Top 5 Benefits of Buying Off-The-Rack Wedding Dresses

When planning a wedding, brides often feel that their list of things to do is never-ending. “Where should we get married? Which photographer should we use? What should our color scheme be?” When brides get around to asking the question, “Where should I shop for my wedding dress?” The Altar Bridal has an answer for you!

The Altar Bridal is an off-the-rack bridal outlet located in Barrington, Illinois, which is about 35 miles Northwest of Chicago. We are Illinois’ largest bridal outlet with over 1,000 dresses in our store. Every single one of our dresses is off-the-rack. This means that you get to take your dress home the same day you say YES!

Are There Benefits to Buying an Off-The-Rack Wedding Dress?

Yes! There are many, many benefits to shopping off-the-rack and we are here to share all of the off-the-rack ins and outs!

Benefit #1: Budget-Friendly

As an off-the-rack boutique just outside Chicago, our dresses can either be brand new or they can be sample gowns. A sample gown is one that another boutique had brides try on while shopping. Our sample gowns have been tried on, but they have never been worn. When a gown is off-the-rack, it can be sold at a reduced price. Gowns at The Altar Bridal can be anywhere between $500 and $3,000. The vast majority of gowns are in the $1,200 to $2,200 range! There are stunning dresses at our store (that are in pristine condition) being sold at top boutiques in Chicago for a much higher price.

Weddings can be very costly, often being more expensive than brides are imagining. It is important to a lot of brides to save money when and where they can, and your bridal gown is an excellent area of your wedding to do so! While shopping off-the-rack, you are able to get a beautiful designer gown, for a fraction of the price they normally are. Sign me up!

Benefit #2: What you see, is what you get!

When shopping at bridal boutiques where they order your gown for you, many things should be considered. How far away is your wedding date? Will your dress be shipped in time for alterations? Will the total cost of your dress go up significantly due to shipping and tariffs? Will the designer send the dress in the correct size? Will the designer send it in the correct color? These are all fair and common questions that arise when ordering wedding gowns.

When shopping off-the-rack at The Altar Bridal, you do not have to ask any of these questions! This is because what you see, is what you get! You get to take home the exact dress you try on. You will not have to worry if you like how the color looks, if the dress fits properly, or if the dress will be ready in time for your wedding date. All of those questions will be answered before you even say YES to the dress! This is an incredible perk to shopping off-the-rack and helps brides be less stressed when planning every other portion of their wedding day.

Benefit #3: A Sustainable Choice

While shopping off-the-rack, one can be confident knowing that they have made a smart and sustainable choice. This is because you are not ordering a dress and therefore no shipping is required. When ordered, most bridal gowns travel hundreds of miles before even seeing the boutique you ordered from. When you choose a gown off-the-rack, you take your dress home, which is where you were headed anyway! You can be confident and content knowing that while purchasing an off-the-rack wedding dress, you are not adding to your carbon footprint.

Buying an affordable off-the-rack gown also gives that dress a second life. That dress did its previous job of being a sample and showing brides what they could look like on their wedding day. And now, that same dress has a second life of being one individual bride's perfect dress that they get to take home the same day!

Benefit #4: Immediate Take-Home

As an off-the-rack boutique in Illinois, we see many brides who have a short timeline. This can mean anything from a bride getting married in a couple weeks, or getting married in a couple of days!

This is a big benefit of off-the-rack because it gives brides who are on a short timeline the chance and opportunity to feel like they are getting the full bridal experience on short notice. They do not have to resort to department stores or online shopping. They can still have the full wedding dress shopping experience on a shorter and quicker timeline than others. Just because brides are sometimes working with short timelines, doesn't mean they don’t want to feel like a bride! At The Altar Bridal, our master stylists and entire team do everything they can to make this a reality for every bride who steps into our boutique!

Benefit #5: Unique Styles

As an off-the-rack boutique just outside Chicago, we are proud to carry over 1,000 beautiful and unique dresses. Each gown we have in store is part of a carefully curated collection that our store owner has hand-picked. Our store owner has over 20 years of bridal experience and brings an abundance of knowledge to our off-the-rack boutique. She makes sure that we have a dress for every bride! This includes different silhouettes, different sizes, and even some different colors!

When other boutiques work with designers, they are able to have specific styles in their salons. These are always beautiful and usually the designer’s newest and most popular styles. But sometimes designers decide to discontinue certain dresses. When designs become discontinued, salons will usually want to sell their sample dress, since they can no longer order it for their brides. This gives our off-the-rack boutique an opportunity to bring those dresses into our shop. Our brides will then have the chance to see a newly one-of-a-kind dress! This is extremely special for any bride and something that will make their dress even more perfect!

Now You Know All the Benefits to Buying an Off-The-Rack Wedding Dress!

Now that you know all of the benefits of shopping off-the-rack, come visit us at The Altar Bridal! We can’t wait to help you find the dress of your dreams!