How To Register Your Dresses

  1. Fill out the Registration Contract and submit. If you are unsure of any fields, put Unknown.
  2. Write a check to Encore Ballroom Couture for the Registration Fee which is $60 per dress for Adult & Juniors.
  3. Place your dress and any accompanying accessories inside a plastic zip top bag and put inside your shipping box. Also include an envelope with your check in it.
  4. Please view our Shipping Information to help you decide the best method of shipping. Email the tracking number and ship date to us, so that we can anticipate delivery.
  5. Once we receive your dress(es) you will get an email confirmation from us!

NOTE: We attend many events and competitions throughout the year; you are more than welcome to register on site at any of them. Check out our Events page for the most current list of events and competitions we are attending. Please feel free to email or call us inquiring if we will be attending a particular event.

NOTE: You may include multiple dresses in one shipment.

Click Here to Register!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a fee to register a dress, and how much is it?

For Adult and Junior dresses, registration is $60 per dress, for a period of six months.

What method of payment do you accept for the registration of a dress?

Checks (personal, bank, company, or cashier’s) are our preferred method of payment. Please make checks payable to Encore Ballroom Couture and mail after the submission of the Registration Contract to P.O. Box 981, Annandale, VA 22003. We also accept Visa, Mastercard, and American Express credit cards.

NOTE: We currently do not accept Discover or debit cards.

Is the registration fee refundable?

The $60 registration fee is non-refundable. Once your dress is received, it will be reviewed, professionally hand cleaned, given an ID Number, photographed by our professional photographer, and placed online for viewing.

Do you offer a Professional discount on the registration fee?

Unfortunately, we cannot. The registration fee is already way below cost; therefore a further discount is not an option.

What is included in the registration fee?

Once your dress is received, it will be reviewed, professionally hand cleaned, given an ID Number, photographed by our professional photographer, and placed online for viewing. Your dress will appear on the Latest Arrivals page and on its respective dress type and sizing pages. We will send your dress out for try-on, rental, and/or purchase per your wishes expressed in the Registration Contract. For further exposure, your dress will also travel with us to competitions and events.

Why do I have to provide a credit card number on the registration form if I am paying by check?

The credit card information is used for processing continuation of registration, processing fees, or shipping cost. NOTHING will be charged on your card without confirmation from you.

What happens if my registration check is returned due to insufficient funds?

If your registration check is returned due to insufficient funds, there is a $75 fee. We will process this fee along with the $60 registration fee on the credit card you provide on your Registration Contract.

How do I decide which dress to submit?

Dresses should be in pristine condition. There should be no holes, damage, smells, stains, or large amount of stones missing. They should be current styles, and no older than 5 years. We accept dresses made by all designers!

If you have dresses you are unsure of, you can email a picture of them for approval. If any dresses arrive and are in poor condition or are unsellable, those dresses will be returned and you will be responsible for the shipping cost. Encore Ballroom Couture will attend several competitions and events a year as a vendor, and you are welcome to bring your dresses for personal assessment, free of charge. Also, if you register your dresses at a competition or event, you save the shipping cost!

You are allowed six dresses per Registration Contract. There is no limit on how many dresses you may register with us; you may fill out as many contracts as need be. We will notify you by email that we have received the Registration Contract. Please email us with the tracking number and date of shipment so that we may keep an eye out for it. For more information on shipping, please view our Shipping Information page.

Why should I rent my dress?

Renting your dress is a great way to help recoup your initial financial investment. This is an expensive sport and bottom line it would be great to have some extra money in your wallet. Maximize your investment ladies!

Think of all the new students just coming into the mystical world of dance. I remember that I didn’t have a lot of money when I first started, so could not afford those fancy designer dresses. I would watch all of the other ladies wearing beautiful dresses and think that was just out of reach for me. By renting your couture dress it affords those on budgets or just starting out–the chance at feeling what you feel when you wear it. When a woman feels her best, she exudes self confidence, and giving that gift is wonderful.

If you have your dress registered with Encore Ballroom Couture, once it is rented, you will personally receive 50% of the rental fee. Smooth/Standard will rent for $350 and Rhythm/Latin will rent for $300 per event. The company will be responsible for cleaning and maintaining your dress in mint condition out of our portion of the rental fee.

What if I don’t want to rent my dress?

You may register it for purchase only.

Why Should I only sell my dress?

A few years into the business I went through a phase of wanting extremely unique dresses. I own one dress with feathers, hanging crystals and netting. This dress is extremely fragile. You have to know your dress ladies. Some dresses can take the wear and some dresses go in the china cabinet. This particular dress would be a purchase only. Most dresses are not like this. In fact I would recommend listing your dress with both the rent and purchasing option. Sometimes a person may rent a dress and after taking it for a test spin wants to purchase it. Rentals you collect and continue to collect over time. Purchase, is a lump sum of money in your hand now.

If you have your dress registered with Encore Ballroom Couture, and it is purchased, you will personally receive 60% of the purchase price.

Can I register After Five dresses?

At this time we are discontinuing this section of our company. A local consignment shop may be a good option or donate the dresses to women in need.

Can I register Youth Ballroom dresses?

At this time we are discontinuing this section of our company. However, we do accept youth ballroom dress donations for our GOLD STARS Donation Program.

What do I put on the registration contract if I don’t know the designer or original retail price of my dress?

Just put Unknown.

Do I need to name my dress?

No, this is an optional feature. We are happy to do that for you.

After receiving my dress, how long will it take to appear online?

It will take 6-8 weeks to have professional photos taken, images scrubbed and edited by our graphics designer and uploaded by our webmaster. If it takes longer than four weeks, you will be given one free month of registration on the dress.

How do I submit more than six dresses to Encore Ballroom Couture?

The Registration Contract only allows for six entries per contract. If you would like to submit more dresses, just complete and submit additional contracts. You can also register your dresses at a competition or event. Additional, you can schedule an appointment at our Dress Studio and register in person.

What if during my registration I want to change the price or options for my dress?

Not a problem. Email us the new price or any changes in text you would like to make. There is no charge for these changes.

As the owner of the dress, will the clients trying on, renting or purchasing my dress be able to contact me?

Absolutely not! None of your personal information will ever be given out to any clients for any reason.

What if my personal information such as phone, email, credit card, billing address, shipping address changes while registered with Encore Ballroom Couture?

It is your responsibility to keep your registration information current. If there is a change you must notify us immediately by email. Also you will need to complete the Change In Registration Information Contract online and submit as soon as possible. If this information is not current, it could delay your payments from reaching you. If checks are not processed within 6 months of being written, they automatically void. If we have to stop payment on a check there will be a $60 fee. If we have a returned payment there will be a $50 fee.

For International Residents we need to have your correct bank name, bank address, account number (IBAN) and BIC/SWIFT code. If we do not, your payment may be sent to the wrong person. We will not be held liable for payments that are sent incorrectly due to outdated information. To avoid this, you will need to complete the Change In Registration Information Contract and submit as soon as possible.

What is a security deposit?

When the dress is shipped out for try-on or rental the full purchase price of the dress will be placed as a hold on the client’s credit card, and is held until the dress is returned. If the transaction is declined prior to shipment, they will be asked for an alternate method before the dress is shipped. If none is provided then the order is canceled. When the dress is returned, the client will immediately receive a release of the hold. If for any reason the dress is not returned, it would be considered a purchase and the hold will be a forced charge. You will receive your 60% of the sale. A security deposit will be held for each dress in the client’s possession.

Why is a security deposit necessary?

The security deposit is to protect your financial investment in your dresses.

What if my dress comes back from a try-on or rental and it is damaged or stained?

If the dress has noticeable damage, and/or a large amount of stones missing after a try-on, the client will be notified and held financially responsible for up to the full purchase price of the dress, which is listed on the website, for the cost of the repairs. If the dress is beyond repair the security deposit will be a forced charge and treated as a purchase. You will then receive your 60% of the sale.

If the dress has noticeable damage, and/or a large amount of stones missing after a rental, the client will be notified and held financially responsible for up to the full purchase price of the dress, which is listed on the website, for the cost of the repairs. The cost of the damage to the dress will be assessed and processed accordingly. If the dress is damaged beyond repair the security deposit will be a forced charge and treated as a purchase. You will then receive your 60% of the sale, as well as your 50% of the rental fee.

In the instance the dress is damaged beyond repair, the client will also be responsible for the shipping cost back to them. Assessment of the damage will be at the sole discretion of Encore Ballroom Couture.

How do I get paid for the Rental or Purchase of my dress?

As a rental, once the event for your dress has taken place, your portion of the rental fee will be mailed in the form of a company check to the name and address provided on your Registration Contract. As a purchase, once payment is received and processed, your portion will be mailed in the form of a company check to the name and address provided on your Registration Contract.

International ladies, we will send your funds through a bank wire transfer. We will need the name and address of your bank, your account number (IBAN), and your BIC/SWIFT Code. There is a $50 wire transfer fee, which will be deducted from your rental commission. There is a $75 wire transfer fee, which will deducted from your purchase commission.

NOTE: Sometimes it can take 10-14 days before you receive your check or wire transfer. The client purchasing your dress must have their check clear our bank prior to processing commission checks. Please note, out of state checks can take time to be processed by the bank.

NOTE: In certain circumstances, we will offer our clients the option of a payment plan. This is only for the purchase of a dress, not a rental. The client has three months to pay in full. Once we have received final payment, we will send your portion of the sale.

What if the customer wants to purchase my dress on a payment plan?

We do offer a payment plan in certain circumstances. The client must put down a $500 deposit on the dress, and then finish payment of the dress within three months of the deposit. If the client is unable to complete the sale, the dress will become available again for try-on’s, rentals, and purchase. The dress will at all times remain on the website until the sale has been finalized.

What if someone wants to purchase my dress, but there is an existing contract for a try-on?

The purchase will take priority. The other client will be notified immediately and provided the option to choose a different dress, or receive a full refund of their try-on fee if already processed.

What if someone wants to purchase my dress, but there is an existing contract for a rental?

If the purchase is within one month of an existing rental date the client purchasing will be notified. The client may purchase the dress, but we feel the right thing to do is also honor the existing Rental Contract. We could not last minute do that to a lady. We feel this is the fairest way to handle this situation and thus far it has worked out nicely. In this case, once the event has occurred, we will clean and ship the dress to the new owner, at our expense.

If the rental is over one month away, the purchase will take priority. The other client will be notified immediately and have the option to choose a different dress, or receive a full refund of their rental fee.

What if I have my dress under contract with Encore Ballroom Couture, but I need it back?

Notify us by email providing the Dress ID and when you will need the dress. By pulling your dress from the inventory there will be a $225 processing fee plus shipping costs. This fee is referred to as a Pull Fee.

If your dress is under contract for try-on, that contract will be canceled and the dress will be shipped to you immediately. If your dress is under contract for rental, that contract will be honored if it is less than one month away from the scheduled event. After the date of their event, the dress will be cleaned and shipped back to you. If the scheduled event is more than one month away, the client who had reserved it will have the option to select a different dress or be refunded their rental fee.

Can I pull my dress for a one time Owner Rental?

Yes. We do allow the owner to pull the dress for a one-time complimentary owner rental without penalty. An Owner Return Form must be submitted online.

The dress may be out for rental for up to 2 weeks. If the dress is not returned to us, we reserve the right to charge the $225 pull fee and remove the dress from our website.

The owner is responsible for the shipping charges to and from our studio.

May I cancel my registration at any time?

Yes. There will be a penalty of $225, plus shipping costs. You will not receive a refund on your initial registration fee. All try-on reservations will be canceled and clients will be given the option to choose another dress or receive a full refund of they try-on fee if already processed.

If under contract for a rental, that contract must be honored. After the date of our clients event, the dress will be cleaned and shipped back to you. To cancel your registration with Encore Ballroom Couture, please notify us through our contact form. Additionally, please complete the Owner Return Contract online and submit.

What happens when my registration expires before a client’s event and they would like to reserve my dress?

The rental will be honored. If your registration is not renewed, the dress will be returned to you after the rental has taken place.

What if I want to extend my registration?

You will need to fill out a new Registration Contract online and submit. Your consecutive registrations will be $60 per dress for Adult and Junior dresses.

What happens when my registration expires?

You will be notified by email when your registration expires. You will be given the option to renew your registration or have your dress returned to you. If you decide not to renew your registration, please complete the Owner Return Contract online and submit. The Owner Return Contract provides us with updated shipping and billing information, and you can choose your method of shipping. Once submitted, the photos of your dress will be pulled from online and your dress will no longer be available to our clients for try-on, rental, or purchase.