Hello everyone and congratulations to all brides and brides-obe
I am from France, and I have questions for an inquiry
- What do you think about dresses replicas ?
- Are they a bargain ?
- Could they be good quality ?
- Are you ready to buy a dress replica if it's exactly the same style you need ?
- How much could you pay for a replica ?
- Is it important for you to have a real designer dress or do you prefer the same style at lower price without the tag ?
I hope my questions are clear, sorry for my english
It depends what your next step for it is, I guess.
If you are having an outdoor informatl wedding, a replica might be just fine. In the pictures, it will look about the same (they can't make it identical; that is illegal, at least in the US), but the quality just isn't there and it doesn't feel the same. How do I know? I purchased both a $2800 dress and a $325 replica for the same wedding. I ended up wearing the replica because I was getting married outside on horseback and I didn't want to ruin a $2800 dress, whereas the other one I couldn't have cared less if it got ruined forever.
If you are going to sell your dress afterwards, the designer name is going to get more bids than someone else's knock-off, and will be worth more...who wants to buy a pre-worn knock-off for their wedding day? But if you are going to keep it, and saving money is important, the knock off isn't a bad choice.
The other thing you need to decide is where you want to put the money you have to spend on your wedding. More spent on a dress is less spent on cake, entertainment, food, or numbers of guests, unless your budget is unlimited. But if the dress is the focal point of your wedding, why cheat yourself? People won't remember the food or the entertainment unless it is bad, but they will remember your dress and have pictures to remember it. A poor-quality knock off may leave you wishing for years to come that you'd gone with the original dress...and you need to decide if that's a mistake you can afford to make. You get one chance to get married, and the dress is a big deal, so if it isn't right it can ruin your day if you let it.
I was fine wearing my knock-off because it was most important that I got married on horseback. The horse was the focal point of my wedding, not my gown. Looking at the pictures, the gown does look a little tacky, but I don't mind because it was more my style than the other one.
I believe it depends totally on what the bride wants. I work with a designer and have been offering replica gowns for a year now. I also help brides find their name brand designer gowns at fantastic prices too, and so, have seen many wedding gowns in my time. From a construction perspective, nothing can take the place of have one person sew your gown and have the bride involved in the design process....and getting that gown made to your own measurements. Gowns CAN BE very very close to the originals. We carefully research fabrics and elements of design to match as closely as possible.
BUT, some brides want that experience of going into the luxurious bridal salon and knowing they got the gown with the label in it and received all that wonderful bridal treatment. If they have the money to spend for that gown then that is what they should do. There is room enough in this industry for everyone and their needs. The Melissa Sweet LIA gown showing in the picture is one of our replicas. Most brides are VERY happy to get it for less than $1000 rather than pay the $3800 the authentic gown sells for. They are looking for a 'close look and feel' and have it be within their budget. We want to help those brides.
For the brides who want an authentic gown, and, as the previous person wrote, the gown is the most important part of their wedding...well, there is a wonderful salon closeby that will sell the authentic gown. If you want a designer gown but it's not in your budget, I want to be here to help!
You order a replica from Smart & Swanky Bridal. They are located out of Phoenix, Arizona and create custome replicas for less than a fraction of the cost. Visit their website at http://www.smartandswanky.com/
We provide online couture service. Recently, we made a dress designed by Angel Rivera. The dress was designed for Ms. Essence Atkins. Please email us if you have any question or if you are interested.
