The Value of Shopping Around

Shopping excites me. Finding the best deals and saving money is something everyone can relate to desiring even if they don't do it. For me, it's priority. Coupons, clearance, BOGO deals, Oh my! So it's no surprise that even though I (thought I) found my dream dress, I was still ready to compare/contrast prices elsewhere.

To date, I've only visited two bridal shops. I had a random, hilarious dream (later post on that) about ending up in a certain dress - the only dress that stood out from both trips and over 20 dresses I had tried on. Since Tom's opinion is most meaningful to me, yesterday we took a trip back to the shop to re-try on the dress I liked along with a few others.

Let me first say that it was such a good idea to go back to the store. Previously they would not disclose the exact dress style or designer, but the second time around they did without hesitation. Probably a bad idea for them as my shopping instincts kicked in and now I can find the dress elsewhere for cheaper, etc.

Here's the dress I'm talking about... Casablanca Style 1900.


The dilemma came in because it's sleeveless which is highly inappropriate at our Catholic church. Of course, there's many options to make this dress still a possibility. The most recommended is a bolero jacket (AKA cheesy formal-type cardigan) but that's my least favorite. So after talking with the seamstress at the bridal shop, it was obvious an option would be to either have cap sleeves or build in some sort of a top. My idea was for a t-shirt like top. They suggested ordering extra of the glittery overlay lace and getting something sewn on. That, of course, was their best option of what they could do and I was alright with it.

Today I was having second guesses on the gown though. Would it look okay with a complete top and such a flowy bottom? Did I really love it? No, I didn't. But the possibilites for sleeved dresses are so limited and this one was alright I thought...

Enter in a modesty bridal shop, Latter Day Bride online. Start the browsing of dresses with sleeve. "Ohhh, this one looks like what I want. *click* Wait, this is a LOT like what mine with a t-shirt top would look like," I thought to myself. Upon further comparing, I'm convinced it's my exact dress but with the t-shirt top that I thought I wanted.

LOOK.


Casablanca style 1900. Notice the top bead work, colored sash, and the lace bead work beneath it?

Doesn't this dress look really, really similar?(That's all the further I could zoom in)

Yep. It's the dress I wanted with the t-shirt top I wanted. Crazy!!!

So, let's say I still wanted the Casablanca altered into a t-shirt top design. Price at the bridal store (without costs of extra lace and seamstress work) is $898.00. Price at the online retailer (with no extra costs needed) is $1045.00. It seems the best bet would be to order it online... and even if I wanted it sleeveless, Google is to the rescue with cheaper prices on the Casablanca! See? There's a HUGE value to shopping around!




Now, not only could I have the dress for ultimately a cheaper price but it would the top would be prettier. It would actually be cohesive as it'd have the same top material. The only problem is that the dress isn't for me. I'm so lucky to have been able to see a picture of what it would look like -- at it's best -- to realize that it's just not "me" for my one and only wedding day.

Make sure you do the same! Take your time and put effort into making sure you know the dress is for you. It's just one of the huge decisions that goes with planning a wedding.

When you found your (prospective) dress, did you shop around before committing to buy?