The eBay Dress

The wedding dress can be the most important part for a woman on her wedding day. I wouldn't say it was the most important part for me, but I did have something in my mind. (This isn't it!)

Pronovias - Ulmen (This isnt my dress)

Picking a wedding dress is hard.

We went to several shops here in Perth and tried on a lot of dresses, in a lot of styles. The most difficult part? Not being able to take photos. How are you supposed remember yourself in any dress you actually like among dozens that you try on? You can't, not accurately anyway. I think that is the fundamental problem with bridal stores these days, and yes I understand why, but for such a large purchase, I think it is absurd. /mini rant over

For all those Perth ladies out there, my favourite store was Tuscany Bridal, they had a wonderful selection from dresses around $1000 to upwards of $3500 or more. The lady that served me was really helpful, lovely to talk to, and most of all not pushy at all. She also gave me her opinion and didn't just say "Ohhh, you look stunning" on every single dress. That kind of attitude helps no one! (FYI, it is REALLY cold in there, so I suggest anyone you bring with you has a warm jacket of some kind!)

I ended up finding the dress I wanted at Tuscany, unfortunately it was over $3000. I just couldn't justify spending that much.

Finding a wedding dress is hard

Finding the dress you want is hard, because if it isn't in your price range it is devastating  I found THE wedding dress, the perfect dress. The one that makes you look like a princess, without having you look like someone from the tv show Big Fat Gypsy Wedding (Not really my style). I won't post it until after my wedding, but it was a Pronovias dress. I loved it, everyone said they loved it, and I was crushed knowing that it was out of my budget range.

This is not my dress but I thought it was pretty.

Asking the internet

I swore to myself that I would never buy a wedding dress off eBay. I had known people who had done this before and ended up with something reminiscent of 80s ball gowns. Initially I came up empty. Everyone said not to buy Pronovias online because they are rip offs and my best bet was eBay for a second hand one. One of the things I loved about the Pronovias dress I tried on was the fabric. It was so soft and beautiful, so I thought, well maybe I can get one like it for cheaper.

When the Internet gods deliver, the clouds part and the sun shines down on you!

That was when I found it, casually browsing through eBay at Pronovias dresses. THE dress, the one I had tried on in the store. Never worn, in my size, never altered. Sound too good to be true? That's what I thought. 

It wasn't.

As it turned out the girl who was selling it had bought the dress and changed her mind. She sent me photos of the dress from all different angles, she told me where she bought it from so I could verify the dress. (I thought, yeah right this is totally a scam). So I checked on Pronovias website for distributors and confirmed that the shop was a authorized reseller, then I got their number myself and rang them, and they confirmed it.

So I negotiated a price with the girl and I bought it. I took a risk, I figured I had a good chance of getting my money back if it was a fake through PayPal for not being what it was advertised as.

I ended up getting the dress about 5 days later, and it was perfect. It fits me perfect it looks perfect and best of all it was less than half price! It even had the tags on it!

I know eBay dresses haven't worked out for some people. But this was my best online purchase ever!

My advice

If you are going to buy a dress online, do your research. I didn't just buy my dress on a whim and hope that the person selling it was on the level. I researched the shop, I examined the photographs I was sent with the magnifying glass in photoshop. I read and re-read her emails for any discrepancies.  I made sure the transaction was done via eBay/PayPal rather than direct transfer. But also, sometimes you have to take a risk if you want the benefits. For me it paid off, but you really need to be careful. A lot can go wrong online and you don't want your wedding plans/day ruined by a bad eBay buy.

Good luck!

Mandy