Beyond Words

You fell in love with your dress the moment you put it on and the feelings you have for it and associate with it are beyond description. Now you have decided to part with it and are met with the challenge of describing the details that drew you to it to another bride to be. Using your own experience will help you accomplish a fitting tribute while enhancing your chances of making a successful sale. When you were shopping for a dress, were you looking for a specific designer or did you find one that you came to love? Some designers' gowns are highly sought after and you will want to promote that if you have a popular line. On the other hand, if that wasn't your priority, don't emphasize it in your ad. Next, can you describe in detail the design of the dress? Include the exact color, neckline, dress line, fullness, embellishments, fabric content, and flow of the dress. If someone closed their eyes as you describe it, they should be able to see a mental picture of it. Use adjectives, but try to be exact. For example, "It is a wonderful natural color, not stark white or dark ivory" gives more information than "white". The next question on a buyer's mind will probably be, "Will it fit?" Your measurements as your wore your dress will tell her alot, though she will ultimately have to decide if her body type is a good match. The importance of pictures can not be over emphasized. No matter what your measurements, it is important to see your body type and how the dress looked on a real person in real light. Try to include lots of different angles to catch the bodice, skirt, front, back, train, and bustle. Pictures of a dress on a model or worse, a hanger, are not as helpful. When someone was interested in my dress, and she told me she was barely a size that was larger than my dress, I discouraged her from buying it because I knew how it fit and felt and I knew a larger person would not have been happy with it. If I had been a sales person in a salon, I would have done the same thing. Ultimately, you should desire a happy customer when they invest in your dress. Lastly, there are details that are probably left unsaid. If the wedding fell apart, or you had a tragic event, or became pregnant and couldn't wear it...those details really provide too much personal information and the buyer may be turned off by it. Just remember this is a happy event for the buyer and a financial transaction for you.Your goal is to sell your dress, once. Being descriptive, honest, and open will give you the best chance. Just remember to be patient. There's a dress for every girl and a girl for every dress.