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The big wedding day is right around the corner, and everything is just about ready… except one thing. The dress.
Whether you haven’t found the perfect dress shopping in-store, or you simply haven’t had the time to go out shopping in the first place, not having the perfect wedding dress is stressful.
So, what’s a girl to do? You can try hurrying off to the nearest bridal shops, but this can be time consuming and they might not even have the selection you’re looking for.
Luckily, online shopping has become increasingly popular and inclusive over the last decade and the internet just might hold the solution to your wedding drama. But would you really feel comfortable ordering a wedding dress off, say, Amazon or eBay?
Though Amazon may seem to basically have a monopoly on online shopping, there are plenty of other online shopping options out there. One such company is Light in the Box, an online retailer that specializes in clothing, accessories and gadgets, and home and garden products.
Light in the Box is data-driven, and its business model allow for customized products, such as wedding dresses.
While Light in the Box offers products for a variety of functions, the retailer has an entire section of its online store dedicated to weddings, including a selection of over 1000 wedding dresses. It doesn’t just stop there—Light in the Box for Weddings offers wide selections of bridesmaid dresses, tuxedoes, wedding favors, accessories, gifts, and more.
Sound to good to be true? That’s what we’re here to try and help you figure out.
In conducting our Light in the Box reviews, we will take a hard look at not only the product selections, but also their quality and the overall trustworthiness of the company, so that you can be sure your wedding is in safe hands.
What is Light in the Box?
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As mentioned above, Light in the Box is an online retailer that specializes in selling apparel, accessories, gadgets, home and garden products, and even décor.
This retailer operates on an international level, serving North America, Europe, and Asia. While it has headquarters in the United States, the United Kingdom, and India – it is mainly based in China and that is where products are manufactured and shipped from.
Light in the Box offers a wide variety of categories of these products, but in this review, we will be focusing specifically on their Weddings selection.
What Makes Light in the Box for Weddings Unique
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While there are many online retailers out there, there are very few that focus on wedding dresses. Wedding dresses require extra care than regular dresses.
You’ll only wear it once, but you’ll wear it on what should be one of the most memorable days of your life, so everything should be perfect. Because of this, wedding dress shopping is typically done in-person, and at multiple establishments to ensure that you get exactly what you want. Shopping for a wedding dress is a very personal endeavor, and not many online retailers are up to the challenge.
That’s part of what makes Light in the Box unique. In addition to being a destination for online wedding dress shopping, Light in the Box offers a wide selection of almost every kind of product you could ever need for your wedding.
Types of Products
Wedding Dresses
Light in the Box offers over 1000 wedding dresses in a variety of styles, including ball gowns, mermaid dresses, A-lines, trains, and more. In addition to variation in style, many of the dresses come in different colors. These colors may be a different version of white, or a completely different color that is worked into the gown.
Need a second dress for the reception? They offer a variety of bridal gowns with a short and fun twist perfect for after saying “I do.”
Bridesmaid Dresses
The collection of bridesmaid dresses is even larger than the wedding dress collection, offering over 1100 styles in over 30 different colors. They also offer wide selections of junior bridesmaid, flower girl, and mother-of-the-bride dresses so that every member of the wedding party has exactly what they need.
Tuxedoes and Suits
Unsurprisingly, their collection of tuxedoes and suits is much smaller, but they still have enough variation in style and color to keep their wearers looking sharp. They also offer an adorable collection ring bearer suits.
Wedding Guest Dresses
Even if you’re just attending a wedding you can turn to Light in the Box, as they offer a collection of dresses perfect for any attendee.
Accessories
Of course, what is a bride without her accessories? Light in the Box for Weddings offers jewelry, flowers, ribbons, headpieces, veils, gloves, lacy umbrellas, and everything else a bride and her wedding party could need to look stunning on the big day.
Wedding Favors
If you’re a benevolent bride or groom and plan on giving out wedding favors, Light in the Box has you covered there, too. Offering simple gifts, such as candles and soaps, to personal gifts, such as engraved lockets, they have all degree of wedding favors you could need. They even have adorable cake boxes so guests can bring a sweet treat back with them.
Wedding Gifts
If you’re a benevolent bride or groom and plan on giving out wedding favors, Light in the Box has you covered there, too. Offering simple gifts, such as candles and soaps, to personal gifts, such as engraved lockets, they have all degree of wedding favors you could need. They even have adorable cake boxes so guests can bring a sweet treat back with them.
Invitations
But before the big day arrives, you need to make sure that your guests know about it! This online wedding retailer offers hundreds of invitation designs, so you can find the invitations that best represent your wedding.
Ceremony and Reception Decorations
A wedding and reception is essentially one big party to celebrate two people’s love for each other, and what’s a party without decorations? Fortunately, Light in the Box offers hundreds of decorations that can fit any theme.
How it Works
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So how does an online retailer like this work, when sizing is so important? Whenever you go to order a dress, you can pick from one of the standard sizing options, which provide full measurement details, so you know if your definition of a size 6 is the same as their definition of a size 6.
If none of these measurement pairings are quite right for your body type, never fear! You can put in your own custom measurements for the dress to be made, detailing your height, bust, waist, hips, and even your hollow-to-floor measurement.
Need help making sure you’re measuring yourself accurately? Check out these helpful tips from the Azazie Wedding Blog.
The Cloud Fitting Room
If you’re still a little on-edge about ordering a dress online, for a small fee you can actually have some of the dresses sent to you to try on. You can either select up to three bridesmaids dresses for $9.99 each or two wedding dresses for $24.99 each and have them shipped straight to you. After trying on and deciding what you think, simply send them back. Shipping both ways is included in the prices listed above.
It should be noted that not all dresses are available to try on in the Cloud Fitting Room. Rather, there are nearly 40 designs in a variety of colors that you can have sent to you for a trial run.
Coupons and Deals
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Light in the Box for Weddings is almost always offering some sort of deal for its products at any given time.
Some of the deals available as of summer 2018 include 60% off certain wedding dress styles and 70% off some bridesmaid dresses.
Public Perception
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Public perception of the company is fairly negative, leading to some pretty bad Light in the Box reviews.
Because the company is based in China and ships from there, it seems a lot of international loopholes are take advantage of. For example, many complain that they were forced to pay an extra duties and shipping charge after already paying for the item and shipping because the company didn’t take care of this itself. Furthermore, some claim that things they order simply never arrive.
Customer service isn’t too great either, according to many customer Light in the Box reviews. When dealing with issues like the kind stated above, many found receiving a help to be a long and arduous process. Unfortunately, because the company operates internationally and there are no international small claims courts, Light in the Box does not need to hold itself accountable or overly concern itself with any malpractice of the company.
As for the condition of the products themselves, it seems to be a mixed bag. While some complain of damaged items and dresses that look far different from their online images, many others love the items they receive and praise their quality.
While dealing with Light in the Box may be a headache, then, it can be worth it for the products that are actually valuable. Checking individual product reviews can help you determine which products are actually worth your money.
How it Compares
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Now that we’ve seen how Light in the Box for Weddings holds up on its own, let’s compare it to a few other sites to get the full picture. Below, we’ll be comparing this company to two other online retailers, The Wedding Outlet and BHLDN.
The Wedding Outlet is an online retailer similar to Light in the Box that specializes in small wedding items.
Unlike Light in the Box, they do not offer wedding dresses or any other type of clothing that requires specialized tailoring. While this limits their selections, it also eliminates any chance that they provide less than quality dresses, which seems to be one of Light in the Box’s main downfalls.
The Wedding Outlet has received generally positive reviews, brides and grooms loving their selection of accessories, decoration, and small wedding gifts that are perfect for customizing your ceremony.
BHLDN
- Pricing: 3.5 stars
- Shipping: 4 stars
- Customer Service: 4.5 stars
- Quality of Items: 4.5 stars
BHLDN (Beholden) is an online retailer that is a subset of Anthropologie and offers several stores in the US, so they are held accountable to a much higher standard than companies like Light in the Box. BHLDN offers all the standard accessories, décor, and gift selections, and also hundreds of wedding dresses.
Women who shop here love it for their high-quality products and great customer service. If you live near one of their stores, you can go in and try on the dress if it’s in-stock while still getting those great online prices.
What We Think of Light in the Box
So, is Light in the Box for Weddings all it’s cracked up to be? We’re thinking… no.
While some customers have truly enjoyed the products they received, there have just been far too many customer service, shipping, and quality complaints for us to feel comfortable endorsing this brand.
With so many negative Light in the Box reviews from dissatisfied customers with so few positive reviews to counteract them, we’re going to have to make a solid pass on this brand.
Though they may be slightly more expensive, try checking out The Wedding Outlet and BHLDN for your bridal needs to ensure better quality and service.