Wedding dress shopping - charges

Hi Kat,


I see you’re up near Stockport, I’m not far from you, and I didn’t pay to go to the dress shops I was interested in. Maybe some of the posh ones in Altrincham or Knutsford charge though 🤷‍♀️
I didn’t find any shops that “just let you look” though, except Wed2Be. However all 3 shops I visited didn’t put any pressure on me to buy, and it was a 2nd visit to SAS Bridal in Stockport before I found my dream dress. Jo & Hayley who run it are lovely.
If you just want to get a feel, you may be better at a wedding fayre. There’s normally a big one at Bolton Arena each Spring time.
Best of luck, hope you find your dream dress xx

If there are shops you like, follow them on social media as sometimes they’ll have deals going for free appointments.

I’m not from your area I’m in Thanet, kent but all of our dress shops are free but appointment only with champagne for your party whilst trying on. I understand that it’s their time but that’s just retail so unless they work commission only then it seems unfair. If you have any large shopping outlets near you they normally offer a no appointment no fee option

I didn’t have to pay for an appointment at the shop I bought my dress at, but I did have to supply card details to one of the shops and agree that they could charge me if I was a no-show to my appointment. I know a few dress shops nearby have started introducing appointment fees because they’re repeatedly getting no-shows or cancellations on the day and it’s causing them to lose out on business because they weren’t given enough notice to offer the appointment to someone else.

I echo what others have said. I don't know of any bridal shops that will let you come in and just browse. The dresses are delicate and expensive, so they understandably don't want people just coming in and looking through them.

However, I have never been charged for an appointment. You should be able to find plenty of shops that will let you book an appointment without paying.

I booked 2 dress appointments with different shops and didn;t pay to make a booking. I actually found my dress at the first shop, so I cancelled the second.

I've got 2 appointments booked in next month. One of them is free, the other one I'm paying because I've chosen to have the 'experience' were we all get a drink etc. I could of had an appointment for free without any of the frills but as it's also a birthday girly trip out I decided to upgrade.

I've never heard of a wedding dress shop charging to look at dresses, that sounds very odd. 😳

My dress appointments were £15-£20, but in my opinion totally worth it! You get the undivided attention of a staff member and they’re amazing at recommending dresses to suit your body type etc- I went in with a vision and ended up buying something totally different because the assistant knew my body shape! Also, the fee paid came off my total cost