Buyer beware: Online wedding dress ripoffs

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The wedding dress is one of the most important parts of your big day, but there are new "buyer beware" warnings.

Many, like Sarah Weber, have taken to ordering their dresses online to save time and money.

But when Sarah's dress arrived just two weeks before the wedding, she says it looked nothing like the website picture.

"It's heartbreaking when you want something to look beautiful and it's a hot mess," she said.

There are tons of websites, many based in China, that sell wedding dresses and bridal party attire.

Some customers have found them to be subpar. Sites like Sitejabber and Facebook have pages devoted to the many dress disasters.

But it's not just brides getting a bum deal. Some sites are stealing designs, offering designer dresses at a fraction of the price.

They even take photos from designers' websites. But they offer less than promised to the brides-to-be.

Martin Thornburg, head designer for David Tutera wedding gowns, examined the counterfeit gowns.

"It's very upsetting," she said. "You would almost call them Halloween costumes."

Thornburg ordered the dresses, ripoffs of his own designs, from one of 1,100 counterfeit dress websites that a federal court ordered to shut down.

The fakes cost less than $320, while his real designs are nearly $1,000 more.

In the end, Sarah Weber offers the following advice.

"Spend a little extra money," she said. "In the long run, it'll be worth it."