Wedding dresses from china - bargain or disaster?

[RidingHood]

I am ecstatic to be getting married in September, but as we only have 5 months to organise and a very tight budget I have been trying to shop around for everything.

I went to a local wedding dress designer and found a fabulous gown for £450, but then was browsing through E-bay and found the exact same dress for less than £100 from China!

Having done some research it seems that a lot of wedding dress companies - including High Street stores - import their dresses from china and whilst I can sympathise with their need to make a profit - I'd much rather cut out the middleman and make the saving myself.

You hear some horror stories though and I've read lots of reviews, good and bad. Does any of you MNers have a recent experience of buying from a chinese company?

i just bought this dress from light in the box - it arrived within two weeks, is made well and fits fine. so no complaints from me (thos i was a bit nervous before it arraived)

www.lightinthebox.com/sheath-column-queen-anne-floor-length-tulle-with-lace-sequins-ready-to-wear-evening-dress_p249133.html?utm_campaign=cartcross

The trouble with buying from a company based in China is that if you are not happy with your purchase it may just be very difficult to return it and get your money back. If you buy from a UK based company you have consumer rights, not so when you buy from China.

Having said that if you are confident that you have seen a dress you like and it turns out as expected than there shouldn't be a problem.

yes, merlin, thats true, it was lucky i liked my dress when it arrived cos i wouldnt ahve been able to return it

I brought a prom type dress from one of the Chinese sites on ebay. It was dirt cheap (needed it for a fancy dress) and I was pretty impressed.
The overall look was slightly "gypsy wedding" due to the material used (don't know if chiffon has grades) but all in a complete bargain. It has also last well so was pretty well sewn too (worn for several plays and a pantomine).
I'd say it would be worth a punt if you maybe don't pin all your hopes on it.

Beautiful dress daisygatsby!

I bought a coat from a Chinese company and a wool coat for £38....it's gorgeous.

Not sure I'd risk it with anything more important or expensive though.

For one, the sizes are very different. I went shopping in Chinatown in Singapore once and the only things that fit me (UK size 10) were labelled XXL!

I ordered my wedding dress from China via Ebay, it was not great quality and didn't fit well (was meant to be custom made) but they gave me a refund right away with no arguing, but it meant I had wasted the 2 weeks waiting for it to be made and I then had to find another one.

Luckily I did find a beautiful one in a local shop within budget.

I also got to keep the dress as the said postage back would cost them more.

We only had 3 months from when we decided to get married until the wedding day so it was a risky thing to do.
However we had ordered the (custom made) bridesmaids dresses from Light In The Box and they were perfect, well made and very inexpensive.

All the bridesmaids were pleased with them. I would recommend them.

My sister did this. She had to get her dress altered when it arrived but it was
Fabulous on the day and with the money she saved she got an extra few nights away on honeymoon

I got my wedding dress from a company in China. It was gorgeous and made to my specifications (design and size). Nerve wracking through.

I have a friend who is the queen of baragin hunting and thoroughly researched everything, she used this company

myweddingdressforless.co.uk

i do alterations and so have seen quite a few of differing qualities. mostly i would caution you in regards to the fabrics - it's very difficult to tell by the pictures sometimes - i have seen some ghastly shiny synthetic numbers that really look cheap.
from a practical point of view the construction is usually really simple and therefore easy to alter if the sizings aren't quite right.

Thanks guys, I have ordered it a few weeks ago (we've now brought the wedding forward so it's on 22nd June - eek!) and they have been very good and asked me lots of questions.

It's nerve wracking waiting for it though, I told them that I was getting married a week earlier to give me some extra time.

I'll have to let you know how it goes :o

Eek! Good luck! I pick up my dress on Thursday for the wedding Saturday - gulp!

Oooh let me know how it goes :)

The wedding dress from China arrived, and it is beautiful and a perfect fit! I am so glad I took the risk :)

Brilliant, very happy for you. What company did you use as I will probably have to get my dd a long dress for a ball in the summer .

Its a seller on Ebay - Glamour Woman I think x

can we see pic?

pretty please

I have wedding envy

Mine was last August and I miss it

I'll pop one on later for you Cat!

Thankyou!! x

Glad to hear! Chiffon does have different grades you get pure chiffon which flows beautifully :)

I know you've got the dress now, and you're happy with it (yay!) - I just wanted to add that when I got married in 2005 I ordered my dress from an eBay seller in China and it was perfect. £120 and made to measure, it was beautiful and I am so glad I took the risk :)

Have a wonderful wedding day!