What's your take on wedding dress sample sales?

View quoted message I want to say we were there for about 15-20 mins before we were let in. We went before it opened to wait but were let it not long after we got there. The line wasn’t crazy when we arrived. It was 2 over 2 years ago now so I may be a bit hazy on the details. I do remember having to take my shoes off before going in haha

View quoted message

How much ahead of time did you line up?

Thanks, Lisa! :-) I'm calling it my Cinderella dress.

It's stunning! And a Mark Zunino gown! Amazing!!!!!! Super lucky!

I edited my post so you can see an update of my sample dress shopping experience.

Cheers!

Thanks, Ashley! Haha, I definitely have the same idea in my head of Monica with the whistles. I even printed out a photo of the dress I want. :-P

But you're right, I feel like I won't be happy until I try that dream dress, so we'll see. Hopefully I'll be posting pics soon!

That's so funny because when I went to that big sale I was expecting it to be like the episode of friends where Monica brings them to a sample sale and has the whistles lol but it was very calm and well organized at least. And if your sale is at Kleinfelds then it will be really nice for sure! One of my best friends worked there till just recently and they give you a great experience. But nothing I tried on before the dress I had in my head I could even think about loving because I "needed" to know what that one looked like. And it ended up being exactly what I pictured and then some! Sometimes your gut knows even without trying it one yet! Lol I hope you find your dream dress!

Totally what I was thinking too about sample sales. For selection, while I'm still open to trying different styles, I also have a vision of how I want to look. (Lace sleeves, ballgown/a-line.)

I'm afraid Kleinfeld's is going to be a zoo on Friday, so I'm nervously waiting for the day with excitement, but also with images swirling of people trampling all over each other to grab a dress.

Blu Ivory is a small boutique, so I'm looking forward to that experience much more if I don't find it Friday at Kleinfeld's. I'm actually kind of hoping I don't find my dress at Kleinfeld's so I can go to Blu Ivory. (They have my dream dress in their catalogue.)

It's good to hear your experience, so I know what to expect! Super helpful info -- especially on sizing!

It was in Brantford but it's a travelling one so they go all over. It was awful because a) i knew what I wanted and they had nothing like it. B) The selection for my size range was very small as well. C) just not a fun experience as you will get with a boutique. Some ladies had great luck, I think it's really personal taste that comes into account. The prices were great but I'm picky, and experiencing the boutiques after I loved that. But if yours is at a boutique it will most likely be nicer.
So if you are a street size 4 you would typically be able to get wedding dresses from 6-10 (generally the wedding sized are a size bigger than street clothes and you can usually go a couple sizes bigger with ulterations without changing the dress completely. Good thing is size 8 is a common sample size I found so you will have options hopefully

Thanks for the input, Ashley! Was the sale in Toronto by any chance? Was it awful because there were lots of people/horrible selection?

I'm a street size 4, so I'm hoping the samples won't be super tiny.

I went to a big sale thing a couple of weeks ago and it was the worst. I'm not saying the one you are going to will be. Mine was at a hotel and it was a travelling sale thing. If yours is at a boutique I'm sure they will have stuff you like. If not it was worth the try to get something on sale. It also depends on your size whether you have luck or not.

Going for it! That's amazing deal!

Go for it.. u never know what u may get until you try.. got my sample allure dress for 1500 and its orriginal price was 3500

Perfect!!

Will do! Have the Kleinfeld's appointment Friday and Blu Ivory Saturday, so I'm super excited. Will post pics if I find "the one."

hahaha exactly. And keep us posted

So true! I'm hoping to get a deal that'll make me feel like I won the lottery. :-) Might happen, might not. Never hurts trying.

Wow! My dream is to get a dress at that price. I'm a street size 4, so I'm hoping most dresses will have some wiggle room.

Hopefully Kleinfeld's will have some sample dresses at that ~$500 price point, but I'm not holding my breath. As per Lisa's suggestion earlier, I just booked an appointment at Blu Ivory and they told me sample dresses are under $1,000.

I'll say go for it as well. You never what you can find

I got my dress at a sample sale. I would say definitely give it a try. It's not like a regular store where you can try on anything and they'll get your size (as I'm sure you already know), so you are limited to looking at your own size basically. I still found an amazing dress that I love and was super cheap ($453 for a $2200 dress). I'd say that's a win!

Hey Rachel!

I agree! I feel like when you know, you know it's your dress. There'll be no second guessing.

I will definitely let you know! I was thinking the same thing. People I know who've gone to Kleinfeld's with a budget under $2,000 come out with Maggie Sottero. I really want something with a bit of drama (like yours with the ruffles at the bottom) so I get the feeling I may not end up with my dress at Kleinfeld's.

Hey Denise!

I didn't do the sample sale route but i say why not go check it out! if you find what your looking for and are madly in love and its in good condition then do it!

No problem. The samples at Blu Ivory would definitely be in your price point. Kleinfeld might as well but it will only be Maggie Sottero probably. Let me know how you make out!

My budget isn't high. I'm looking to spend under $1,500. The less, the better. I wouldn't have normally gone to Kleinfeld's. It's only because I work downtown, I can walk over to see if I can snag a deal.

Thanks for recommending Madison and Melissa! I'll see if I can get Melissa on Friday. I'm going to give Blu Ivory a ring today to see if they still have samples available!

I would go to Blu Ivory!!! The sample gowns were beautiful! They may still have some of the samples from March. Madison is the manager and she might be able to extend it for you! They really are amazing there! Kleinfeld is good too but their price point is much higher. Not sure what your budget is and how much time you have. If you do go to Kleinfeld ask for Melissa. She's awesome!

Thank you for the recommendation! omg... I'm in love with Blu Ivory's dresses and it's actually really close to my neighbourhood. So sad I missed the sample sale! Just emailed them to ask if they're having any other sales anytime soon, so fingers crossed.

I read your post. Your dress is absolutely gorgeous! What fate! I saw a dress on their Insta too that is my dream dress, but I will take your advice and try on different cuts other than a line/ballgown.

The sample sale I'm giong to is at Kleinfeld's this Friday, so I'm kind of nervous because it's also my first time trying on dresses. If it doesn't work out though, I'm going straight to Blu Ivory. My mom already suggested St. Clair was the place to go, so when I showed her the Blu Ivory site she was 100% in.

Hi Denise!

So nice to meet you here!!

I think you can always go and see. Maybe there is something you really like.

Did you know there is wedding catalogue? Maybe you can get inspiration there.

Wedding dresses

How is the planning going so far?

Check out Blu Ivory in Toronto! They are an amazing boutique, and they occasionally have sample sales! I just purchased my gown on Wednesday at their sale! And I'm so in love with it! The price was amazing, the consultants were great! Amazing experience from start to finish! I would go to your appointment. It really does depend on the store and the quality of dresses they have, and what they actually put on sale! If you go to the discussion board, to my "OMG I said yes to the dress!....again" you can read about my experience and the great find I made at a sample sale! Keep an open mind and go in there are try all different styles! You might surprise yourself! Good luck!

I agree with Daphne. I was looking for a specific style and when I tried the dress that was nothing like what o was looking for, knew instantly that was my dress. Try on anything you like, cause you won't know the style till you see it in the mirror. Good luck

I've been to one. They had a variety of styles, but it was limited compared to if you were shopping through all of their dresses. That being said, my advice is to go in with an open-mind and try on different dresses that you like, regardless of the style. You never know, what you thought you wanted may end up being what you don't like and what you thought you didn't like might end up being "the" dress. And because it's a sample sale, don't be upset if you don't find a dress. There are plenty of dresses out there and "the" dress may or may not be at that sample sale, so don't sweat it if it isn't.