What brides don't know about designer gowns...

I know a lot of brides scratch their heads asking themselves, 'How can this designer gown be so gosh darn expensive?!?!?'

Brides might think that there is this absolutely ginormous markup when it comes to designer gowns and there certainly is some markup - after all, bridal businesses are in business for a reason. Gowns are generally marked up anywhere from 2.2x to 4x wholesale cost. However, brides would be surprised to know that the wholesale cost of gowns can be substantial and is never mere nickels (more like quarters).

Why is this the case? For the following reasons, be prepared to pay a little extra (but Ladies, we all know it's sooooo worth it).

Materials. When it comes to fabrics, trim, underlays, overlays, covered buttons, or crystals, there's a certain cost that goes with all of the above. High end materials like silk or reimbroidered lace can be pricey, because the fabric itself is pricey. Crystal beading, jewels, and intricate detailing also costs some dough because it is very labor intensive to turn these gowns into works of art. Gowns that have multiple layers with delicate overlays are chic but not cheap.

Construction. High-end designer gowns are constructed to last. The quality of the seaming and the attention to detail will ensure that this type of gown is built to last. Gowns which are made of polyester or less expensive materials can fall apart at the seams (literally) after dry cleaning or even if a bride is a little extra tough on her gown. Quality Construction + Quality Materials = A Forever Gown.

The cliche 'you get what you pay for' is very true when it comes to wedding gowns. While the markup exists, the wholesale cost for these gowns is still a pretty penny. Be rest assured that the $5,000 gown at your local salon did not cost the salon owner a mere $100.

We are always interested in giving brides luxury within reach. Everyday at DBLA an opportunity exists to have your delicious wedding cake and eat it too!

The Buying Guide for the International Bride

With the US dollar fluctuating all over the place, international brides are looking to the US for a great supply of new, sample or once worn gowns. Of course, DBLA ships worldwide and we always keep our international brides in the loop on any and all challenges that can occur when ordering products from overseas. It is unfortunately not as simple as ordering a CD from Amazon.com. Foreign brides should keep the following issues in mind when deciding to purchase from our country:

Customs. Ordering garments from overseas will trigger a taxable purchase. In some countries the tax is called VAT (Value Added Tax), in others it is simply referred to as duties or taxes. In all instances, when a bride in a foreign country purchases a gown from a country outside her own, a taxable event occurs. An additional tax payment to the bride's country of residence will be due and payable upon receipt of the gown by the buying bride.

The buying bride will be responsible for payment of these taxes upon receipt, and the tax rate will vary by country. It will be assessed based on the value of the gown/package, which is generally the insured amount. If a seller assures a bride it can totally circumvent this, the buying bride is putting herself at risk. She may not even receive the gown after posting payment to the seller for it, since there's a chance customs could confiscate the package and its contents without the proper tax payment.

Shipping. Shipping overseas is pricey, unfortunately. Due to increased oil prices, major carriers are charging a fuel surcharge, and shipping prices have sharply increased. Only reputable carriers should be considered when shipping overseas, and wedding gowns when insured can run between $150 - $250 to ship overseas, depending on the destination. UK and European brides can expect to pay in the $150-$200 range, while South African and Australian brides can expect to pay in the $200 - $250 range.

DBLA has shipped to many foreign brides, from our friends north of the border, to as far away as a fab American bride working in Beijing. Keep us in mind for all your bridal needs, whether you're over here or over there!

Pockets-A-Plenty

We're pretty excited about some of the new fashion trends, like short gowns and slim silhouettes. However, the newer trend which features cool pockets on sophisticated wedding dresses is just too oooh-la-la for words!

A gown should be the ultimate expression of one's fashion aesthetic. If you're a casual girl who loves a comfy cashmere sweater and can't live without her boyfriend jeans, then a gown with pockets is the cozy equivalent.

Coziness and comfort aside, a wedding dress with pockets can still be uber chic and downright glamorous. It provides just the right amount of edge and sass, while still remaining true to a formal bridal look.

A gown doesn't have to be all about pomp and circumstance, but don't be surprised if your posture is picture perfect when donning a pocket confection. It's all about the attitude and we know a casual girl still makes for a fabulous bride!

The gown featured is from Priscilla of Boston's Spring 2010 collection, style 4405. Picture courtesy of Priscilla of Boston.

DBLA Featured on The Bride's Cafe!

Janie Medley from the wonderful blog The Bride's Cafe featured our 'Guidelines for Buying a Once Worn Gown' on her blog yesterday.

Janie is a wonderful florist based out of Richmond, Virgina and owns the flora design house Janie Medley Flora Design. Brides who are searching for a florist in the greater DC, VA and MD areas should definitely check out her website for weddings she's already designed. Whew, her work is breathtaking, I know!

Thanks, Janie, for reaching out to us and asking for our guidance on this tricky subject. We are always interested in keeping brides everywhere safe and warm in their couture gowns.

A Resale Gown Guide for Recently Wed Brides

An idea that should be on every bride’s radar is the option to sell her gown after her Big Day. For many reasons, this is becoming a popular trend. With rising wedding costs, compounded by a difficult economy, this option makes the dream gown within reach. Also, with each passing year, the decision to marry is trending toward a bride in her mid to late twenties, making the nostalgic idea of passing down the dress to the next generation a little more passe.

If a bride is considering resale after the event, there are definitely designers that will ‘hold’ their value. Once worn gowns by high end designers have residual value and, like any other commodity, have a market value. Monique Lhuillier, Vera Wang, Melissa Sweet, Claire Pettibone, Jim Hjelm, Alvina Valenta, Lazaro, Priscilla of Boston, Jenny Packham and other high-end, well established designers will often fetch higher resale price points, and certain styles by each designer are coveted even more so by brides. Surprisingly, gowns from older collections often tend to hold their value a little more, since the collection has been in circulation longer, and more brides have seen these gowns in ad campaigns or featured in bridal magazines over multiple seasons.

A typical rule of thumb is to offer the gown for half of what was paid. Like driving a car off the lot, once purchased form a salon, the gown has depreciated by fifty percent. Brides who seek more will often find that they will have to eventually reduce the asking price as buying brides definitely educate themselves on what that particular gown is worth on the ‘open market.’ The asking price should be exclusive of any tax or alteration costs. Although these costs can be substantial, they are not a price factor.

A gown that is professionally cleaned will command more than a gown that was worn and is sold as-is. A once worn gown needs a detailing prior to sale, since a shiny gown just feels better than one that still needs a hand wax. After the event, go over the gown and inspect it from bust to bustle. A wedding is the ultimate party, and there are likely to be some flaws when the DJ calls it quits. That’s okay – it is a party! Check for stains, tears, zipper issues, material defects, pulls, snags, bustle compromises and dirt. Note these on paper so when you bring the dress to be cleaned, each area can be addressed. Often dry cleaners will have a tailor on hand who is skilled enough in wedding gown repairs, and the bride can clean and repair any issues at the same time.

This brings us to our next point – picking a dry cleaner. Dry cleaning your wedding gown, whether to preserve it or to prepare it for resale, is an important post-wedding to do item to keep in mind after the dust settles. Choosing a dry cleaner can be tricky. It is important to not base your decision on price alone. Inexperienced dry cleaners can ruin a gown and its chances to be shared with future generations or another bride. First, check with your friends for a referral. Or, visit your regular dry cleaners and ask how many high-end wedding or cocktail gowns they typically clean. If you live in a larger city, check with the salons of prominent designers to see who they use to dry clean their runway gowns. Keep in mind that gowns with full skirts and intricate beading will cost more to clean than gowns with slimmer silhouettes.

Unless you are certain that you want to pass your gown on to the next generation, it is not necessary to preserve the gown. For resale purposes, a professional dry cleaning is all that is required. In fact, we recommend not pressing the gown since the next bride will need to press the gown upon sale, due to shipping and alterations handling.

Most importantly, offer your gown to the next bride in the same condition as you would expect to receive a once worn gown. The karmic train will eventually come full circle. Make every attempt to refresh the gown to its best possible condition prior to sale. Also, when advertising its availability, don’t make inaccurate representations about its condition. Once worn gowns can never be considered ‘perfect’, but should rather be advertised as ‘refreshed to like new.’ Perfect gowns are only brand new gowns, but once worn gowns are wonderful alternatives to purchasing new gowns at retail prices. Remember the cliché – there should be truth in advertising.

Wonderful and inexpensive resources for selling your gown include Once Wed, Wedding Bee(classifieds), Party Pop (wedding gown message board) or Preowned Wedding Dresses. Keep in mind that there are a lot of scammers out there who have discovered the wedding dress resale market and will try to cash in on unsuspecting victims. Emails that depict a suspicious buying scenario (i.e. cashiers checks, an ‘agent’ shipping contact, a convoluted payment process, paying more for the gown and asking for a cash credit, etc.) should be avoided. Remember, if something seems too good to be true, it always is. Use your good judgment when exchanging information and use a trusted payment platform like Paypal or Escrow.com. If the buyer can’t understand your need for payment via these methods, then they are not the right buyer. Each site will take a small percentage based on the total sale, but it is worth it to know the payment is coming via a trusted medium.

Buying brides will want to know as much as possible about your gown prior to purchase. They will need to know the altered bust, waist and hip measurements, and also your height with heels. A general ballpark like ‘I’m a size 4’ or ‘it’s a typical size 8’ won’t cut the mustard. If a bride is spending her hard-earned dough, she’ll want to know if it fits. Keep the information from the seamstress as a reference, and be sure to keep all your original receipts, including any receipts for dry cleaning and repairs.

Lastly, be sure to post actual photos of your gown and not only the stock runway photo from the designer’s website. Brides need to know that the gown actually exists and will want to see your dress in all its glory. For brides who want to keep their privacy, blur or crop out faces, but full and close-up body shots of both the front and back of the gown are a necessity.

With this, we hope you find the sales process a quick and easy one, and we like sharing this type of advice to keep both buyers and sellers safe from the perils of this brave new Internet world in which we live. We love offering brides our consignment or purchasing services, but we unfortunately can’t assist every bride. We like knowing we can offer some insight that will help the party fade to black, without a dress sale hangover.

DBLA's Three Best Tips for Brides Beginning Their Gown Search

At DBLA, we do meet with a lot of brides who purchase from us after choosing a gown and experiencing some buyer's remorse. This happens more than one might think, and we have some tips to help ensure that this doesn't happen to you...

First, get a feel for the many different silhouettes offered by looking through bridal magazines. Think about what will be the most flattering and the most comfortable to you on the Big Day. If you aren't a strapless kind of gal, then a strapless gown will drive you nuts at your party. If you dreamed about a mermaid cut but don't own a pencil skirt in your entire wardrobe, this might not be the most flattering look.

Second, pick a venue, then pick the dress. The venue will largely determine what kind of dress you should wear. An extravagant ball gown will not be the right match for an intimate garden affair. Picking the venue will clear up a lot of confusion about the direction of the event, the dress budget, and your overall aesthetic.

Third, every bride has a feel for what kind of materials will make her go wild. Lace, silk, satin, beading, tulle - your personal taste will determine whether the gown will be more simple or more detailed. Ultimately, you should stay in your comfort zone. A wedding gown is not the time to be adventurous and go backless if the mere thought makes you feel squeamish. Wear what feels right and what feels comfortable. That way you will be sure to seek the spotlight instead of run away from it.

Miking the time to think through these three buckets of concern will make you confident in your final decision, with no chance for buyer's remorse.

Pre-Sale By Owner

As the economy tightens (does anyone really believe those recovery headlines?), there are more brides who are offering their gown for sale even prior to their actual event. While we understand the instinct to try and recover as much as possible from the one item that has some residual value after the event (i.e. the gown), any potential buyer should really reconsider this sort of transaction and steer clear of it until after the event has taken place.

What's the rub? So, so many things can take place at a wedding, both right and wrong. Brides, having never worn a party dress like this before, just don't know how much wear and tear can take place during their event. Photos on grass, ceremonies on sand, tipsy guests and torn bustles, these are all normal happenings. You might love cosmos and make them your signature drink, but when 100+ guests are wanting to congratulate you, don't be surprised if a few red drops make it on to your ivory confection.

This is where the pre-sale objective gets dicey. It's hard to say in what condition the gown will be turned over to Bride #2 before the party even takes place. And we hate to admit it, but when there is a definite buyer on the hook for a post-party purchase, Bride #1 might (inadvertently) be less diligent about protecting her party dress for resale purposes. On a subconscious level, Bride #1 could be a lot less interested in being extra careful during her dance floor hustle since the check is already in the mail.

Patience is a virtue, but wedding planning does not lend itself to being a particularly patient time in a bride's life. It's best to wait until the dust has settled and purchase a gently worn gown post-party. It will lend itself to a happier ending, and we do love a bride who is all smiles.