I bought my dress online from eastbridal.com and it was only 165$ INCLUDING shipping from China! Most of the dresses you try on in stores in North America are from China anyway. This website is just a direct line, no middleman and the savings are huge! Shiping took about 20 days (you can pay to have it rushed if needed). I'm going to have it tailored here, so Im thinking that will add another 100 onto the price. I think if you know what you want, and are willing to take a 'risk' by ordering a dress without having seen it in real life, you are in for a great deal~! If you hate it, just return it. All you loose is shipping.