Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Sample Sale and Trunk Show Season...What You'll Find at Both Types of Sales

The new wedding dress collections will be arriving in salons between now and Septembers so you'll start seeing ads for sample sales -- where salons sell old merchandise -- and trunk shows, featuring the new collections.

Here's the difference between the two events:

Sample Sale. A sample sale is where a designer or bridal salon sells their sample and overstock dresses at a discounted price. Sample dresses are the dresses that brides view and try on in salons. They are traditionally a sample size: 8 or 10. These dresses have not been worn by a bride at her wedding, but they have been tried on at the salon many times, so they will likely need a good dry-cleaning in addition to any alterations necessary. Cleaning and tailoring are not included in the price of the garment, so take that into consideration when you buy a dress at a sample sale. Alterations and cleaning can add a few hundred dollars to the price.

Trunk Show. A trunk show takes place at a bridal salon. A designer (or her representative) will bring her entire collection -- gowns carried at the store as well as gowns that are not -- and meet with brides one-on-one. By meeting with a designer, a bride can learn more about what options she has regarding altering the dress: making it strapless, changing the colored beading, etc. Most trunk shows will offer a 10 percent discount on the price of a gown if it is purchased during the show. Bridal salons will know trunk-show dates weeks, and sometimes months, in advance, so if there's a designer whose dresses you love, make an appointment as early as possible.

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