It is an unfortunate fact of life that sometimes businesses will go out of business. When it is your favorite coffee shop or newsstand, it is a disappointment. When the shop that closes is the bridal shop from which you ordered your wedding gown, it can be a crisis.

It is often said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is especially true when you are planning your wedding. Your bridal gown is one of the most important parts of your wedding, so before you go shopping, it pays to ask for recommendations from other brides and your wedding vendors.

If you are using a wedding planner, she can be a particularly good resource, because she is likely to have all of the latest gossip about which stores may be teetering on the edge of solvency. A big red flag is a store that has to pay for all of its’ deliveries c.o.d Singapore bridal shop., because it indicates that they have a track record of not paying their vendors (the exception is with new accounts; many gown designers will not offer terms until they have worked with a store for up to a year). The concern is that the store may not have the cash on hand to receive your order when it arrives.

The way that things are usually done at a bridal store is that you leave them a deposit to order your gown (normally 40-60%), and then pay the balance when the gown arrives from the designer. This is done for the shop’s protection, to ensure that brides are serious about their order, and so that the store will have at least covered their cost if a dress is not picked up for some reason.

There are a few ways that a bride can protect herself when she is ordering a dress. First of all, get a contract in writing, and be sure that it lists your down payment. Many credit cards offer some sort of consumer protections, as well, so if yours does, use that for your deposit instead of writing a check. This way, in the unlikely event that the store does go out of business, you will have a better chance of recovering your deposit.

When bridal shops do close, it can be very difficult to track down the owners. If your gown has already been received at the shop, you are in a better position than if it is still on order. At least all you have to do is find someone to let you in so that you can pick up your dress. Many bridal shops will allow brides to leave their accessories at the store with their gown as a convenience; normally this is just fine. If you have anything irreplaceable, such as a piece of bridal jewelry that was handcrafted just for you, then it is safer to keep it in your possession (some stores will prefer that you only leave things like shoes and veils anyway, keeping your handcrafted bridal jewelry at your home).

For brides who are in the very unfortunate position of having a bridal shop close before their gown arrives, your best bet is to go straight to the vendor (this is one reason that you want to have a detailed contract). Let them know the situation, and find out if a) your gown was in fact ordered, b)if it is ready, and c) how you can get it.

A designer will rarely ship directly to a client, but they might be willing to send your gown to another nearby bridal shop. The only problem is that you if you were not able to recover your original deposit, you may very well still end up having to pay the full price for the dress to the second shop. If you are buying a very expensive designer gown, it might be a good idea to have wedding insurance, to ensure that you would be able to get your money back.

It is rare that a bridal shop suddenly closes, but it can happen. To try to make the best of a bad situation, do all that you can to put yourself in a good position beforehand. Hopefully, you will never need this advice, but if you do, at least you will be prepared.