order then you have a way of getting your deposit back.

After you place your order and put your half deposit down, make sure you get a receipt. Also make sure that they write down the style number, color, and size down on your copy as well as the store?s copy. This way you have proof of what was supposed to be ordered. When I was a bride, I picked out my bridesmaids dresses from this particular store near me. I searched for hours in bridal magazines until I finally found the perfect bridesmaids? dresses. Believe it or not once the dresses came in, I realized the store ordered the wrong dress. This was only one month before my wedding day. Luckily we caught it in time and the store corrected the problem. It does happen, so make sure you get everything in writing.