Talk about adjusting to the "at home" trend! Yes, the wedding industry has definitely joined in—with at-home weddings, Zoom wedding announcements, virtual engagement parties, even virtual post-elopement parties. But what about during the wedding prep? Well, virtual meet-ups with wedding planners and online venue tours have become "a thing." And now—tada! Try-at-home bridesmaids’ dress offers.
Check out how bridal attire vendors allow you to pre-select and fit dress samples right in the comfort (and social-distanced safety) of your home. We’ve gathered 7 vendor options for you to consider, plus 10 tips to find the bridesmaid’s dress with their help!
Offer: "Home Try-on Bridesmaids Dress Samples" – Order samples in your size to try on at home. Specific color choices cannot be accommodated for each sample dress, but a book of fabric swatches in available colors is provided.
Cost: $10 per sample dress. Free shipping when you order 3+ samples.
Terms: Limit of 10 sample dresses per Home Try-on order. Keep for 3 days, then send back with prepaid return label provided.
Offer: "Try At Home" – Choose your sample dresses from their catalogue, then try them on for size and fit. To see your preferred color, fabric swatches are available at $3 each, with free shipping. You may also create a virtual "Showroom" where you and your fellow bridesmaids can share your dress choices.
Cost: $15 per sample dress; $5 off if you order 2 sample dresses to try.
Terms: Return within 7 days.
Offer: "Bridesmaids Try On at Home" service for residents of the Virginia, DC and Maryland areas. The dress samples you choose may be available in random colors, but your size will be ensured upon pickup if available in your chosen style.
Cost: $35 for 3 dresses, fitting clips and measuring tape; plus a $100 deposit (fully refunded when dresses are returned)
Terms: For curbside and in-store pick up only. Schedule a phone consultation to learn more about this service, choose your favorites, and schedule a time to pick up your dresses.
Offer: "Home Try-On Kit" – Each Kit includes your choice of 4 dress styles/sizes, a sample color swatch ring to view all of our colors, and a free return shipping label. Pick a delivery date 4+ months before the wedding and try on your selected dresses for a weekend in the comfort of your own home!
Cost: $40 for 4 dresses
Terms: You may try on the dresses over a weekend.
Offer: "At-Home Try On Program" – You can order up to 3 bridesmaid dresses at a time to try on. Plus if you wish to keep a sample dress, they offer the option of purchasing it within your "return window" via a link provided.
Cost: $10 per dress for a maximum of 3 dresses.
Terms: Try-on dress orders take 1-3 days to process plus an additional 1-10 days for delivery, based on your location. You get to keep the try-on dresses for 1 week from the date of delivery (as shown on the tracking number) and then send those back using the prepaid return label provided.
Offer: "At-Home Try-On Kit" – Each Kit will include your requested Kennedy Blue try-on dress(es), a measuring tape, size chart, prepaid shipping label, and white postal envelope to ship your dress(es) back. You may request for color swatches to be added, in case the available try-on dresses are not in your preferred color.
Cost: Each dress costs only $10 to try on (price covers shipping both ways).
Terms: The dresses can be kept for up to 3 days from the date of receipt. If the third day happens to fall on a Sunday or national holiday, they should be placed in the mail the following day.
Offer:."Try-at-Home Sample Bridesmaid Dresses" – Select up to 3 dresses to be shipped to you. Try them on at your convenience. Mail the sample dresses back. Then order your chosen dress style to be custom sewn.
Cost: Cost is $15 per sample dress.
Terms: Return package needs to be mailed back after 3 days with the prepaid shipping label. (Notice from vendor: Twice the retail price of the dress will be charged if you fail to ship the sample back on time.)
10 Tips for Using a Try-At-Home Bridesmaid Dress Service:
- Survey what the many different vendors and retailers are offering—from dress styles to sample prices and terms and conditions. The array is pretty incredible, so take your time and enjoy!
- Begin your search months ahead of the wedding date. Remember, you may end up needing more than one try-at-home fitting.
- These new try-on offers are now in high demand. So look for alerts on vendor sites indicating that they are experiencing a lag keeping up with the tighter availability of sample dresses.
- Go through all the photos in the different catalogues to see the range of styles and dress cuts for your body type, height, personal style, and of course the color choices to suit the wedding palette.
- Read the "description" portion carefully for details like type of fabric, length and fit of skirt, kind of closure (zipper, buttons, wrap-around, sash, etc.) to avoid receiving samples that you’d never wear.
- Study the size chart provided by each site to guide you in requesting the best fit for you.
- Read the reviews, too, for the dresses that catch your eye, since first hand feedback from previous customers can give you clues to actual fit, comfort, and wearability.
- Note which sites are offering custom sewn dresses or off-the-rack ones, once you place your order for your actual dress. The price point will definitely differ.
- "Late fees" are usually charged for returns beyond the given number of days, and a "full dress charge" will be billed if sample dress(es) are returned damaged, soiled, or in poor condition.
- Once you order your actual dress, keep in mind that the price quoted for the try-on samples does not go towards the cost of your final order. There is a separate full charge for the actual dress.
A million thanks to wedding industry professionals—like these bridal attire vendors. Kudos for doing all you can to keep wedding days not only possible, but practical and pretty as well!