In the next couple of days after you place your order, call the store and get an estimated delivery date. This way you can be sure they ordered it. These are estimated dates not actual dates. No one can give you an actual date. This is the real world and things do happen. When a bride places an order with us, we always call them the next day or so and give them the delivery date.

Make sure you right this date down on your receipt along with the day and person you spoke with. One hint: If you have plenty of time then I suggest you move your wedding date up one month. This will help to reassure you that the dress will come in plenty of time before your wedding. This is a trick I use myself. When I order a dress from the manufacturer, I move the wedding date up a couple of weeks just to make sure we have plenty of time to get the dress in. The manufacturer thinks they have the actual wedding date and base their delivery date on it. This gives me a couple of extra weeks to correct a problem if something does go wrong. If your wedding date is 4 months or less away, then you cannot do this because you will incur rush charges.

How to make sure your dress is new: You?ve found your perfect dress and although the store has the exact size and color in stock you decide you want to order your dress new from the manufacturer instead of the store?s sample. You make your down payment, the dress is ordered and you have an estimated delivery date. The bridal shop calls you to tell you your dress has arrived and you go in to try it on. Before you even try it on you notice makeup stains inside the bodice of your dress and the underskirt looks as though it has been dragged across a dirty floor. Guess what? It?s a sure bet that your dress was never ordered and they are passing off the floor sample as a new dress. At this point you should point out the problems to the shop. Refuse to take the dress and demand they order you a new dress. Never take the dress out of the store and expect to come back later to show them the problems. Once you take a dress out of the store, the dress is yours no matter what.