We get asked a lot - where does it ship from?

Our main location is in Michigan - USA.

Directly shipped items come from a lot of different places, of course. 

But usually this involves the REAL question “how soon will it arrive?” and “do I need expedited shipping?”

If a day or two or three will make the difference between having it in time or not it is always better to pick expedited shipping.

Better to get it earlier than after you need it!

We receive all sorts of questions along this line.

What we think that most are asking is “can I put it on right out of the box and wear it?”

Let’s talk about that for a moment.

Every garment arrives complete - absolutely.  But it has also been packed in a box and shipped across country - in fact, often across the world since we delivery almost everywhere. 

It’s entirely reasonable to expect that the garment(s) you receive will need to be steamed out or touched up.  There is absolutely NO way to guarantee delivery of a garment that doesn’t.

If you go to a bridal salon, you almost always pay considerably more.  Why?  Partly because they spend a lot of time steaming out your garment before you come to pick it up. Then you carry it ever so gently to avoid causing wrinkles.

Shopping on line and having things delivered is a bit different, of course.  The garment does have to be folded.  And then it ships - in conditions entirely out of everybody’s control.  It could be hot and steamy outside, for instance.

Your garments leave here after having been fully inspected.  They are gently and lovingly folded appropriately, placed into a box and sent to you with utmost care.

But yes, it is entirely possible that you will need to touch it up.  That’s normal for anything shipped and delivered.

I just [personally] received a garment from another company.  It was folded over a cardboard frame as if it has been steamed and pressed heavily onto it, then shrink wrapped and put into a cut-and-seal plastic bag for shipping.  I had to launder and iron it to get those folds out.

Our garments aren’t shipped in cut-and-seal bags, nor are they pressed onto cardboard (items from us, we’re saying - directly shipped items are all done differently but they are still handled well).  Our garments are hung out, fluffed out and gently folded into an appropriately sized HIGH grade box for shipment and delivery to you.

We get this question all the time.  What size was the model wearing?

The only real answer to that is — it doesn’t matter.

What can we possibly mean by that?

The only way to know how it will look in YOUR child is to use the measurements on the size chart.

A tea length dress can look like a floor length dress on a short model, while a floor length dress may look much shorter on a tall model.

That’s why we stress SO much that you MUST use the size charts to select a size.  It really is the only way to know.

We hear this question all the time.  It’s a very legitimate question to ask!

We can only answer with what is true for our stores, of course - we cannot make any claims for any other companies.

Basically - the price will tell you the level of quality.

Absolutely EVERYTHING we carry is worth the price you pay for it.  But we have a lot of wonderful styles and in many different price ranges.

A $59 dress is going to be well worth $59.  However, it simply cannot be compared to a dress costing $120, $150, $210. 

A $120 or $150 dress will be made much nicer (usually better fabric, to start) but cannot be compared to a dress costing $210.

The same goes for suits and baby styles too.

Are there exceptions?  Absolutely!  Styles in our Clearance and Sale! departments are deeply discounted first-quality, premium styles!  Most will show you what the original price was so you have a good idea of what to expect.

And on the subject of many different price ranges - dresses in our new Budget Sensitive Departments (one each in First Communion dresses and Flower Girl dresses departments) are flying through here as fast as we can get them on order, boxed and shipped!

We get this question every day.  Example:  Can you get this Christening gown (available in sizes 3M-9M) in an 18M for me?

Or this dress doesn’t list a size 7.  Can you get a size 7 for me?  Or this gown says it comes in 3M and 12M but I want a 9M.  Can you get it for me?

There’s only one way to answer these questions - and we hate to use the one-word answer - but it’s ‘no’.

No, we can’t get a size for you that isn’t offered. 

We work VERY hard to keep our websites updated daily (except Sundays) on availability.  Our staff works furtively to stay on top of availability.  As soon as we know - you know too because it shows up on line.

Unfortunately, there’s no “hidden list of other things available” that our staff has hiding away back here.  The information you see is our most recent information. 

“When will you be getting it [size or style] again“.  That’s really another version of the same question, and the answer is very similar.

What we know is the information you read on line.  If a size or style isn’t offered, then it isn’t available.  We’re sorry about that but we feel it is best to let you know what IS available instead of sending you one of those messages weeks from now saying your item is on backorder anticipated to arrive some time in a month or two . . . you know the kind, used by almost all catalog companies.

So if it isn’t offered on line, we can’t get it for you.  Not right now.  It’s sad, but we can’t predict the future.  We may get more, but we cannot promise it so we will not take an order for it.

But what we CAN offer is shown on line - and there are SO many choices available!

We had a photo shoot this week for the new styles coming in for First Communion season in January.  They are also very good Flower Girl dresses for the most part and quite a few would be excellent for pageant dresses - especially the floor-length ones for crowning ceremonies and formal wear competitions.  But I digress . . . .

These dresses are all white-on-white, which is always difficult to photograph and get the detail any time - just ask a wedding photographer!  So are most Christening ensembles - whether it’s Gown or Suit. On top of that, we’re showing them on line. 

There are times when we have to sacrifice exposure (as in - brightness) to show detail, which means that the photos may make the outfit appear “dark”.

Some of our visitors get really hung up on “it looks grey” or green or blue or whatever.

Some of it may be their monitor’s settings, or their computer’s interpretation of the photo.  But we may have had to sacrifice something in the photo so they can see the detail.  Otherwise, you would see a white blob.

Some times our visitors may see a hint of the color in the photo so they (their monitors + their eyes + their brains) interpret it as a color outfit.  That’s not good.  We also frequently have to sacrifice skin tones of the models to get proper detail on the garments they’re wearing.

You can always rely on the description for the true color.  And the description will also link to a color charte whenever one is available (much of the time on special order items).

We get this question a lot: 

 ”What length dress is the model wearing in the picture - tea or formal?  I can’t tell.”

We understand what you’re really asking - how long will it be on MY child?

We usually don’t know which length dress the model was wearing when the photo was taken.  Why not?  Because it really doesn’t matter . . . . that dress is going to fit every child differently.

So how do you know?  By using the size chart linked in the description of that dress.  It tells you how long that dress is expected to run (it will be within less than an inch of accuracy). 

A formal length dress on one child may be a tea length dress on another  -  and a tea length dress on one child can be a formal length dress on another.

How do you  know how it will be on you child?  By using the size chart and measuring.

That’s the ONLY way to determine fit.

And be sure to use the extensive tips & directions provided under Measuring & Size Selection.   A link is included in the description of every special order style and is under “Need Help?” in the top navigation link from every page.

Many of our items are “in stock” - especially infant and Christening items and also Clearance items.  Quantity is limited on stock items, of course.  In fact with Clearance items, it’s almost always “1″.

We know that you are entrusting us with your most special occasions in life and take that very seriously.  So, we work faithfully to keep the inventory/availability information up to date by updating the shopping cart daily Mon-Fri (and often on Saturdays, too). 

What we don’t do is “pre-sell” a shipment.  What is that?

Well, have you ever ordered something - say, from a catalog - and were given a date 5 or 6 weeks from now for when it will be available to ship?  That’s pretty common.

And then 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 weeks from now you get a card in the mail saying “availability date has changed” and it gives you another date several weeks out?

That approximate date was nothing more than a best guestimation.  They want to get your order.  They’re pre-selling the next shipment to arrive.

If anything goes wrong, it’s late and you get a card in the mail. 

Truth is, they may actually be hanging out to see if there are enough orders to justify having that shipment actually made by the supplier.  In other words - testing whether sales justify placing the order to have it made.  Meanwhile, you’ve made plans and think it’s all taken care of, but maybe it’s not.

So the cards come unilaterally changing the delivery. Take it or leave it.  Eventually, you might get one that says it isn’t going to be available and your order has been cancelled.  Why?  Either they pre-sold the entire shipment and not enough people cancelled to fill your order — or — not enough orders came for that item to justify placing a wholesale (read:  bulk / large volume) order.  So they cancel on you.

We don’t do that.  If it’s expected to be available now, we take the order.  If it’s not, we don’t.  If we get more orders than we have stock items (shopping cart is updated daily, but this can happen over night and does some times) - we notify you right away and ask if you would rather select another item or cancel.

We don’t string you along.

We frequently get inquiries “when will this (not available now) size be available?”  That’s asking you to give them one of those guestimation dates in the scenario above.

But we value our customers’ special occasion trust far too much to make up something to get that order.  We feel it is better to be bluntly honest and let you know it’s not available now - we cannot pre-determine when/if it will be again - and encourage you to select something that IS available rather than hanging on to the hope that it might become available in time for your occasion.

We don’t pre-sell hoping to get that item in again.

In fact, most stock items won’t be available again.  They’re made for a “season” and then are gone. There are some exceptions, of course - especially with the styles that are made exclusively for us.

Example:  Style #WB-06181 -  This is one of the gowns that we keep restocking.  Size 6M is sold out right now.  When can we expect more to arrive?  Approximately - some time around -  mid-December.  Can we promise you they will get it by then?  No.  Will we take an order in hopes to fill it by then?  No.  It’s currently available in sizes 3M & 9M - and many other styles ARE available in size 6M.  Our website will be updated as soon as size 6M is available again.  We cannot predict with any accuracy when they will arrive.

Why?  For one, the amount of hand work that goes into many of these gowns is extensive.  So, production can - and does - vary.  That’s just the way it works.

We’re watching out for you rather than trying to build our bottom line and risk dashing your hopes.

We get asked this a LOT.

If you are anywhere in the USA or Canada - the answer is simply - YES!

If you are in most places in Western Europe - the answer is probably YES too!

Many other places include some of the orient, Australia & New Zealand too.

Where/how do you find out if we ship to your location?  A complete drop-down list of countries we can ship to is in the check out of our shopping cart.

If we don’t ship to your country - can you order from there?  Sorry, no.  We cannot accept an order on a credit card that bills to a location in a country where we do not ship.

Can we deliver to a military address?  No.  UPS cannot deliver to a military address.  We understand that it can save quite a bit of $ for you but also realize that there’s NO guarantee that you will get it within a reasonable amount of time — and almost everything our customers order is time-sensitive.  So it’s really to your advantage.

We can ship directly to almost any place where we have a military installation.  Or, you can have your order delivered to a friend or family member in the states who can then ship it through your military address, if that is the way you want to go. 

What size will my child be wearing when s/he stands up in a wedding next Spring?

What size will my baby be wearing for his/her baptism in two months?

We receive variations of these questions almost every day and oh, how we wish we could answer them with any degree of certainty!

But the truth of the matter is that it would take supernatural power or insight to make these predictions - and we simply do not claim to have supernatural powers.

Children all grow at different rates in different ways at different times.  No two children are the same.  We cannot genuinely predict a size for them in the future based on their size today.  That would be dishonest, just to get your order. 

The person(s) in the best position to make this estimated guess are those closest to the child, most likely the person asking us the question.

It is an educated guess at best.  Those who see and watch the child grow are the ones who know the most about that child.

Is there a ‘rule of thumb’?  Yes, absolutely.  It’s always best to err on the large side.  Any garment can be shortened or taken in, but most cannot be let out and none can be lengthened.

So if the child is to wear it in the future, it is always best to “order up” in size.

Even with baby dresses, baby suits and Christening gowns.  It really is VERY easy to move a button or two in the back to make it smaller.  In fact, we’ve had customers who have moved the buttons at the neck to make it bigger too — adding one of those tab collar extenders that men some times use under ties.

And suits and dresses can always be altered locally to be made smaller or shorter.