Is it worth it?

kelnyc · January 2010

Ok ladies, I am having a dilemma of conscience vs bank account. I got a quote from a very reputable gown cleaning and preservation company here in New York that uses organic products, picks up and delivers the finished dress, and is used by celebs, rich people, etc. It will cost $450 plus a tip for the delivery guy. However, the discount bridal warehouse from which I purchased my dress also has a service for $250, but I would have to drop it off, then they MAIL it back to me (really?), don't offer insurance (not that that would make me feel better if anything happened to it) and I can't find a website for them. So, do I spend practically the entire portion of my commission check that I allotted to myself (the other part goes to taxes and savings) or take my chances because the girl I spoke to on the phone said they've "never had a problem"? She seemed nice and all, but she's not the one doing the work. I have the money to go with the hi-end place, but do I want to? What would you do?

krc18 · January 2010

Ok I may not be the right person to ask for this because through all of the wedding process I learned over and over again "you get what you pay for". My parents footed the bill for everything so we opted to go cheaper and over and over again I encountered problems. Like major problems. And my mom would say, "they do this all the time" and "they were recommended by so and so" and each step turned out to be a battle and a nightmare. So after all of that, I am skiddish and paranoid about things going wrong when it comes to wedding related things and if I had the money, I would pay extra for the peace of mind. I know everyone doesn't think like me and the other place may be fine and do a good job...but for me I would pay more for the better placeeven if I was just paying for my sanity. (With that said, I could never afford that much so in all actuality when I get my dress cleaned it will probably get mailed to a stranger or something!)

nicoleabrock · January 2010

I would go to neither because I don't like the idea of the dress getting mailed back to me and I wouldn't want to spend $450 on the other service. I would take it to a dry cleaners that specializes in wedding gown cleaning and preservation. Check out yelp.com or some other website that does reviews on businesses to find a good one.

munkii · January 2010

I'm not so keen on the idea of 1) sending your dress to a place that you can't look up and 2) trusting a place that won't insure your dress. I know insurance won't mend a broken heart, but it will help restore your pocketbook. Go with the more expensive method.

wittyschaffy · January 2010

I'm with nicole - I am not a huge fan of the post office (and I'm bitter today because they left my W2 hanging OUTof my mailbox in the RAIN yesterday. Hmm - can we possibly attract identity thieves please?). If they can't close the lid on my mailbox, I am not going to trust them to not drop my dress out of their semi and run it over. Melodramatic - perhaps. I'll eventually take mine to a local drycleaner with a good reputation.

karma007 · January 2010

I had my dress (in a previous life) done at a local, reputable dry cleaner, and they did a great job. No, it wasn't eco friendly or anything like that, but it was local and cost effective. I wouldn't have mailed it anywhere.

kelnyc · January 2010

nicoleabrock:
I would go to neither because I don't like the idea of the dress getting mailed back to me and I wouldn't want to spend $450 on the other service. I would take it to a dry cleaners that specializes in wedding gown cleaning and preservation. Check out yelp.com or some other website that does reviews on businesses to find a good one.

That's exactly how I found this place, and it had a lot of great reviews. I know $450 sounds like a lot but in New York, it's not really that bad. I am leaning towards going with the expensive place, because I do, in fact, have the money right now. I was actually waiting for this commission check so I could have my dress cleaned, but part of me wants to have a little left over to spend on myself other than then dress. I have one more place that I'm waiting for a quote from, but if it's about the same, i think I'm just gonna go with the best place. no shoe shopping for me! Wink

Karen2905 · January 2010

karma007:
I had my dress (in a previous life) done at a local, reputable dry cleaner, and they did a great job. No, it wasn't eco friendly or anything like that, but it was local and cost effective. I wouldn't have mailed it anywhere.

I did this as well, except my MIL works at the cleaners. It worked out just fine. A note, though... the dress isn't boxed in the cleaners. It's sent away and returned to them by mail. So if mail is a concern for you, be aware of that.

Frankly, there's a lot of truth in the "you get what you pay for" comment. It sounds to me like you have concerns about the other place. Go with the more expensive one if a) it's financially possible and b) you'd be more at ease with it.

Cipolla2Be · January 2010

nicoleabrock:
I would go to neither because I don't like the idea of the dress getting mailed back to me and I wouldn't want to spend $450 on the other service. I would take it to a dry cleaners that specializes in wedding gown cleaning and preservation. Check out yelp.com or some other website that does reviews on businesses to find a good one.

Agree!

Is it worth it?

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