finding previous seasons dresses

[jade]

My wedding is a year away and so I wanted to start early and get an idea of which styles I'm drawn to.

Both of the salons I'm refering to, actually seemed pretty good. They did not rip their tags out... I saw the original designers tags in the dresses. As a matter of fact, one sent me away with information on my two favorite dresses: the designer, the prices and the websites for both. I was very satisfied with them.

That doesn't mean that I'm going to buy right now. I want to compare across shops and find my top dress choices, get feedback from friends, etc.

It's just frustrating that I can't find some of my favorites online. I know the designer, but can't find a picture of it online. Like I said, I want to keep track of my favorites and compare them before I make up my mind about what to do.

I'm confused about whether this is a problem or not. are they discontinued dresses? is this normal?

[dietcola7]

i had good luck with the bridal shop i purchased my wedding gown from in regards to year of dress, information etc. my wedding is not until october of NEXT year, but i presently have my dress in my possession. i fell in love with a st. patrick dress, and i decided to purchase it right then and there (february 2004). i located the dress on theknot.com and emailed it to all of my friends. i have to give props to the shop- Bride N' Belle of Medford, MA. first, the owner of the shop knocked 10% off the price of the gown- she does this for bridesmaids' gowns as well. second, she called me to apologize for the dress arriving so quickly- it seems that st. patrick "pushed the order through" b/c it was questionable about whether it would be discontinued, as it was a 2003 gown. one thing i noticed is that the website for the designer itself did not show the dress i purchased- only current designs, but i was able to find it on theknot.com- maybe there is a discrepancy between the designers and the knot. hope this helps!

[kimjerpixie]

The fact that you cannot find these dresses online has nothing to do with the salons. Most designers do not put photos of all of their dresses online or in magazines. Maybe it's to keep some exclusivity on a certain dress. Maybe it's to protect a design idea. I find places like the designer's website to be the best place to find styles.

As far as dresses being continued, that varies by designer. Some never discontinue while others do it every year. Just like shopping in the mall, if you see something you like, the only way to guarantee you get it is to buy it then.

My girlfriend bought the first dress she tried on a year before her wedding and was completely satisfied. If you are crazy about the dress, then go for it! Otherwise, you stil have plenty of time to look around and there might be another style you come upon that you like even more.

[jade]

I have been to a few bridal salons to try on wedding dresses. I am trying to keep a record of my favorite gowns and so when I get home I go online and try to look up the style number. That way I can keep track of my favorites and compare (and I can email pictures to my out of town family for advice).

The problem is that I cannot find some of them. For instance, I tried on a beautiful Pronovias dress and when I got home and went to the website I couldn’t find it anywhere. At the salon the woman told me it was Pronovias and I saw the tag to prove it. Why can’t I find it?

Then I went to another salon and tried on a beautiful Lazaro dress. She told me it was this seasons. When I got home I had trouble finding it, but finally did find it… it was a Fall 2001 design. I don’t have any problem with previous seasons dresses but it raises a couple questions…

1) will these dresses still be available to order (how would I find out if they are discontinued)? and
2) how can I find the style # and a picture of the dress

has anyone else come across this and is it a problem?