PP: Upset - feeling let down (dress related) - UPDATE pg2

It's a beautiful dress (& bolero). its understandable that you're upset.

this website lists the bolero as optional - http://www.elderberrybrides.co.uk/couture-wedding-gowns/nicola-anne/

TBH, i'd be furious with the shop. It sounds as though they've mistakenly ordered the dress without the bolero, hence the £899 pricetag.

what does your receipt/contract state? Any mention of the bolero?

I've been looking for my receipt all night and I can't find it. I knew where it was but fiance tidied up a couple of weeks ago (before his stag) and now I can't find it and he doesn't remember even having seen it.

Sounds to me sadly that the lady has got confused :-( very difficult to prove what was sad I guess. Have you explained it to the bridal shop lady? 300 is an awful lot of money close to the wedding but as much as shouldn't be encouraged is it something that could be added to a credit card and paid for after the wedding 300 pounds seems a small amount in the grand scheme of a wedding especially if it's something that could make it for you.

Is this the dress??

Its fab!

If you had your heart set on this with a jacket i totaly get why your upset about it (i'd be the same) but I do think it's beautiful as it is

could you mayb look for a cheaper alternative?

I know it's not the point but baybe an option?

Is there a possibility you could discuss the whole thing with the shop manager, explain the mix up, explain how this makes the dress for you but you but you simply can't afford it and ask if they would possibly consider letting you borrow the sample jacket for the day for a small amount (say £50) on the provision you return it within 3 days dry cleaned?

My my friend had something similar happen with a veil, she didn't think it was included but couldn't afford it and she asked the shop, although they don't usually "hire" or loan out stuff if she could borrow their sample if she returned it spotless. They agreed.

The alternative may be to see what other shops might stock it and ask the same about borrowing it.. Or email a clear picture to somewhere like light in the box and ask them to make you a copy.

Fingers crossed for you

x

I agree that you should go to the shop manager and explain your disappointment - take the designer's page with you and if you can find the receipt and it backs up your feelings, all the better.

If they won't back down, your options are I'm afraid limited to the ones suggested above:

- Borrow (from the shop or another seller)

- Try and find it online or get a copy made

- Pay it (on a credit card or similar if you need to spread cost) but on principle I would refuse to pay the rush order cost given it's the shop's mistake, the very least they could do is make a goodwill gesture. Personally I would hold out for a larger discount.

- Find an alternative.

Sorry not to have a magic solution and hug *hugs* to you as the shop have clearly been totally crap.

Could you look at other dress shops that stock the dress and see if they do the jacket cheaper? You could complain to the shop and say that you are very upset by all this and they may be willing to knock something off the price as a gesture of good will. Other than that you could try ordering a couple of alternatives that your friends have linked and try them with the dress then send any back that don't go, I'd wouldn't think it would be that hard to get one to match up.

It definitely sounds like the dress shops fault, surely if you tried the jacket on with it they should have told you that was extra and offered to order it as well.

My dress has an optional extra of the caplet with it. I tried it on with and loved it but the shop was very clear it was an extra and cost £300. It was all shown as an extra on my paperwork so there were no misunderstandings. I would expect any bridal shhop to do the same if an item is not part of the dress/outfit. It's a lot of money t0o find now and I think they should be working with you to find a solution not leave you hanging. I think the ideas offered above are good ones so try that. Good luck though - you must be so disappointed just when you should be so exctied x

The link you gave doesn't work - This appears to be the dress -

I can see why you are upset - it does look completely different without the lace jacket. Complain and complain to the bridal shop. Say you will have no alternative but to give bad online feedback - there are plenty of brides who are put off a bridal shop by bad feedback. They should have made it very clear to you that it did not come with the jacket.

You may be able to find a suitable alternative online but obviously cheaper will also mean cheaper lace - which will look different. I would be trying to get a discount from the bridal shop and finding the extra money tbh.

Wow, that dress is gorgeous! As far as I'm concerned, they're in the wrong for not telling you it's not included so def try and get them to discount it.

That dress is really beautiful and it is lovely with the jacket, I can see why you want it.

I agree with a PP who said about trying to borrow it. Could you contact some dress hire places to see if they have that dress for hire and would maybe hire the jacket, or you could contact dress shops to see if they would be willing to sell you or lend you their sample jacket.

Could you get a friend or someone other than you to put out a mass post on Facebook or a bridal site asking if anyone has one they could sell or lend you. It's a long shot but if I had it, I'd lend it to you lol. Maybe someone paid that high price for it not long ago and would happily sell it to recoup some of the costs.

Have you tried this lady?

http://www.sellmyweddingdress.co.uk/index.php/view-item?Nicola-Anne-Christina=11560

Perhaps she might sell the jacket on its own, worth a shot! Sorry don't know what size you are or you may have already come across this.

Or i've just seen this lady is selling the dress and jacket in size 16 on ebay, i know its 1 size bigger than the lady on sellmyweddingdress.co.uk

But atm its at £51.. even if you spent £100 on it and then could resell the dress on without the jacket!

Just an option, anywways heres the link..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nicola-Anne-Christina-Wedding-Dress-Size-16-18-/171545844361?pt=UK_Wedding_Dresses&hash=item27f0edda89

Oh wow the lace jacket is gorgeous & i agree it makes the dress. I would really fight your corner to the bridal shop! Could you call around local bridal shops to see if they stock it & you could go buy it from them?

I definitely think you should raise this with the bridal shop if only to stop them mis-leading another bride.

I suspect the dress shop woman thought it came with it when you tried it on so it was her mistake but it's her word against yours so will be difficult to get much from her in terms of actually receiving the bolero.

I think the second hand/borrowed idea is a great one.

Hope you can borrow and buy a cheaper version!

Just to reassure you though. I like the dress just as much without the bolero . It's very pretty!

Thanks for all the responses and apologies the link doesn't seem to work for some people. It's working for me so I don't know why!

Credit card is not likely to be possible. I had a problem with my car last month which wiped out some of our wedding savings so the balance for the videographer is now going on my credit card and I don't think there'll be enough available credit left on it to cover this as well.

I can't borrow the sample as they don't carry it. I had to pay for them to hire a sample dress from the designer when I went in May. There are only two stockists in West Yorkshire and neither have a sample. The woman I've been dealing with is the shop owner so there's no-one above her to discuss it with.

The link to sellmyweddingdress.co.uk is the woman I've already contacted. She hasn't come back to me yet. Thank you for looking.

I've seen the eBay link but I wear a 12 top/14 bottom normally so I don't think the 16 would work. Again, thank you for looking.

I just wish I had more time to sort it out. They need to place the order by 4pm tomorrow for it to come through in time for my wedding, which doesn't give me much time for negotiating with the bridal shop or shopping around for something else.

Melancholie we are dress twins!

I ordered both the dress and jacket at the same time but you've been quoted £100 more than I paid for the lace jacket, not sure if this is because they are classing it as a rush or not but it's a bit steep to charge 50% for that!

If it's any help I did also try on four other lace jackets at the same time and as long as you've got the same colour you can't tell the lacework is different. As the lace on the dress is quite compact it didn't draw attention to any difference so I'd definitely not discount looking at other suppliers.

I know you must be disappointed as it's so frustrating, shame the shop weren't clearer for you as you say you'd think they'd want to sell you it!

Wow, really?! The charge for rushing it through is £15. The £277 is the regular price for the jacket, according to the dress shop. Do you mind me asking how much you paid, where you got it from and when you ordered it? Would be nice to be armed with some information if I do try to negotiate with the shop.

The more I think about it the more I think she didn't know that the jacket was separate (they don't carry this dress as a sample, entirely possible she's never sold one before) and now is trying to cover up her mistake.

Just quickly updating this.

I was looking on the designer's site last night, mulling over the idea of contacting her direct to see if she'd sell me the jacket, when I noticed she's added some new stockists, one of which is near me. I called them today, explained what had happened (minus the bit about getting it in quick for £292) and said I didn't really want to go back to a shop that had let me down so was wondering if they could ask if it was possible to order the jacket separately in time for the wedding. They called me back 10 minutes later saying yes they could and it would be £190.

Interestingly, she said she'd looked to see who the other local stockists were and she thought she knew which one the original shop would have been. I told her which one and she said, "Yes, that's what we thought." I was quite surprised by that as the original shop has a very good reputation and is nominated for a national award. Aside from this issue, she'd been incredibly helpful and had done extra bits like arrange extra visits for measurements when I said I was losing weight and leaving the order until the latest date possible so the dress would need as little alteration as possible. I'd have highly recommended her before this mix up with the jacket.

Anyway, it's sorted, and I'm happy again now. Thanks for all the advice, ladies. Roll on December 28th! ?

Yay! Glad you got it sorted :-D

Phew! Glad to see it's been sorted! looking forward to seeing some photos of you actually in it!

I've lurked rather than commented on this thread so far as i didn't really have anything helpful to say, but i am so pleased you got it sorted. It's a beautiful dress, and the jacket finishes it off perfectly. Hope that's the finwl hitch in the run up to your big day.

What YK said lol. So glad you've got a solution your happy with. It is lovely xx

I am so happy to hear that you got sorted. My next suggestion was some sort of hitched.co.uk fundraising for it lol. I really wanted you to have it and so glad you do now. Can't wait to see the pictures of you wearing it!

Me too! So glad you got a happy ending!

Sorry for the delay in responding full of flu in this house at the moment!

I paid £179 for the lace jacket and it was from a bridal shop in hampshire so we're a bit of a way from you.

So pleased you got it sorted

Thanks all. ?

Fiance's boss has just sent us £100 for the wedding as well, so no worries at all about paying for it now. Can't wait to wear it. 5 weeks on Sunday!