It’s an unlucky fact of life that sometimes businesses will walk out business. When it’s your favorite coffee shop or newsstand, it is really a disappointment. When the shop that closes may be the bridal shop from which you ordered your wedding gown, it could be a crisis.
It’s often said an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This really is especially true if you are planning your wedding. Your bridal gown is one of the main parts of one’s wedding, so prior to going shopping, it pays to require recommendations from other brides and your wedding vendors.
If you are using a wedding planner, she could be a particularly good resource, because she is likely to have all the latest gossip about which stores may be teetering on the edge of solvency. A big red flag is really a store that has to cover all its’ deliveries c.o.d., wedding gown because it indicates they have a background of not paying their vendors (the exception has been new accounts; many gown designers will not offer terms until they’ve worked with a store for a year). The concern is that the store may not need the cash readily available to receive your order when it arrives.
The way that things are usually done at a bridal store is that you leave them a deposit to order your gown (normally 40-60%), and then pay the total amount when the gown arrives from the designer. This is performed for the shop’s protection, to ensure that brides are seriously interested in their order, and so that the store can have at the very least covered their cost if a dress is not found for many reason.
There are a few ways a bride can protect herself when she’s ordering a dress. First of all, get an agreement in writing, and make certain that it lists your down payment. Many bank cards offer some type of consumer protections, as well, so if yours does, use that for the deposit instead of writing a check. In this manner, in the unlikely event that the store does walk out business, you can have a much better possibility of recovering your deposit.
When bridal shops do close, it can be quite difficult to track down the owners. If your gown had been received at the shop, you’re in a much better position than if it is still on order. At the very least all you need to do is find someone to enable you to in so that you can pick up your dress. Many bridal shops allows brides to leave their accessories at the store with their gown as a benefit; normally this is just fine. If you have anything irreplaceable, such as for example a piece of bridal jewelry which was handcrafted only for you, then it’s safer to keep it in your possession (some stores will prefer that you merely leave things such as shoes and veils anyway, keeping your handcrafted bridal jewelry at your home).
For brides who’re in the unfortunate position of having a bridal shop close before their gown arrives, your absolute best bet is always to go straight to the vendor (this is one reason that you intend to have reveal contract). Let them know the specific situation, and learn if a) your gown was actually ordered, b)if it’s ready, and c) how you will get it.
An artist will rarely ship directly to a customer, but they could be prepared to send your gown to another nearby bridal shop. The only real problem is that you if you’re not able to recover your original deposit, you could perfectly still wind up paying out the full price for the dress to the next shop. If you are buying a extremely expensive designer gown, it may be advisable to own wedding insurance, to ensure that you would be able to get your hard earned money back.