Any suggestions in Vermont or Montreal?

It's too small a state and doesn't seem to have much competition where bridal stuff is concerned! There are only a handful of shops in the whole state, and all of them so far have been tag rippers with rather sparse selections.

We're only about an hour from Montreal, and I'm wondering about the pros/cons of dress-seeking in Canada when I live in the U.S. Other than Customs, would I be creating any additional problems for myself? I'm hoping to ultimately purchase my dress from a discounter....are there different designs for the U.S. and Canada? If I find THE dress over the border, will it be harder to get from a discounter than if I just stick to the U.S.?

Hoping for suggestions both here in Vermont and around Montreal!

Stefanie

I think that is a great idea---and since the Canadian dollar is so weak, you can get a much better deal in general. No, there aren't different designs there---brides are pretty much the same whether here or in Canada!

As for getting the dress you find in Montreal from a discounter down here in the US, that's trickier---considering fewer Canadian designers are available from US discounters as you might guess. But it is worth a try.

Cons: customs, alterations (you might require 2-3 fittings and that's 2-3 trips back to Montreal).

If you do it, please post your experience and what shop(s) you visit!

Alan & Denise Fields, Authors
BABY BARGAINS

Stefanie--

Probably like you, I read Alan and Denise's book cover to cover. They had me completely paranoid about going into any bridal shop (since, apparently, many of them are disreputable), but I wanted to try on gowns and get a sense of my style before ordering anything on-line from a discounter.

I made an appointment with Fiori Bridal in Essex Junction, Vermont. To my shock and surprise, I had a WONDERFUL experience there. They DO NOT rip out the original designer's tags. A gown consultant and a seamstress spent 2 hours with me while I tried on about 30 or 40 gowns. They listened to what I liked and what I didn't like about each gown I tried on, adjusting their recommendations to suit my preferences, and, finally, the last gown I tried on, a beautiful Maggie Sottero, was THE ONE.

While I probably could have saved $200 or $300 ordering my gown on-line from a discounter, my mother and I placed the order with the bridal shop because we were so impressed with their customer service. None of the bogus fee, like storage fees, shipping and handling, or any of that, were on our receipt. Just the price of the dress, which includes a matching purse and stole.

When I expressed my concern to the gown consultant about Maggie's rating in Alan and Denise's book related to a backlog of orders and occasional shoddy workmanship due to this designer's rapid growth, she told me honestly that this designer will not be accepting orders during the month of January and that my dress will probably be in by the middle of June at the latest. My wedding is September 21, so I left myself enough time for this contingency.

Since Fiori Bridal is the only authorized dealer for Maggie Sottero in Vermont, she also told me that the designer quickly corrects dresses that are sent from the manufacturer with flaws or in the wrong size, as the bridal shop does a 25-point inspection of each dress when it comes in BEFORE calling the bride to tell her the dress has arrived.

So, if you are looking for a great full-service bridal shop experience, check our Fiori Bridal in Essex Junction, Vermont.

A happy bride-to-be, :7
Miki