Know your sweetheart from your scoop? Trumpet from your fishtail? If the excitement of choosing your wedding dress is beginning to get a little overwhelming, don’t worry! We’re here to help!
Starting with the difference between a Trunk Show and a Sample Sale, so that our LOVE brides can take advantage of every opportunity to find the wedding dress of their dreams.
What is a Trunk Show?
You may have heard this term whilst on your wedding dress hunt and this basically refers to an event where a boutique will receive an extended collection of gowns (sometimes between eight to twenty or more additional gowns!) from a particular designer for the duration of the event only.
Most bridal boutiques stock a good selection of dresses from each of their designers, but it’s impossible to stock an entire collection. So this kind of event is perfect if you’re a bride who is religiously following or pinning a specific designer.
What’s more, the designer on show may even offer a small discount for gowns purchased on the day of an event. So come with a ready to buy attitude!
What is a Sample Sale?
This is the bridal industry term for a very special opportunity to get your hands on a gown that you love at a cheaper price, as you will be buying our boutique ‘Sample’ of this specific gown. This might be because a dress has been discontinued and a new one can no longer be made by the designer or simply because we are making room in the boutique for brand new dress arrivals when a new collection is launched by a designer (sadly we can’t keep them all but we wish we could!).
As this will be a bride’s last chance to buy these exquisite dresses and because they are sample dresses bought ‘off the peg’, we usually offer them at a reduced price. And, for those brides who have done their research, we can promise these are deals you won’t want to miss! Gowns tend to range from a bridal size 10 to a size 12/14 (with a few either side of this). The gowns are sold as seen and are non-refundable.
Sample sales are ideal for brides who yearn for a designer dress, but whose budget won’t quite stretch. They are also great for brides with less than 6 months to go before their big day, as they won’t have enough time to order a brand new dress for it to arrive in time for their wedding. Or even for brides who know exactly what style and fit of dress suits them, so they can make a quick decision which dress to purchase on the day – as I guarantee, these dresses are never available after a Sample Sale has taken place.
Both events are highly sought after, and we often have a waiting list of brides hoping to attend. If you want to be the first in line next time we run either of these exclusive events, sign up to the LOVE Club to receive our newsletter, or follow us on Instagram and Facebook to make sure you’re the first to hear about our upcoming events.
Lots of love, Emma xo