If you find a dress that is soiled/unclean, ask the consultant if they offer cleaning. They may give you a deal on cleaning the dress you buy off the rack from them, if it is soiled. Remember these gowns have been on countless people and rubbed against their skin, leaving unclean edges. Don’t be afraid to ask about cleaning or if they have a place they can refer you to to get a deal on cleaning. Some salons, before placing the gowns on the rack, do clean them or will offer to clean them up a bit after the sale. If the gown is noticeably soiled, don’t be afraid to ask to have some money taken off. You should expect fairly clean garments. Meaning if there is a very definite brown ring around the top of the bust, on the dress or around the hem, you should expect that a salon works with you to improve if not correct that. You wouldn’t buy a dirty shirt, so why a dirty wedding dress. You wouldn’t receive an ordered dress soiled, so don’t settle for a dirty wedding dress. The same goes for consignment dresses. If the consignee can be contacted by the salon, ask if they can take off some money for cleaning, they didn’t wear it dirty and neither should you. Plus, a salon should not sell consignment that has not been cleaned, and if they do, ask that they clean it or that they provide this service and give you a small or significant deal to get it cleaned. A good salon can tell you how you can safely clean a dress at home too. It will be a large amount of work if it’s a big dress, but it could save you a ton in the end. Another big thing with cleaning, ensure that the cleaner it goes to is certified and trained properly to clean wedding dresses. Not just anyone can dry clean a dress. Those who know what they are doing will clean it properly according to its fabrics and appliques, as not all dresses can be dry cleaned.
You go into a bridal salon and go straight for the discount rack or are determined that you are only buying off the rack so you can save some money and stress on ordering a dress. Off the rack dresses have been worn by countless women who have tried them on. You can expect these gowns to be a little worn out in places. A few beads may be missing or a ruch is pulled and hanging. The hem may be a little worn, as well as some wear along the top. Inside a dress may be a couple of makeup or lipstick marks (which is why you should never wear makeup to these appointments). The reality is these dresses are of no use to the salon for order stock so they get cleared or they have been damaged in shipping and are being replaced, so the salon needs them to clear out. Before you buy a dress off the rack or on a sale rack, inspect it. This, as a bride paying good money, is your right. If you find a flaw, point it out and ask if there is a good way to fix it. If your buying off the rack and a gown has damage, you have every right to ask for some more off the dress, as your the one who will ultimately pay repairs and to wear that dress. If the salon offers to repair it, make sure it’s not going to cost you a whole lot, or even anything. They offered, usually so they can sell it “as is” and get the tag price out of it. A dress with damage that has been noted by the staff should have a tag or sign that says “as is”.
So, if a gown is very visibly soiled or very dirty, you hold every right to request they help you somehow to correct it. Either by a discount, a deal on cleaning, or offering repairs/cleaning through their salon that may cost you little or nothing. It depends on the salon, but 99% hold a high standard for what they sell and you should hold them to a high standard for what you purchase.
Remember, if a salon offers cleaning services, you have every right to ask for a deal or discount on that service if the dress is visibly dirty/soiled, as they are essentially selling you a dress that is not clean. If they offer the service, a good salon will give you a good deal on the cleaning in their salon. If you are unwilling to go with them to have it cleaned, ask to have some of the cost of cleaning taken off the dress, even 10% or up to 100 dollars off (if it is reasonable to take that much off, say an $800 off the rack dress or $500 sale rack dress) to help make cleaning it a little more affordable to you. If they refuse to work a small deal, you may not want to rely on them for further assistance beyond ringing through the dress. All of this of course is personal preference and there are options to cleaning the gown that won’t cost you a fortune. Don’t worry though, many salons ensure that their gowns are kept fairly clean through stopping people from wearing shoes from outside, having the dresses in a “clean zone”, no food or drink and attempt to dress brides by avoiding letting the gown touch their face. Some salons even require you to wash your hands before touching the gowns.
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