WHAT IS THE
DIFFERENCE?
As 2014 is nigh upon us and with the end of the year come
the gowns for next season. Many of our
brides will become engaged through out the Holiday
Season. Soon our new brides will be
seeing the perfect wedding dress. Trunk shows are great as they bring choices
that may not otherwise be available.
Sample Sales are fabulous for those on a tight budget.
The difference between a trunk show and a sample sale is
HUGE. Let’s look at those differences
now.
SAMPLE SALES:
Sample sales are exactly as the name implies. Gowns that are in stock and have been tried
on. Some of the gowns will have been
tried a few times, some many times. Here
at Bella Sposa Bridal our ‘samples’ are treated with great care and would not
be in the condition that a typical sample sale might find gowns. Sample sales can be held right in the salon
or they are sometimes in a warehouse away from the salon.
That said you can expect to find that the gowns may need some
repairs. The deeper the discount may
indicate that more work will be needed to restore the gown to perfection. You may expect the gowns to have some soil,
maybe a broken zipper, a few loose or missing beads, tulle may be torn. The gowns are all by well known designers and
all $750 or less!! One could not expect
for a perfect wedding gown to be sold at this low dollar amount.
Now bear in mind that you may have some additional expenses
involved that might off set the savings.
When you purchase a gown at a Sample Sale you will need to do some things before
it will be ready for your wedding day.
We advise you to carefully weigh the added expenses.
Sample sales are cash and carry events, so you should be
prepared to pay in full when you find your gown.
Gown Cleaning: From
$50.00 to $350 depending upon the gown.
Alterations: often
the gown will need resizing which causes your alterations to cost slightly more
than they otherwise would. We tell our
brides to budget $100-$400 for their alterations.
Restoration or repairs:
These could cost from $20.00 to $500 depending upon the gown.
When you add the actual added costs you will still find you
are spending less than if you ordered brand new.
TRUNK SHOWS:
Trunk shows are held in the salon and usually last 2-3 days
but could last a full week. They are
most usually over the weekend. Normally
they would be promoted by Invitation only to the bride by the bridal
salon. They will feature a specific
designer. Sometimes the designer will be
present, sometimes not. The staff would
help you with the new styles, offering the time frame necessary to order, the
cost of the gown and help you find your perfect accessories. Our staff will also be able to tell you approximately
what alterations you will need and how much they may be.
Trunk shows traditionally have standard sample sizes which
are 8, 10 & 12. Those are the only
sizes that will be available to try on.
A trunk show will usually feature the most current, in demand and popular styles. Occasionally the salon will offer some sort
of promotional ‘deal’ during the Trunk Show.
You would place your actual gown order at the Trunk
Show. Your gown will be ordered and when
it arrives no one else will have ever tried your gown on. Your BRAND NEW GOWN will not need to be
cleaned. You will probably need some
minor alterations. Trunk shows often
occur before the product is available to the general public.
You should be prepared to pay for at least half of your gown
at a trunk show. Our normal terms are
that the balance is due in 30 days. If
you are looking at a very expensive gown we can contract payment arrangements
with you.
Normal gown delivery can be up to 18 weeks. Seasons cause for the delivery to vary, so
your delivery time frame will be relative to the season in which you order your
gown.
If the salon has offered an incentive for the trunk
show: that intensive is NOT available
once the ‘Trunk Show’ is over.
