How to Shop for a Wedding Gown.....

Where yesterday's brides had no choice but to get married in a suit, today's brides have a vast array of choices. With that said, however, those choices aren't always the best way to go and you might be surprised by what is. When doing your research, try to keep in mind the following......Quality,Customer Satisfaction,Return Policy,Time Limits,Payment Options and of course price. We will discuss Quality first since this is one of the areas where manufacturers tend to lack in. Always read the discription of the dress in full. If they say highest quality of satin or other materials, that could mean the highest quality they want to spend their money on. Remember they pay for their supplies and supposedly pass the savings on to you, the bride. So why would they do that? To make the most profit even though they may make a few dollars more, your talking quantity. Quantity is where they make their money. Since most fabrics come in various qualities they can be obtained in different parts of the world and all passed off as coming from China. They can also name the fabrics any name they want because most consumers don't know the difference. Qualities can be different weights of fabric such as light weight, medium weight and heavy weight. What you then have to realize is that it isn't so simple because those three general weights are broken down even more. How do I know and where am I getting these facts? I have worked on a fabric order desk in a factory in downtown Los Angeles. The containers of fabrics that arrive by ship from china are amazing. What's even more amazing is the fact that the fabric is in bulk and broken down into bolts right here in America. The bolts arrive back at the manufacturers in China and are pulled when the orders come in. They then get sent to the cutting room, custom made in some cases and regular sizes in others, sewn together the quickest way possible and then sent out the door. If you think they have quality control inspectors then you are sadly mistaken. I'm not saying that everyone is like that but it is safe to say the majority is. When the dresses are shipped out they go directly to customs. This is where most of the dresses spend there time and where you get frustrated in the fact that it is taking forever to get your dress. Customs can take much longer then you can imagine with the amount of shipments that need to be processed. Next time we will detail the different fabrics and what to watch out for.