Brides to be charged hundreds of dollars to try on wedding dresses

Melbourne, June 30 : Now, brides-to-be will have to shell out hundreds of dollars just for trying on their wedding couture.

In a bid to keep away time wasters, high-end boutiques across Australia are now planning to charge brides-to-be for trying on a wedding dress.

Designers and bridal store-owners in the UK and New Zealand have already been charging for first-time visits.

The designers said that they are tired of single women or time wasters who are either not getting married or can't afford the dresses they want to try on.

Designer Alex Perry has been charging 350 dollars for a two-visit consultation with women interested in buying the wedding creations, which are priced from 8000 dollars.

He said the charge, which was deducted from a purchase, was a good way to determine if they were serious about buying.

"It deters people who just want to come and pick my brain,'' Daily Telegraph quoted Perry, as saying.

"I'm at that stage in my career when it's fine if you do that, but you're going to have to pay me for it,'' he added.

However, brides to be believe that try-on fee would add up hundreds of dollars to the price of a wedding dress, which was often expensive enough.

'If I loved the dress and they refunded the money then OK, but if I didn't love the dress I'd be kind of annoyed,'' said bride-to-be Alicia Godoy, of Carlingford.

"It can be a nuisance if you go from one store to another and spend all that money,'' she added.

ANI