Article: The low-down on gowns; A primer on finding the dress to make your wedding dreams come true.(VARIETY)

Denise and Alan Fields collect stories by perturbed brides to use in their wedding consumer books. And boy, have they heard it all.

A North Carolina bride who discovered the new dress she had paid for in full was discontinued, so she had to settle for a "sample" gown. Bridal salons that "have you by your garters," charging outrageous alteration fees. The inattentive "wedding consultants" who disappear for hours. A bankrupt Texas boutique that was padlocked when frantic brides tried to pick up their gowns.

As one future bride wrote to the Fieldses, "No one needs a scam when they're trying to plan the best day of their lives." Another warned "Watch ...

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