These Terrible Knockoffs Are Why You Shouldn't Buy A Wedding Dress Online

    #DressFails

    Julie Gerstein
    by Julie Gerstein

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Sure, ordering at dress off the internet seemed like a good idea at the time.

    nottingham.tab.co.uk

    Except! When it gets to you and it's not at all what it looked like online.

    Facebook: KnockoffNightmares

    Disgruntled brides-to-be have taken to Facebook pages like Knock Off Nightmares to post their frustration with sites that falsely advertise their bridal gowns.

    Facebook: KnockoffNightmares

    Knock Off Nightmares warns that ordering from cheap online retailers that promise to you an "unbelievable" bargain gown or a beautiful designer dress for a tiny price are most likely scams.

    Facebook: KnockoffNightmares

    Even pages that purport to have thousands or millions of fans can be scams. Just because a site has a pretty designer picture on its page doesn't mean that's at all what will be delivered to your door.

    A beautiful picture on a website is no guarantee.

    Facebook: KnockoffNightmares

    And what's worse: Once you've received your dress it's often way too late to fix anything.

    The problem is when sites use designer stock photos to try and sell designer knock off dresses.

    Facebook: KnockoffNightmares

    The creators of Knock Off Nightmares warn on their Facebook page, "there are no online sites that show stock designer photos at a fraction of the real price that we ever would recommend. You are not getting the dress in the photo, you are getting their knock off version — which can vary from 'ok, I can get away with this' to 'not on my worst day would I wear this.'"

    What's worse, site owners often falsify testimonials to make their products look better. According to Knock Off Nightmares, "You never know what you are going to get because testimonials can not be trusted; site designers add the testimonials, so they can add what ever they want. Some people actually have decent experiences and that is great, but most people don't."

    Or how about this one? How is the gown on the right at all similar to the one on the left? Like, at all?

    Facebook: KnockoffNightmares

    YOU TELL US.

    This thing is most definitely not that thing.

    Facebook: KnockoffNightmares

    Nope, not even close.

    Facebook: KnockoffNightmares

    And it's not just wedding dresses, either.

    Facebook: KnockoffNightmares

    This one just looks sad.

    Facebook: KnockoffNightmares

    Instead of risking getting a less than great dress from a less than reputable website, Knock Off Nightmares has a few suggestions.

    Facebook: KnockoffNightmares

    "First, check your local bridal store clearance rack, nothing beats having the ability to try it on and take it home," they wrote on their Facebook page. "Most bridesmaid dresses come in white and ivory, so try those, too! There are a ton of cancelled weddings every year, and you can get a name brand designer at a huge discount on Ebay, tradesy.com, preownedweddinggowns.com, and oncewed.com. Lastly, there are low-cost options on sites that show pictures of the dress on a mannequin, and in most cases, they are showing you their actual version."