Bridal Shopping: How to ensure you DON'T get fleeced at a bridal wear store

So you entered that store with a pocket full of dreams of what your ideal outfit should look like, and the sales guy engages you in friendly, warm banter as you see outfit after outfit paraded around you. Here are easy traps to fall into and hacks to ensure you don't get fleeced!

Photo by The Wedding Salad★ 4.9

• Avoid the "Ma'am, where is the wedding?" question

It's a classic trap. You are engaged in friendly banter, and when he asks you the venue of the wedding, you reveal its going to be a posh 5 star hotel, or maybe a destination wedding. "Ring Ring Ring" - the sales person already upped your outfit price by 10%. Best to answer these questions like- We don't know yet.

• Looking for a Sangeet lehenga? Pretend to be the sister of the bride

We don't like to lie but the same lehenga when pitched to a sister of the bride is about 10% cheaper as compared to when pitched to a bride. The reason is because every store owner realises that the budgets for the bride's sister are always lesser, and your Sangeet lehenga doesn't have to be as elaborate anyway.

• Reducing 1-inch borders can save you upto 10K or more

Absolutely love a lehenga but it's not in your budget. Tiny alterations, like knocking that last border out, switching out your dupatta for a plainer one, or reducing the tiny border at the belt can easily knock of 20K of your lehenga even if the store owner says no. Be persistent. It pays.

• How to answer the "Madam, what is the budget" question

So, the first question you will be hit with is "Madam range kitna hai". Always have two prices in your head- one you are very comfortable paying, and one you would stretch to if you absolutely love something. It's always better to tell them a range 10% lower than what you are comfortable paying. If the stock doesn't impress you, then after about ten minutes tell them to show you items in your comfortable range and so on.

•  Wearing your engagement ring and mom wearing her solitaires not the best idea

While visiting a local hole in the wall store who doesn't work according to MRPs,  you don't want to be wearing diamonds. Whether you like it or not, local store salesman are trained to identify who has the capacity to spend what, and it is directly correlated to the amount of jewellery you wear.

• "Ma'am, where else have you taken a look"

Another classic trap to ascertain whether you are coming to their store as just a "Maybe I'll find a good deal here even though I'm willing to pay more" person or a "I'm genuinely restricted by my budget " person.

• Knowing your fabrics & embroideries

Know about silk, velvet and georgette and which fabric is more expensive than the other. This way, when someone throws a gassy statement about it being expensive because it's velvet, you can correct them and they know you are not. Same way, if you can identify Machine embroidery vs Hand work it works in your favour.

• Do not try on dresses you cannot afford

There will always be outfits you will go oooohing and aaaahing over which will be way beyond what you can pay. Just avoid them altogether , because after that, everything else you try on will seem to pale in comparison. Just block out the noise and focus on your budget.

• Leverage past shopping experiences at the same shop

The one thing even the most hard-nosed shop owner melt to is when you leverage past shopping experiences . Recount how your mom's outfit, or your sisters outfit was from the store (even if it wasn't- trust us they won't remember). It's a surefire way to get prices knocked off.

• Two shops often have the exact same piece

One of the things about bridal shopping when you are not going for designers - A lot of the stores end up having the exact same piece, at two very different prices. Real bride Shaina recounts" I saw a lehenga I loved at a store and I was ready to pay 1.2 lakhs for it, but I refrained and got the same thing at 80K at another store! So glad I waited". While you should not compromise on quality at all, do realize that these situations exist and it isn't anyone's fault - some stores invest more in interiors and better quality of customer service and deserve the extra amount they charge.