Trying on a wedding dress? think again!

Brides charged to try on wedding gowns
By Elle Halliwell
June 29, 2008 03:00am

HIGH-end designers are charging brides-to-be hundreds of dollars to try on wedding dresses - to deter single women and time-wasters.

They are tired of women wanting to emulate Toni Collette's character in the movie Muriel's Wedding, who tried on dresses for fun and fantasy.

Designers and bridal store owners in the UK and New Zealand routinely charge for first-time visits and now a growing numberof wedding dress businesses in Australia are following suit.

They say they are fed up with browsers who are either not getting married or can't afford the dresses they want to try on.

Designer Alex Perry already charges $350 for a two-visit consultation with women interested in buying one of his haute couture wedding creations, which are priced from $8000.

He said the charge, which was deducted from a purchase, was a good way to determine if they were serious about buying.

"It deters people who just want to come and pick my brain,'' he said.

"I'm at that stage in my career when it's fine if you do that, but you're going to have to pay me for it.''

Thought you might find this latest attempt to sting brides interesting. I can understand, the reasoning, but feel they are using the reason as a mask to get more cash.