What exactly is a bridal trunk show?  If you have been browsing through wedding gowns recently, you may very well have heard the term used in one if not more of the bridal salons you have visited.  However, you may not know exactly what it means.  This will help you understand exactly what a bridal trunk show is.  

To sum it up, a bridal trunk show is a collection of wedding gowns that travel from one bridal salon to the next eventually covering a good portion of the country.  As a general rule, the trunk show is only at a salon for one particular weekend and then moves on.  Therefore, you will want to book your slot well in advance.  

Trunk shows can be very exciting events for numerous reasons.  One reason is you will most likely get to see the newest designs from a designer.  Many of these gowns are not even in the stores yet and you will have the opportunity to try them on.   Also, many of the gowns that are in the trunk shows are samples and one-of-a-kind which means if you purchase one of these gowns, you will be the only bride that owns it! Much better than being one of many brides in the same style wedding dress.  

Many times the gowns carried in a trunk show are the ones that are the hottest trends or the designer's favorites or best selling.  This is quite an advantage for you if you are shopping in a smaller bridal salon that doesn't generally have a large selection of gowns.  Also the styles of gowns vary widely from one locale to the next.  Therefore, if, say for instance, you have been looking for casual wedding dresses to try on where they are not popular, you may be able to find one in a trunk show.  

Another perk to a bridal trunk show is that you may be able to see gowns from a new designer.  Many times when a salon schedules a trunk show it is because they want to see what kind of reaction they will get to a new designer who normally does not have gowns available in your area.  This is another good way to get a very unique wedding gown so you don't look like 20 other brides in your area.  

There are numerous other advantages to attending a bridal trunk show.  Many times at least a representative from the designer will travel with the gowns and sometimes even the designer is available to answer questions are help with the gowns.  With either a representative or the designer available, many times extra items will be thrown in for free or at a very reduced cost.  Quite often alterations or design changes that might usually come with huge alteration fees are given at no cost.  Many times if you order your gown during the trunk show, the bridal salon will throw in something extra.  Also, it is very common for the salon to offer at least a 10% discount on gowns purchased and/or ordered during the trunk show.  This can be a huge savings depending on the cost of the gown you choose.  

Trunk shows can be a very exciting time for brides to be.  You will get to see gowns that are generally very unique and consult with the designers representative or sometime even the designer.  However, you must remember that trunk shows are very short lived - usually only a weekend or a few days.  Therefore, you must be prepared to purchase your gown when you attend.  The worst thing would be to fall in love with a one-of-a-kind gown and then have to watch it move on to another city.