FAQ

Please read Your Appointment at Dress Gallery for more information on how to prepare for your bridal gown experience!

Updated 12/18/2021: Dress Gallery has decided to follow recommended CDC guidelines for retail stores. Masks are no longer required for patrons or staff, but Dress Gallery employees will happily wear a mask during appointments should the bride request. Dress Gallery staff members are all fully vaccinated. Groups are limited to six guests with guests being over age 10 (unless being measured as a wedding party member.) We politely ask that children stay at home during appointments due to the sensitive nature of our items. Strollers are not allowed in Dress Gallery. Our door is no longer locked; come on in!

Yes, appointments are required for bridal. We welcome brides to bring 6 guests to their bridal appointments and prom shoppers to have two guests. All guests must be age 10 or older. Please, no strollers within Dress Gallery. You can book an appointment online, giveus a call at 316-264-6688, or text us at 316-351-8565. We can’t wait to style you!

It varies on the type of appointment. Bridal & bridesmaids appointments are scheduled for 90 minutes each. Single bridesmaids and tuxedo appointments are scheduled for 1 hour. Fitting appointments are scheduled for 45 minutes.

We encourage you to bring your own strapless bra just in case. (Most babes don’t wear bras at all to try on dresses. That’s totally fine by us! It’s whatever your comfort level is.) We do ask that you wear appropriate undergarments. Underwear is required to try on bridal gowns.

 

At this time, we are not requiring masks during appointments unless requested by the bride.

 

Other than your required undies & masks, we recommend having a great hype squad, inspiration pictures, and an open mind!

At this time, brides are invited to bring six guests to their appointment. All guests must be over the age of 10. Even though COVID-19 has thrown us for a loop, we’ve honestly found that limiting the number of guests in your entourage actually makes the experience better for the bride. It gives you a manageable hype squad, but keeps the appointment focused on you. We’ve decided to keep this maximum recommendation indefinitely, both for safety measures and efficiency!

Prime wedding dress shopping time is 9 – 12 months prior to your wedding with the sweet spot being 9 months. Real talk, fam: due to international shipping delays and logistics issues, many designers have increased their turnaround time and began charging shipping surcharges. Giving yourself plenty of time eases any anxieties and makes sure we don’t have to incur rush fees to get the gown here faster (which is totally do-able, if needed! Rush fees vary by designer.) Gowns sold off-the-rack are limited to the sizes and colors here in store. Basically, girl, if you’re gonna order, SHOP EARLY!

We do not do alterations in-house. Our girl Juliana over at Quickstitch is a literal seamstress goddess who is capable of all sorts of magical things. We recommend her whole-heartedly. Alterations can take up to 3 months to complete; we recommend giving any seamstress at least 6 to 8 weeks.

We totally love multi-tasking, but when it comes to shopping for your bridal gown, the focus should be on you. We do not schedule bridesmaids during bridal appointments. The bridal appointments are scheduled for 90 minutes and normally take the majority of that time – we don’t want to cut your time short! It is also so much easier on our consultants to focus on the bride if the appointments are separate. We can always book your bridesmaids appointment before you leave!

We do not rent prom or bridal gowns. If you’re interested in rentals, there are some local places in town we can recommend!

Prom shopping is walk-in only this year! During our busiest season time of the year, we often reach capacity on the weekends, so there may be a wait for a dressing room. We ask that prom shoppers bring no more than two guests with them while shopping due to limited spaced. No strollers are allowed in Dress Gallery. A stylist can help you into your dresses, pin and clamp if necessary, and make recommendations on our inventory. No holds are allowed on prom dresses with no exceptions. If you love it, snag it! We DO NOT stock dresses in the same size/color and ordering prom dresses is extremely difficult. Prom dresses are eligible for payment plans with a card on file to be completed within 60 days.

The biggest reason why bridal runs so small is because bridal accommodates all sizes. That means small sizing needs to accommodate even the smallest of brides. Plus, culturally speaking, our society is larger than we were 50 years ago. Most designers have modernized their sizing to be body inclusive. To be able to fit women of all sizes, the size chart leans on the small size, but don’t worry – it’s just a number on a tag, girl!

Much like street clothing, sizing varies per designer. While you might be one size in one designer, you could be a different size in a different designer. When you’re ready to purchase your gown, your specially trained bridal consultant will take your measurements, compare them to the designer’s size chart you need, and determine your correct size.

 

We are happy to help get you need sized for a dress not purchased through Dress Gallery with a $15 Measuring Fee.

Guuuuurl, don’t you worry – we’ve got ALL the sizes. Typically, bridal gown sample sizes are between 8-14, but we do have smaller and larger sample sizes available, too. We carry over 150+ plus size gowns ranging from size 16-26, although larger sizes can be ordered. We pride ourselves on having a body inclusive selection of gowns!

Usually, yes! Bridal designers normally offer multiple “color ways” for each style of dress. Almost all gowns are available in ivory or white, while many of our currently popular gowns feature champagne, blush, blue, and even black undertones. Adding color to your wedding gown is an easy way to really make your dress feel like yours! Bridesmaids dress samples usually come in one color, but are available to be ordered in a large variety of colors. Ask your consultant to look at the designer’s color swatches!

Bridal shopping is totally different than normal shopping. Each season, our management team picks the gowns we want from the designer, but then also requests a size & color. This allows us to have one representative sample gown from the designer, even if there are a myriad of colors and styles available. Think about it – we have almost 1500 SAMPLE gowns in store, can you imagine the amount of square footage we’d need if we carried every dress in every color and size!? We make our samples fit using clamps & clips so you can get a visualization of what each dress would look like in your size.

There is no food or drink allowed inside Dress Gallery. Due to the delicate nature of our items, we can’t take the chance with drinks back in our bridal suites. (We had a previous incident with Mountain Dew: Code Red that has scarred us forever.) We don’t have tables in our bridal suites, which often means drinks end up on the floor….which in turn ends up on our carpet or, even worse, the dress. We’ve partnered with a local business so Dress Gallery brides can have the opportunity to celebrate afterwards, merely two doors down from our location, so don’t worry, girl – we’ve got you after!

At Dress Gallery, we want your experience to be nothing short of exceptional. Sales policies vary per department, so be sure to read our fully inclusive policies attached to the bottom of your receipt. General store sales policies are as follows:

    • All sales are final. No returns, refunds, or exchanges. All deposits are non-refundable and cannot be applied toward another purchase.
    • All special orders require a 60% deposit to be ordered. We do not order items until 60% of the balance has been paid.
    • Remaining balances must be paid within 60 days of purchase. We place special orders on a payment plan with a card on file to be deducted automatically within the 60 days at varying intervals you can chose.
    • Payment plans are required. All payment plan items must be paid-in-full within 60 days. Deposits placed on forfeit payment plan items are nonrefundable.
    • Once special ordered, items cannot be cancelled, returned, or refunded. Cancellation fees apply for items already in production. All deposits are forfeit on cancelled orders.
    • A monthly storage fee of $50 will apply to all items remaining at Dress Gallery after 60 days of arrival (or purchased as a layaway). All balances must be paid in full before an item leaves the store.
    • Menswear sales policies vary based off the rental nature of the items. Rental policies will be covered during your consultation.

For special ordered items, complimentary storage is available for 60 days after the dress’s arrival. For layaway items, complimentary storage is available for 60 days after the date of purchase. After 60 days, a $50 monthly storage fee applies. All balances must be paid in full before the item leaves the store.

That’s okay! Challenge accepted, though, girlfriend. 80% of our brides find their gowns on the first appointment. Keep in mind that our in-demand consultants may have to schedule you weeks out for a return appointment, so don’t be afraid to say “Yes!” when you find something you love! Third appointments will have a member of our management team as consultant and a $50 service fee will apply.

We require a card on file for bridal and bridesmaids appointments. All cancellations require a 48 notice prior to appointment time or they are subject to a $50 cancellation fee. No-shows incur the same charge. If you find your gown same day at another store and wish to change your bridal appointment at DG to a bridesmaid appointment, a $50 charge will incur.

Bridal gowns are Dress Gallery start at $1200 and can go as high as $3000 with the average amount being around $1700. Off-the-rack and sale gowns are available in some circumstances, but not all and are limited to the sizes and colors here in the store. Please see our social media for information regarding our sample sales! Bridesmaids dresses average between $179-$229 (but don’t forget, DG brides receive discounts on their ‘maids and men!) Our bridal accessories, such as veils and hairpieces, can range from $100 to $700 depending on style.

 

Menswear package rental pricing varies based off what you’re looking for. Complete packages begin at $159.95, with the average price being between $219.95-$229.95. (This includes their shoes!) We also have partial packages available along with a-la-carte ordering. Dress Gallery brides receive discounts on full package rentals! Want to purchase your menswear items? We got you! Mens purchase suits range from $275-$700.

International shipping logistics and supply chain issues have definitely affected shipping times, shipping fees, and lead times on bridal gowns, bridesmaids dresses, and menswear. We do our best to work with all of our designers to ensure accurate ship times and navigating the tumultuous changes in the supply chain. Every designer ships at a different rates, but the average turnaround time on bridal gowns is almost 20 weeks. Most of our designers have implemented shipping surcharges for bridal gowns, so we have implemented a standard $49.99 shipping fee for all bridal gowns. This covers the additional shipping increases and additional fees passed down from the designer.

 

At this time, bridesmaids dresses are shipping around 16 weeks. Currently, we do not have additional shipping fees or surcharges for bridesmaids.

 

Rush fees are separate charges from shipping fees. Rush fees are additional charges paid to the designer to make items at a faster production rate while shipping fees are specific to the supply chain getting the dress to us.