Ever done anything unethical, immoral or even illegal? If you’ve bought a fake designer wedding dress then it might surprise you to find out that you have done all three.
If you haven’t bought one but have been tempted, then here’s the case against buying fake designer wedding gowns.

We all know that replicating designs is against copyright laws and that fake, replica or counterfeit goods are illegal. In these credit crunch times however there are still some brides who have been so seduced by the promise of a wedding gown supposedly designed by a top bridal designer, for a ridiculous price, that they’ve given in to temptation and parted with their hard earned cash – only to realise, too late, that they have been duped.

It is estimated that the market for counterfeit goods could account for as much as 10% of world trade. Counterfeit trade is not a victimless crime and the buyers of often sub-standard designer copies are not the only victims. The original dress designer is illegally robbed of copyright protected designs and may have its reputation and profits significantly damaged.

For those who have given in to temptation, their saving is, in many cases, their loss as the cheap dress is often very different to the original in terms of material, workmanship and fit. Brides who buy online are unable to see what they’re buying until they’ve parted with the full price of the dress and if the company is not UK based then they’ll need to pay for shipping costs plus insurance, in case it gets lost on its way overseas. Once they receive their dress, assuming they are not horrified by what turns up in the post, the bride is almost certainly going to need to have it altered to fit at a local dressmaker’s, so the £100 price tag that tempted them will have by now probably doubled. The returns policy on some of these sites is questionable too as only some goods are returnable. The bride will have to foot the bill for any returns or exchanges so if it’s not what they were hoping for then they’ll be out of pocket to the tune of a two-way round the globe shipping cost - with no dress to speak of at the end of it! So their attempt to save money backfires and ends up costing them more in the long run.

Some websites that sell fakes show photos of the dresses straight from the designer’s website but their copy of the dress can look very different. They offer reassurances that the reason their prices are so low is because they are selling directly from the factory and do not have large overheads to pay like many UK bridal stores. The reality is more likely to be that they are using different materials to the high quality materials and workmanship the designer would use. Without this knowledge, when faced with a £1000 designer dress for just £100 – who wouldn’t feel tempted to ‘save’ £900? It’s important to understand that that saving, however, is someone else’s loss and there are better, and certainly more ethical ways to save money.

One bride, who posted her warning on ebay.co.uk, now admits she was naïve for having bought a fake designer dress online. She said:
“Having looked through a lot of websites, at various wedding dresses, I discovered the same photographs reappearing on numerous sites, with the wording ‘direct from my factory’. Being naïve, I decided to purchase a wedding dress online. The price was £24.99 with postage of £70.00 plus £3.00 postage and packing and the photograph which had attracted me showed a very expensive-looking designer dress. The dress arrived in a small A3 size padded envelope, with a veil and stole. The veil had a paper edging around it as you would find on a paper doily and the dress did not resemble the photo in any way. The finish on the dress was so amateurish I could have wept, the zip was badly put in and the material was substandard…”
She warns fellow brides-to-be:
“Girls, please be warned, be careful about buying from some of these

You step out of bed, stretch, smile to yourself. And start jumping up and down.. today’s the day… you’re going to buy the wedding dress of your dreams.

A consultant greets you, and armed with pictures and your closest girlfriends, you discuss styles and colour choices. Walking around the store, your hand sweeps across different gowns, feeling the soft fabrics. You imagine your fiancee’s face when he sees you walking down the aisle.

But wait. Your not in a bridal store. You’re in front of a computer, greeted by a boring, unfriendly screen.

Many of today’s brides are turning to the internet for selection of the most important purchase of their lives. While online retailers boast savings on their “no frills” internet price, what they don’t tell you may end up costing you much MORE. Savings on your online purchase may cost you a lot more in the long run. So what exactly is included in the “no frills” no-service price of online bridal and bridesmaid gowns? Research from top online ordering sites proved hidden costs and a lot of headaches.

Sizing & Alterations:

The most common problem from ordering online is choosing the correct size. One bridal salon told us of a bride who had ordered from the internet, “the gown came in and it was too small… it was a junior’s dress instead of an adult dress! The online store wouldn’t take the dress back, and the bride lost hundreds of pounds. We were in shock. The wedding was two weeks away. By ordering online, determining exact size can be difficult and the gowns often arrive and don’t fit, thereby forcing alterations that can wind up costing a small fortune. As every designer’s size chart is different, experienced bridal consultants at full service salons understand the sizing and fit of gowns from different manufacturers. A full service salon will order the best size to minimize, or eliminate, alterations costs, or can order the gown to the bride’s exact proportions. Additionally, Many bridal stores don’t allow gowns purchased outside of their salon to utilize their alterations person.

Shipping & Returns:

“Shipping and handling are not included in the gown quote.” Online retailers and shipping charges, and many times expensive rush fees, and bill the credit card without providing options. Our study found that online retailers are unwilling to accept returns on purchased items. Almost all online gowns are final sale, and if they arrive with imperfections or the wrong size, the online retailer will not allow returns of cancellations. After spending hundreds or thousands of pounds on a dream dress, if the item arrives with fabric flaws, sizing problems, or you hate the way it looks on you, “final sale, as-is gowns” can leave the bride in quite a dilemma. Many full service bridal salons (FSBS) adopt the same final-sale policy, but all salons we spoke with were more than willing to work with a bride if they were unhappy or the gown arrived with problems. Salons have the ability to call designers with dress problems, flaws, sizing issues, and other problems to offer replacement gowns.

Service from a local salon:

Full Service Bridal Salons (FSBS) provide years of service and experience with gown purchases. We found that working with an experienced bridal counsultant at a local salon can quickly put your mind at ease. With the dozens of options in designers, styles, colours, and choices, a consultant will help you select a gown that will fit your personal style, be flattering to your figure, and fit correctly. Most often, brides choose a style different from the one they originally had in mind. Surveying local salons, we found that many had this experience: “we have worked with brides who ordered dresses online, and were so disappointed with the style/size/color/etc that they ended up buying a dress from us and trying to sell the one they got such a great deal on. Now, they have put out the money for two dresses and are losing m

This shopped is based at the bottom of the High Street in Alness. It looks small on the outside but once you go in it really opens up right to the back of the store. The shop is full of wedding dresses and bridesmaids dresses. It is definately and bride to be's heaven shop. There are loads of different styles and the Lady that owns the shop is very helpful if you explain what you are looking for she will help or if you just want to browse she is happy just to leave you to it and is not pushy at all. They also have kilt hire so you can get everything in the one shop.

The items in the shop are all of very high quality, the shop has most dresses you see in bridal magazines which is great for you to see if it's as good as it looks. If you see something on the website you can email the staff and they will give you more details on the item.

It is very handy to have the shop in Alness instead of having to travel futher away, great location and easy access to the shop and very good opening times as well.

Check it out yourself
http://www.helphound.com/business/106515