Store Policies and Proceedures

Thank you for shopping at Lasting Impressions Bridal Boutique.  Our store has been serving brides for over 20 years.  At Lasting Impressions, we strive to:  1)  Provide a great selection of beautiful and fashionable gowns, 2)  Make shopping for the perfect gown fun, exciting and satisfying, 3)  Give expert help with all wedding fashion needs  4)  Provide expert alterations, and 5)  Offer expert advice and support up to the wedding day.  Please read this overview.  It will help us avoid mistakes and enable everything to run more smoothly. 

 

            Normal Orders:  After you order your gown, we make a file for you with all your information and your bridesmaid’s information.  Your sales person will follow you and your file all the way through your wedding day.  All ordering is done with a lot of lead time built into it by Lasting Impressions and the manufacturer.  We recommend placing your order for a wedding gown at least five months in advance.

 

Rush Orders:  If you place a rush order, please be patient and realize that there could be some anxious moments.  Ship dates are approximate and circumstances beyond our control may cause dresses to ship a few days later.  We cannot control the manufacturer after we put in a rush order.  With that said, we do our best to get you rush orders within the rush date.

 

Bridesmaid Dresses:  Please take advantage of our “Bridesmaid Mimosa Party”.  You can schedule a Saturday morning (10:00 a.m.) to invite your bridesmaids to try on and/or choose your bridesmaid dresses.  Bring your own refreshments and enjoy the store before our regular hours begin.

We understand that bridesmaid dresses present a dilemma for brides.  You want the perfect wedding, but you are sensitive to the amount of money your friends and family must spend.  You have to find a fashion statement that fits a variety of different budgets, ages and figures.  We strive to provide a wide variety of styles to fit your taste and budget. 

Bridesmaids sometimes become frustrated due to the confusion presented by out of town sizing, dress costs, alteration costs, and pick up times.  Please, please talk to your bridesmaids.  Tell them the total cost of their dress.  Inform them that the dresses come in generic sizes and all bridesmaid dresses must be altered and there will be a charge for the alterations.  After that, we will do our best to provide fast, timely and courteous service.

All bridesmaid dresses within the wedding party must be paid for in full before they are ordered.  They must be ordered all at the same time.  (We do this because we have found it cuts down on errors by us and the manufacturer).  This is your responsibility to remind your bridesmaids to get their measurements to us in a timely manner.  Remind them to pay careful attention to measurements and the dress size ordered.  She will sign off on the size ordered.  Once ordered, the bridesmaid will be responsible for paying for the dress even if it is the wrong size.  Take a few extra minutes to discuss measurements and sizes with the salesperson and get it right the first time.  We don’t mind taking extra time to prevent future problems.  It is best to order bridesmaid dresses four months in advance.

 

Steaming and Pressing:  We provide you with two free steamings.  It is your responsibility to make an appointment to have your dress steamed.  Dresses are steamed only on Tuesday of each week.  Requests made after Tuesday are fulfilled the next week.  The seamstress does not make steaming appointments.  If your dress gets soiled during your portrait, it will need to be cleaned before your second steaming.  We charge $95.00 to send the gown to our cleaner.  We are only able to spot clean very minor spots ( no more than two!)  We are not a dry cleaner and cannot risk harming your gown.  We must have your gown at least a two weeks in advance for your second free steaming.

 

Tuxedos:  We have the best looking tuxedos, the best service and the lowest prices in town. Our tuxedos rent for $124.00 (after the 15% discount) for everything including the shoes.  If you find a comparable tuxedo at another store at a lower price, we will match that price with an additional $5.00 off!  Just bring in the written price from that store. 

 

Lasting Impressions can help you coordinate your tuxedos with your gown.  Tuxedos are an important part of your wedding fashion.  Let us help you get the look you are seeking.  We can also rent you destination tuxedos for a slightly higher price that you keep for a week or more.

 

Have your fiancé tell his attendants to take careful measurements if they have them done out of town.  Tell the attendants to compare their tux measurements with their normal clothing sizes.  The sizing should be similar.  We ask that Tuxedos be paid for in full at the time measurements are taken. 

 

Please handle your tuxedo needs during the week so we can spend ample time with you (we are just too swamped on Saturday).  Pickups for Tuxedos are available Thursday and Friday.  Re-fits must be picked up at Anderson’s at Plano Parkway and Central Expressway (972 423-4233).  Remember, measuring and sizing is an initial estimate and everything must be tried on to confirm the fit.  If there is a fitting problem, we will have a replacement the next day.  So plan accordingly.

 

ALTERATIONS

 

            Please make all alteration appointments with a front desk salesperson.

 

Lasting Impressions Bridal provides in-house alterations.  We are happy to help you with your alterations.  Our seamstress has over twenty five years of experience in tailoring and alterations.  She does expert fitting and alterations. 

 

She operates her own alterations business, but uses our facilities for your convenience.  She sets her own prices.  Please discuss pricing with her.  She will give you an estimate for alterations.  Please make sure you are happy with the estimate before you leave the dress with her.  If you would like another estimate, we can provide you with other names.  The seamstress is paid through our store, so please make all checks payable to Lasting Impressions.  We require a 50% deposit for wedding gown and bridesmaid alterations.  

 

            Please keep in mind that she performs precise and demanding alterations.  She needs plenty of time to do her careful work.  Frequently, she is altering garments worth thousands of dollars.  She will not allow herself to rush.  A garment should be brought in for alterations eight to ten weeks before the wear date.  Our seamstress generally has three weeks of work waiting for her to complete.  During the busy season, she will finish your gown at least two weeks before your wedding date.  Alterations are scheduled for completion based upon the wedding date.  Please get an appointment time for first and second fittings.

            Some alterations require three fittings.  The hem must sometimes be altered after the initial changes to other parts of the garment.  Please be patient if three fittings and two alterations are required. 

           

            We realize that alterations are a significant expense to you.  However, the expert tailoring is what transforms a garment into your own unique fashion statement.  Your dress becomes an expression of you own individual taste and figure.  Our seamstress is in high demand and we are happy that she is here to serve you.

 

            Bridesmaid Dresses:  Bridesmaid dresses are a unique challenge to alterations.  Unfortunately, the dresses must frequently be purchased to fit one part of your figure while knowing that the dress will not fit another part of your figure.  We wish that we could sell you a bridesmaid dress that did not need altering.  Dress makers, however, make dresses for average measurements that will usually not fit an individual, unique figure. VIRTUALLY ALL bridesmaid dresses must be altered.  Alterations will add $30.00 to $125.00 to the cost of the dress.  Some dresses will require two fittings because for instance, taking in the bodice will affect the hem length.  And, our seamstress cannot rush altering a bridesmaid dress any more than she can rush a wedding gown.  Remember to give us six weeks for alterations to be completed. 

 

 

Thank you from the staff of Lasting Impression Bridal Boutique.  We work hard to make your wedding fashion a wonderful experience for you.