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The wedding tradition used to be the brides would visit their local bridal boutique or perhaps even some of the bigger outlets in nearby cities. Surrounded by their bridal party, mother, in laws or maid of honour they’d try on dresses until they found the one that got approval from the important women in their life.
But this tradition is slowly fading away thanks to the internet and social media, which has made it easier than ever to find and buy your dream dress from the comfort of your own living room. As such, more brides are now choosing to buy their wedding dress online. Serendipty Bridal have looked at some of the main reasons this trend will continue to catch on in the coming years.
You can find cheaper options
Buying a drEss online can help brides to save hundreds, maybe even thousands of pounds, and there are a number of ways that savvy shoppers can bag themselves a bargain. Through the emergence of sample sales and pre-loved sites, using the internet really can help to cut costs. Sample sales are when retailers sell on the dresses they bought as samples for their store. This usually happens when they need to make way for the latest designs and the newest season of dresses. This means that they massively reduce the prices. Finding these sales online can help brides-to-be to find their perfect dress and stick to their budget.
As well as this, a number of pre-loved sites have become hugely popular in recent years. These aren’t wedding dress specific, but they allow people to sell on their old items – wedding dresses included. Some choose to sell their dress after the big day as they often come to the realisation that it’ll only sit in the attic if they don’t. This allows brides to buy pre-loved dresses for much cheaper than they would have originally sold in the shop.
What’s more, a huge number of fashion brands have been jumping on the wedding bandwagon, with big online retailers releasing their own bridal ranges. Brands such as Asos, Monsoon, Phase Eight and French Connection offer affordable wedding dresses at a fraction of the price, but for the most part these are only available through their online stores. As such, buying a wedding dress online affords brides much cheaper options, perfect for those who are on a budget! Not only this, but they’ll be able to find stores that currently have sales on, where their local bridal boutique might not.
Finally, they’ll be able to shop around once they’ve settled on the style they like. If they’ve identified a dress they’d like, they can look for cheaper alternatives online, they might even find an almost identical dress for half the price on another site. Overall, buying a wedding dress online allows brides to be more savvy with their budget.
It can be much more convenient
As well as being able to bag a bargain online, it can also be a much more convenient way to shop. We all find ourselves in different situations and some brides may have to travel a huge distance to find a bridal shop, or they may be short on time. Whatever the circumstances, it can sometimes be a lot more convenient to have your wedding dress delivered straight to your door. This also means brides can try them on in the comfort of their own home, which can make the experience a lot more relaxing.
What’s more, if brides choose to buy their gown from some of the fashion retailers we mentioned above, they often have better return policies than a bridal boutique. This gives the bride more flexibility if she changes her mind or finds a better dress – providing they send it back within the 28 day return policy of course!
There’s more choice online
Another reason that many brides are now choosing to order their wedding dress online is that they are presented with more choice if they do. As previously outlined in the section above (about finding cheaper options), there are so many places online that future brides can choose from. Whether they opt for a well-known designer, highstreet brand or second hand dress, there are quite literally hundreds of options at their finger tips. This is not always the case with actually visiting a bridal boutique where they may have limited stock.
It’s easier to compare the dresses
In the traditional scenario the bride tries on a number of dresses, one by one. She might stop to show the friends and family she has taken with her, she may even take a photo, but then it’s on to the next dress. This is all well and good but sometimes it’s easy to forget what the dress looked like, especially when visiting a number of different bridal shops and trying on lots of different options.
When shopping online it’s possible to open multiple tabs and even place images of the dresses side by side. This helps brides to make a direct comparison between each dress and eliminates the risk of forgetting what the dresses look like. It means they can whittle their list down one by one until they settle on the perfect gown. As well as being able to do a direct comparison, shopping online allows them to save their searches so that they don’t risk forgetting or losing track of one of the dresses they’ve seen and loved.
Final thoughts
While it’s a shame to see that the traditional visit to the bridal shop is becoming less common, it’s easy to see why so many brides are choosing to buy their wedding dress online. With a huge range of options, often at a fraction of the price, the internet can be a wonderful place for those trying to stick to a tighter budget. It’s also perfect for those who don’t have the time or means to visit a bridal shop, what could be better than having your dream dress delivered straight to your door.
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