FAQ
Currently, our gowns range from $1800 to $9500, most between $2700-$4700. We do not have traditional "sales" on our dresses at any time. We have trunk show incentives for a specific designer once or twice a year, which usually offer 10% off during the trunk show weekend only. We occasionally have sample sales once a year, but the only gowns discounted are our actual sample dresses that have been tried on before that we are now selling off the rack. If you are on a very short timeline, we recommend booking an appointment at our sister store, LVD Bridal, in Nashville or Seattle or shopping from their online selection of ready-to-ship dresses!
Yes! And you will be so happy you finally got something fitted perfectly for you. Alterations are an essential finishing touch to any gown. Alterations will make the gown truly yours. When purchasing a dress, we take your measurements to order your standard size. However, alterations are needed to fine tune. Whether that means taking in a dress to make it smaller for your hips, bust, or waist (or maybe everywhere), add cups, shorten straps, hem the length, and add the bustle for your train. Alterations are just a standard part of the whole process, and nothing to stress over! You will be so happy with the magic a talented, reputable seamstress can do. We currently offer a list of seamstresses you can consider working with, but our brides do not have to use these fit specialists. We leave the final choice of who will alter your gown up to you! We also recommend budgeting $500 to $800 for alterations with most seamstresses. The pricing can change dramatically depending on where you live. Some cities are more or less expensive than others as we all know!
No, the prices our gowns are listed at do not include alterations or any other charges like tax, special sizes or cup sizes, special/custom length, shipping, or rush charges.
If you are on a very short timeline, we recommend booking an appointment at our sister store, LVD Bridal, in Nashville or Seattle or shopping from their online selection of ready-to-ship dresses!
Talk with our stylists when your gown arrives to discuss the best plan of your time, schedule, budget, or other needs. If you do not live near our boutiques, we highly, highly recommend doing alterations where you live or somewhere near where you live instead. Why? Brides need multiple fittings (brides should plan on 2-4 fittings with a seamstress and the number of fittings cannot be guaranteed before) and the constant back and forth travel before the wedding can end up being a huge stress and expense. We would love to provide guidance on how to find a talented seamstress near you or we may even have recommendations already depending on where you live!
Sometimes less is more! We don't always agree with that, but when it comes to your wedding dress shopping we do! We often see brides having the best and easiest time with smaller parties. Of course everyone is unique and different, but having more than five people with you is often more stressful and less fun than one would think. We’re just trying to help our fellow brides out! Smaller groups allow you to actually be able to listen to yourself, your opinions, and how you feel. And that is the most important and indispensable opinion. You will hear a lot of opinions, but your opinion is the most valuable. You've got to trust your gut! We've seen a few too many brides in tears when friends and family forget who the appointment and shopping is for. You are the one who has to wear the dress and look at your photos in your dress forever! You should love it! On top of that, our boutiques are quaint and cozy. If you choose to bring more than five people, your friends and family may feel a cramped. Our boutiques (especially Seattle) accommodate groups of 4-6 most comfortably. Many of our brides shop alone or with one guest, and this works well for those brides too. If you come alone, we can assist you with photos and FaceTime if needed. Think of us as your bridal BFFs for the day.
We recommend shopping 10-14 months before your wedding date if possible. If you feel prepared to shop and buy your dress even before 14 months, please come our way! If you have less than 10 months, don’t worry. Please book your appointment promptly and we will help you find your dress. There are still many options in our boutiques that can be ordered and ready in time for your big day. For very short timelines (anything under three to four months), we have limited options that can be ordered and/or we may have a limited selection of gowns that can be sold off the rack. The availability of gowns that can be sold off the rack is limited and always changing. Please check with us before booking! If you are ordering less than six months before your wedding date, there may be rush fees that vary depending on the designer. It's best to start early! However, we usually don't recommend starting before you have a wedding date and venue for many brides, if you're not feeling ready to buy a wedding dress don't overwhelm yourself with shopping! We do have some dress-obsessed brides (just like us) and they find great success in dress shopping before booking a date and venue to ensure the dress they love matches the season/venue/vision. We love that! We also love when brides already have those parameters set with wedding dates and locations. We will work with you to find your dress either way! If you are on a very short timeline, we recommend booking an appointment at our sister store, LVD Bridal, in Nashville or Seattle or shopping from their online selection of ready-to-ship dresses!
Your wedding dress "foundations" depend on your specific wedding dress, body type, and goals. We are happy to give you as much advice as possible once you have chosen your gown! We also put together a post on "Under the Dress" essentials and shared all our expert tips and tricks, you can read our advice here and shop our favorite foundation pieces.
In-line with industry boutique standards, we carry one sample of each dress, usually either a bridal size 8 or 10. Bridal sizing runs differently than street sizing and varies with each designer. On average, a bridal 12 is similar to a street size 8. If the gowns are too big for you, we will use our handy dandy bridal clips to clip the dress tighter to give you a better idea. If the gown is too small we will clip the gown up to your undergarments. Unfortunately, the sample gowns will never be a perfect fit. But you have our promise that we will do all that we can to give you the best possible idea of how it will look!
We have cool, beautiful things no one else has, and we are proud of that! If you think your brand matches our aesthetic or know someone's designs that would be perfect for our boutiques please send an email to seattle@thedresstheory.com. We'll be in touch if we believe it's a good fit for our brand right now.
No, at this time we do not charge for appointments. Some of our locations have cancellation fees during busy times of year, but we only charge if a bride cancels within 48 hours or does not show up, aka “no show”, for their appointment without notifying us. We know wedding planning is an investment and do not run our business based on charging brides for appointments as we are not a designer showroom, but an elevated bridal retail boutique.
We do not carry every single dress by each of our designers, but if we do not have one you wanted to try please call/email before to see if we can arrange a loan for you. Alternatively, please book during a trunk show for that designer as they send us extra dresses from their collection often and offer a discount. Our inventory always changes so there is a chance we do not have a dress that is on our Instagram anymore. Please let us know if you want to try anything specifically before as we can tell you if it’s discontinued or possibly arrange a loan to borrow the dress if not.