Turkey is known for its expertise in the field of textiles. One of the products Turkish clothiers are expert at...is the wedding dress. Indeed, you can find hundreds of wedding dress shops in every Turkish city.
Variety is important and you can find all kinds of designs and styles in these Turkish shops. You can even have a custom-made dress in few days! (see below)
In this article, we will help you find your way into the wedding dress shops in Turkey, so you will have an understanding of how the shops work here, where to find them, and different options available only in Turkey! Let's go!
How to Pick a Dress
Here's some advice to help you make a good choice for your wedding dress.
Decide On the Season for Your Wedding
Deciding which season you will get married will help you figure out the style of dress you want. Here are some ideas:
- If you get married in the winter, maybe you will want to keep away from strapless dresses OR you will get a warm sleeveless cape for your shoulders.
- If you get married in the spring, maybe you will want keep away from dramatic dresses with pearls and long trains and maybe want a more flowery and light design with lace on the dress.
- If you get married in the summer, maybe you will want to keep away from sleeves and long trains and get a second short dress for party time.
- If you get married in the autumn, maybe you will want to keep away from flowery dresses and want to have a dramatic dress with a very long removable train.
It's your call, but the season has a real impact on your choice, so think about it! Turkish dress makers will accommodate your wishes for your dress to any possibility. If you picked a dress with sleeves but want to get rid of them, consider it done!
Learn Your Body Type to Find Your Style
Body Type: If you know your body type, it's easier to find the types of dresses that will fit you and look best on you. It doesn't mean that you will like it, but you might as well try based on your body type, just see if you like it. If you don't, that's okay, too. You can pick something else.
Tip: Turkish wedding dress makers will never say no to anything you want, but they will not give you advice if you don't ask. Some brides pick the wrong type of dress but are so insistent on the design, that Turkish shop owners don't dare give any advice. They want the customer to leave the shop happy.
In other words, ask for advice! They are professionals and know what will fit you best. They might show you a style you would never have picked but they are experts in body types, so trust them on this one!
Style: They are many different dress styles to choose from. To name few, there is the bohemian style, the mermaid, the A-Line, the sheath, the tea length, the ball gown, the trumpet, the mini...so many styles that you can try for your body type and your taste.
Professionals will help you decide and you can try as many as you want, Turkish wedding dress shop owners don't mind. Unless you stay in the shop all day!
Where to Buy Your Dress in Turkey
You can get wedding dresses anywhere in Turkey. Each city has a bazaar and shops next to each other with hundreds of dresses available for future brides. But in Turkey, we recommend to buy your dress in larger cities, as the quality of material they have is much better due to the their easy access to the fabric market. Smaller shops in small cities don't have the opportunity to get high quality fabric as in big cities and tend to buy cheaper Chinese fabrics.
Here are 3 larger cities where you can shop for wedding dresses in Turkey:
- In Istanbul: Istanbul is a temple for shops selling wedding dresses. The main places to shop are Nişantaşı and the streets of Fevzipaşa in the Fatih district. Nişantaşı has many very high end shops and the shop owners are accustomed to foreign brides, specially arabic ones. This is why you will see the models in the displays are very imposing, sometime even "too much".
- In Izmir: Izmir is the main place where wedding dress makers are based in Turkey. There are hundreds of shops who have many years of experience in the field and who are used to working with local as well as foreign customers. You can find all the shops concentrated in the Çankaya neighborhood. The market is quite competitive, so shop owners are very well trained to attract and please customers. You might want to visit several shops before deciding on the best dress shop to pick.
- In Antalya: Antalya also has a large number of shops in the Gençlik neighborhood. The shops provide very classy options and are accustomed to foreign brides. The prices are more affordable in Antalya than in the 2 other cities, but you will need to visit serval shops because they are smaller and each has a different style.
Communication in the Dress Shop
Here is the problem, most shop owners have wonderful communication skills, but in Turkish! They are talkative and very helpful but most of them don't speak a foreign language or if they do they don't speak very well. Shops who do have English speaking staff are usually more expensive brands and are not very flexible with bargaining. To be able to communicate in smaller shops where you can find good deals, you should definitely get a translator or a person who is used to negotiating with these shops. For help, please contact us though our contact form.
How Long Will It Take for Your Dress to Be Ready?
It can vary between 3 days to 4/5 months depending on many factors:
- If you pick a dress that is already ready in the shop, the process will only take a few days. You try it on, then the professionals take your measurements and the dress is adjusted for you in few days.
- If you pick an already existing design in the shop, with the same lace and style, but needs to be created from scratch, the process might take few weeks, or a couple of months if it's during the high season.
- If you ask for a totally tailored dress, with new fabrics, new designs and shapes, you will need to be patient. If the shop is not full of orders and has free hands in its sewing workshop, it could take only days. If there is a long waiting list, it could take 2, 3, or even 4 months.
Keep in mind that the high season for wedding dress orders in Turkey is between April and August.
Budget for a Wedding Dress in Turkey
In Turkey, wedding dresses have a quite large price range. According to the shop, the type of fabric used in the dress, and the prestige of the brand, you may find different prices for the same dress in different shops. It's best to visit as many shops as your energy permits and compare prices.
In regular small shops with no brand, you can find a basic dress for 2,000 TL, and a very complex dress (with pearls and lace) up to 5,000 TL
In renowned Turkish brand shops (you can recognize them by their very large showrooms), prices start at 3,500 TL for the most basic dress and can top 12,000 TL for a very sophisticated design.
Luxurious shops, like Vakko, that sell international brands and designer workshops are the most expensive, with prices starting at 9,000 TL and no upper limit on budget...
Can I Get a Tailored Dress in Turkey?
Yes! Everything is possible in Turkey, but it will take more time. You can show dresses from your favorite star and have it made and tailored to you by shops that don't have a fixed catalog.
Famous Turkish brands will not make tailored dresses but might do some modifications to one of the dresses from their catalog. Smaller shops who don't have brands will be much more welcoming to these requests, but as mentioned previously, it may take time if it's high season.
The earlier you make your order, the more likely the dress will show up without delay.
Can I Order a Dress Without Coming to Turkey (online)?
Yes, you can...but you need to find a trustworthy company and accept the risk of having alterations done by a tailor near you after you receive it.
But in general, it's very easy to order by phone. You will generally pay deposit at the time you place the order (around 30% of the total price) and the rest of the amount is due at the time of delivery.
It's best to get advice before making your order. We can provide you support, please contact us for more details on how to get in touch with Turkish wedding dress shops.
Buy Wedding Dresses Wholesale in Turkey
Turkey is a very important market for the wedding industry. Buyers from all around the world come to buy dresses at wholesale in Turkey. If you want more information on how to buy wholesale wedding dresses in Turkey, we can help! Contact us for more details.
Buy Accessories and Bridal Related Items
You will find many wedding accessories sold in markets and shops around the wedding dress shops. Wedding dress shops can also provide accessories but it's best to go to specialized shops for discounts and more choices. If you ask the wedding dress shop, they will probably give you the address of one of their partners (maybe even one of their cousins) who has an accessory shop nearby. Sometimes, it's a good tip, sometimes not so good. Try and see but don't loose too much time. Saying "no thank you" is allowed and respected in Turkey.
Contact
If you have more questions about wedding dresses in Turkey, AntalyaTouristInformation will be very happy to help you. We are experts in weddings, wedding dresses for brides, and wholesale in Turkey.
Feel free to send us a message or consult our Antalya Weddings category for more information.