Sample dress advice please :)

I haven't got one myself, but I would definitely get it dry cleaned. No idea how much it costs though. Even if it's only been tried on by a few people, it can still get grubby just from dust in the shop and people rifling through. Do you have wedding insurance? Would that not cover the dress if the cleaning went wrong? I would blame the cleaners though and make them fix it. I would get it cleaned now-ish before any alterations.

January last year, I bought a sample dress from a boutique that specialises in them. I paid for it in full and took it away straight away. The boutique recommended a local seamstress. In June, I contacted her and went to see her for my first dress fitting - the dress was 2 sizes too big. In July, I went for my second fitting and then the dress was done / ready to be picked up in August - a month before the wedding. My alterations cost £120 and the dress didn't need cleaning at all. Even if you get a new dress, 9 times out of 10, you will need some kind of alterations. I would definately recommend buying a sample dress if it's the right one for you and you can save a bit of money. Good luck with your decision.

P.S. I got my dress cleaned after the wedding. I paid £75 for pick up, clean and delivery from Perry de Montaignac.

My wedding dress is a sample. I got it back in November and it needs altering. I can't give advice on dry cleaning because mine doesn't need dry cleaning - it's barely been tried on, so there's really nothing wrong with it.

The alterations will cost me about £100-£150, but the dress was only £250, so in total it's much better value than if I'd bought a brand new one - which was about £800.

I had to take it away the day I bought it. They did offer to store it for me, but there was a charge. So I just took it home and it's hanging in my MILs house.

I've lost weight since I bought it, hence the need for alterations. I've gone to an independent seamstress for this as the bridal shop didn't offer an alterations service.

I think I probably would have paid an extra £200 for it if I could have had a brand new one and had all the alterations etc included in the price, but it's really up to you what you decide to do (obviously).

I've bought a sample BM dress for my BM. As it was sample (and less than half price) I had to pay the full price there and then.

The shop are storing the dress for me (no charge) and will do the alterations nearer the time.

If there are no marks on it then I probably wouldn't have it cleaned but it would really depend on the condition of the dress - I think specialist cleaning can be quite expensive. I suppose the question is, is the brand new dress important enough to you to warrant spending a further £200 or is the sample in really good condition and a bargain saving you £475 off the RRP?

It's a difficult one - the first place I tried dresses on I wouldn't touch the samples with a barge pole. The place I've bought my dress (and the sample BM one) the samples were lovely and in amazing condition and I would have considered buying my dress if the sample had been for sale.

My dress is an ex sample bought at around 40% off the original (shop) price. I searched online for dresses I liked and found one in a bridal shop sale that I could realistically afford. The size was almost a perfect fit at the time of buying. The straps were slightly loose and it was a bit long in length. The shop offered alterations at an additional cost but as it was 2.5 hours travel time to the shop I decided to take it home and find my own seamstress.

I contacted a local bridal shop to see if they could alter the dress for me and they said to bring it in to show them. The lady in the shop said it would be fine and to make an appointment around 8-6 weeks before the wedding. They quoted me around £150 for alterations.

That was over a year ago and I have now managed to lose weight (far mar than I expected), I've gone down 2 dress sizes. I made my first fitting appointment a little earlier than was asked as I was worried about the dress fitting me after losing all the weight. I've been twice now for fittings and the poor lady has had to take the dress in more each time.

The dress is lace with some beading so the lace has to be taken off and the beading unstitched, which has been a painful task as it was sewn right through to the dress. My last fitting is 3 days before my wedding next week and will be cleaned in that price too. I can't wait too pick it up but am aprehensive too as it's only a few days before my wedding. The quote has stayed the same throughout, for staps to be moved, dress taken in and taken up and cleaned. They also suggested that a new zip might need to be put in but was going to put buttons down the back to conceal it which would have been included in price too.

Hope this gives you an idea ?

I bought a sample dress which had been donated to a charity bridal shop. I don't have much advice to offer sorry as I haven't got a price for dry cleaning yet. Mine does look a little grubby under the arms etc, so I think I'm going to have it done. Obviously go back and check it all over very carefully for any marks etc - they should totally understand that you need to do that before you buy. If it does look clean, I would be inclined to not dry clean it - it wouldn't bother me that some other people may have tried it on! As others have said, the samples in some shops were obviously well looked after, whereas in another shop I went do, they did look a bit grubby, and sometimes the fastenings at the back etc had got torn or loose.

I also nearly bought a sample from another shop. They said they could store it for a few weeks until I made arrangements to have alterations done, but then I'd need to take it from there and store it myself.

The other nice thing about buying a sample is that you have it NOW! I would have felt nervous waiting for it to be made and not having it until much nearer to my wedding day - I know it's usually fine, but I just felt more relaxed knowing that I've got my dress and it's all in place ready for the big day ?

If it looks like it doesn't need dry cleaning, I would personally definitely go for it. If it does, and I guess that might cost up to £100, then it's a bit more difficult decision, if you're then only saving £100 against the other shop.

Or, if it does need dry cleaning, how about negotiating with the shop to say you'll buy it for 35% off IF they get it dry cleaned first themselves? Or ask for say 40% discount, based on the fact that you're only saving £200 compared with the cost of a new one in the other shop? Worth a try!

If the shop has been careful about their treatment of the dress then there may only be a bead or 2 loose and it probably wont need cleaning. I would pop in again and have a good look at the sample dresses, including the one you like, and have a look at the general condition.

Do the dresses have covers on them, either full length or shoulder covers, as they really do help protect a dress and when trying them on customers do they use bulldog clips to pull in any excess fabric as this can significantly loosen beading and pull lace/chiffon etc. If you do purchase from them ask if they can store it for you, whether there is a charge and if you gown is FULLY insured for a replacement value should the worst happen and your dress is destroyed.

Happy shopping!

I bought a sample dress as it saved me around £300 which was a bargain, the dress was my size at the time but i was planning on weight loss so id have to get it altered anyway. Alterations came in at £150. I paid a deposit there and then (of my choice in value) and she contacted me when it had been dry cleaned etc.... I then paid the rest and went to pick up (she provided a free dress bag) at a date of my choice. The dress was in perfect condition (you could tell as her shop was immaculate). Id do it all over again as if id bought a new dress I would o have to get to altered anyway.

I bought a sample dress. It had a few loose buttons etc but nothing my mum couldn't sort. I knew it fitted purfectly as it was the one I had tried on and was debating buying it. I got more discount though, it should have been £980 but I paid £300 and took it straight away, so they didn't do alterations or anything, perhaps that store is different. It's worth considering if its THE dress.

Thanks for the replies all Embrace, the thing about the clips is interesting - they do use clips, but they have the largest, most padded ones that I've seen in any shop. It is lace though (no beading) so I'll check carefully around the back/zip area for any pulls when I go to see it again on Saturday. I've also got a provisional appointment booked with the shop selling the new dress on Sunday, so if the sample is no good, I'll still be able to get the dress much cheaper than full price.

Regardless of where I buy the dress, I'll want alterations made because I want the zip-up back changed to lace-up, so that's an added cost but it will be whether I buy new or sample. A benefit with the new dress might be that I could wait to order it nearer the time to see if I need a smaller size by then, but regardless of this it'll need to be taken in around my waist because my boobs and waist aren't proportional. I was a bit worried about alterations though if I went down a size or two after buying the sample, but Nik-Nak and Jules73 make it sound like that is perfectly do-able by the seamstress.

An advantage of the new is that they'll store it - I spoke to the shop selling the sample again and they said that normally they'd have kept it, but it's just been announced that the shop is closing at the end of the year due to the owner's ill health, so they wouldn't be able to keep it until the wedding anyway. Do you have any storage tips for wedding dresses? I'm in a bit of a panic because my house isn't big enough to hide a dress from OH (unless it's boxed under the bed, but I'm guessing that's not the best way to store a dress to be worn in 10 months). My parents have offered but their house is pretty cold and can get a little damp in the winter and I'm worried how the dress would stand up to that. Home is the ideal location because the seamstress who currently works for the shop is 10 mins away from me and in the same town as one of my BMs, so really handy for fittings and I'd love to use her to do my alterations because she must be good to do their in-house work. I guess I could keep it in a bag at home and tell OH not to peek, but I read somewhere that they shouldn't be stored in bags for long periods of time

Mine is a sample and was half price (1395 originally i think). Immaculate condition so no cleaning needed (shop is scrupulous about wearing gloves etc). It's been hanging in a duvet cover in my Mums spare room since April! It's great as I can sneak a peek whenever I feel the need ( and check for perfect match of shoes, hairband etc).

Only you will know what is right for you, but any great bridal shop should take such care of the dresses they stay immaculate!

The duvet cover is a great idea MM82, thank you!