Shopping a Bridal Sample Sale - Everything You Need to Know

Every summer bridal shops around the country participate in a National Bridal Sale Event! This is the best opportunity to get a designer wedding gown for a (sometimes heavily) discounted price!!

Shopping during a Sample Sale can be a little different than shopping so we want to share everything you need to know when shopping a bridal sample sale.

• Get to the sale early!

  • In true sample sale fashion, the first day of our sale is always “first come-first served”! The last couple of years we have had a line outside the door that was ready to go right at 10am. The earlier you shop, the bigger selection of dresses you will have to choose from.

  • We have 5 fitting rooms, so we will take the first 5 brides in line into the store to start shopping and we will take phone numbers from everyone else in line. Instead of waiting outside we will text you when it is time for you to come and shop!

• Be ready to say “YES” to the dress (and buy it)

  • Most stores will usually only have one dress of each style in store (on rare occasion there could be two but they are typically different sizes or colors), so if you find one you LOVE it is best to grab it while you can! You don’t want to be in a Monica from Friends incident… iykyk! ;)

Photo by: Pamela Abdelnour

• Most sample sales are “Cash-and-Carry” only

  • “Cash-and-carry” is an older term but essentially means the dress needs to be paid for and taken in order to get the sale price. It does NOT mean it has to be paid in cash - a debit or credit card works too!

• Have ideas of what you are looking for and the amount you are looking to spend before you come to the sale.

  • Bring photos of dresses when you come in and our consultants can assist you in your search for a dress by either pulling the exact dress you are looking for or similar styles. Our team tries to post sample sale gowns on our social media channels before the sale - coming with screen shots is a great way for us to help pull gowns you like! Be sure to see our “Sample Sale” story highlight on Instagram or our Facebook Event

  • It is very important to have an idea of how much money you are looking to spend on a dress because even though it is a sample sale we do still have dresses over $5000 (sample and special order), and unlike special ordering where you can do a minimum of a 50% deposit, sample sale dresses need to be paid in full.

• Keep your bridal entourage small

  • During the sample sale we will be seeing more brides at a time therefore we can only allow 2 guests to join you.

  • FaceTime is always a great option to show others - we are happy to supply the WiFi

  • We know this can be difficult for our brides so if you do say YES to the dress and want to show more people we recommend scheduling an accessory appointment (see #6 below) and bring a couple more guests.

• Try to look at accessories too!

  • While shopping for a dress during a sample sale can be a bit more hectic it is always important to remember to check out the accessories that are on sale too! This is our time to REALLY discount the veils, headpieces, belts, and sleeves we have in store.

  • If you said YES to the dress and did not get the chance to look at accessories you can always schedule a separate Accessory Appointment. During you Accessory Appointment you can bring your dress back into the store and take more time to try on different pieces with your dress.

Photo by: Pamela Abdelnour

• Wear (or bring) the appropriate undergarments

  • Nude panties or spanx/shape-wear is recommended and a strapless or sticky bra is great too!

A few other things to keep in mind that are specific to shopping the National Bridal Sample Sale at Piera’s Bridal (but likely still apply to many other bridal shops as well):

• All sales are final!

• We have samples in a variety of sizes - from 4-28, but most of the sizes are 10-16.

  • It is not recommended to buy a sample gown that is more than 2-3 sizes too big or 1-2 sizes too small. Our stylists can let you know if something is able to be altered or not.

• Sample gowns have not been worn but some tried on quite a lot

  • At Piera’s Bridal we do our absolute best to keep our sample gowns in good condition. and while the gowns have not been worn outside the store they have been tried on before. There can be damage to the gowns and they are priced “as is” so be sure to look over the dress before you buy it.

  • If you choose to have our alterations department handle tailoring your gown we will take care of any functional repairs that need to be done (faulty zippers, missing buttons or hook/eye, ect.) in addition to minor repairs to lace or beading. There is an additional charge for extensive beading damage.

The National Bridal Sale is happening in bridal shops around the US in the month of July! We are excited to share these crazy good deals with brides from July 13-19!!! See the “Sample Sale - 2024 National Bridal Sale” event for details.