General Policies

By purchasing from Maria Heller Designs, you automatically agree with these policies.

We reserve the right to film and photograph any orders or commissions, as we like to keep a log of all our work. Items on stock are already photographed, but if you request a custom color for an existing design, or a custom design, your item will be photographed and/or filmed, either on a mannequin or on a model. Any items photographed on a model will be properly cleaned afterwards, before being shipped. You have the right to ask us that images and/or video of your commission not be released publicly until after a certain date (for example if you want to keep your wedding dress a secret, we will not post images of it until after your big day) – but you need to announce us, and request this.

Once you start a payment plan you are obliged to finish paying it in 4 months time, or cancel it. If you don’t, fees will add up to your total balance, 20€ for every week you are late, to be precise. If you cancel a payment plan, be aware that the first payment is always non-refundable!

If you contact us for a custom order and you pay a consultation fee, you are obliged to pay for the order in the following 4 months, either in one payment, or with a payment plan. Because consultation fees are non-refundable, if you don’t pay for your order in 4 months time, the order gets cancelled. If, after the 4 months (or more) have passed, you still wish to go on with the order you will have to pay the consultation fee again.

We do not offer refunds because your order did not reach you in time for a certain event. If you have a deadline for your item, you have to contact us before ordering and let us know about said deadline.

It is the customer’s responsibility to write their address and phone number correctly (as well as measurements if it applies). We copy-paste these when we ship orders to avoid any typos on our part.

If, for whatever reason, you do not pick up your order (whether because you wrote your address or phone number incorrectly and the package could not be delivered, or any other reason that we are not at fault for), and the package gets returned to us, you are obliged to pay for 2 way shipping if you want it send back to you. If you do not want it sent back to you (and the item you bought was not customized), you will be refunded the cost of the item minus 2 way shipping cost! The option to get refunded is only available for items on stock, and not for any items that were customized for you (in either size or colors).

RETURN POLICY

Customized items CANNOT be returned, refunded or exchanged.

If your item was made on your unique measurements, or you requested a custom color, a custom fabric, or any customization to the design, these items are not eligible for returns or refunds because they cannot be resold.

The only items that are eligible for returns are those available on stock.

Requirements for returns: to qualify for a refund, the item must be returned in it’s original condition, show no signs of wear & tear, no visible dirt on the hemline, no cuts, no alterations, etc. If all this is met, you will be refunded the price of the item minus the shipping cost.

All items that are returned must be returned in this manner: You contact us, and we’ll schedule the shipping pickup. We only work with our private courier that we have a contract with, TNT (or FedEX in the US). You are responsible of printing the return papers. You are obligated to wrap the item in the same packaging it came with (the volume of the box is more important than the weight so if you put it in a different box, this will change the price of shipping dramatically).

We can schedule for the package to be picked up from your house or workplace.

You will be called on your mobile phone by the courier for pickup. You don’t have to pay anything when you drop off the package. We will be billed for the shipping.

Once the item gets back to us and we get the bill for the shipping, we will refund you the cost of the item, minus the price of shipping.

Items returned by post or by any other manner WILL NOT be refunded.

SHIPPING

We ship all of our items worldwide with a private shipping courier, tracked and insured. Once an item is ready for delivery, you will receive an email or a text message from the shipping company with the tracking number.

Shipping usually takes one week from us (Romania) to any country in the European Union and 7-10 days from us to the rest of the world.

Sometimes, small delays can happen like a national holiday, a bank holiday, unfavorable weather or lengthy customs for international orders, but by all accounts your item should arrive to you in less than a week after it has been shipped.

An important detail about shipping: because we use a private courier, your email and your phone number are mandatory!

The customer is responsible for any customs charges that may be applied to a shipment. This is unfortunately out of our control.

YOUR ORDER

Ready to ship / On stock

We offer a small selection of items that are ready to ship.

Currently, a few cape designs that are made to fit all bodies and a few dress designs that are adjustable are part of that selection.

We do not believe in using standard sizes, because bodies come in all shapes and forms that standard sizes cannot possibly cater for, even with using plus sizes.

Therefore we will not have stocks in standard sizes. All capes are made from circles of fabric, so they are wide and fit on all bodies. All dresses on stock are adjustable, so please check individual items to see what measurements they can accommodate. These items, when they are available, are ready to be shipped to you as soon as you place your order.

Some ready-to-ship items can also be paid in three installments using a payment plan. Be aware that if you order a ready-to-ship item using a payment plan your items will only be shipped after you completed the payment! For more details, please check the payment plan policy.

Made to order

Most of our designs are made to order. That means we start working on your item after you placed the order.

As such, there will be a wait time, the time it takes for us to make your item.

This processing time varies from item to item. We are a team of two, and we are working simultaneously on multiple orders.

The complexity of the design is a factor in the length of the processing time, as so is the choice of color or fabric, as some fabrics might have to be ordered especially to make your item.

Depending on item, the processing time can last between 1 to 4 weeks! Please check each individual item for an estimate of the processing time.

Besides the fact that we will make a special pattern for you, on your unique measurements so the dress fits you the best, you can also request small alterations: like a different color than the one depicted in the sample photos, a different trim or different beading, a change of neckline or a longer / shorter skirt. Some of these alterations will be free of charge, others will add to the original price.

Made to order items can also be paid in three installments using a payment plan. For more details, please check the payment plan policy.

Custom Design

A custom design differs from a made-to-order dress.

Our made-to-order dresses will be like the dress depicted in our product photos, just made to fit your body (with small alterations you can opt for), but a custom design is a new dress designed and made especially for you; a dress that we have not made before, and will not make after.

This will be your unique design.

To make this dream dress for you, you can send us reference photos and a description of what you would like us to make. The custom order form prompts you to give specific details that help us understand what you need. Once you place the custom order request we will get back to you with a quote.

After you receive your quote, and you are still interested in proceeding with your custom order, you will need to pay a consultation fee (100 €) which it not refundable and you can also opt for a concept sketch, for an extra fee (50 €).

We also offer the option of a fitting by mockup.

What it means: You can have a fitting for you dream dress anywhere in the world without the need to travel.

We will make a mockup on your unique measurements before making the final dress.

The mockup will be made out of plan fabric, not the color of you final dress. This mockup will be shipped to you and you’ll be able to try it on and send us photos that will help us make any necessary alterations to your custom pattern, ensuring that your final dress will fit you like a glove.

This service will cost an extra 130 € including shipping of the mockup to you. The mockup does not need to be shipped back.

The processing time for a custom design starts at one month.

Custom designs can also be paid in three installments in the course of three months using a payment plan. For more details, please check the payment plan policy.

Payment Plans

There is no shame in saying “I can’t afford this”.

Truth be told, there are many things we would love to get for our business but we just can’t afford them right now. What we can afford however, is giving our customers the possibility to pay for their commissions over an extended period of time. Like this, the customer can save up and make payments when they are comfortable.

How our payment plans work:

We split the full price of the item into three payments that can be spread on the course of three months. The first payment is used to buy necessary fabrics and materials to make the commission. If something happens after the payment plan has started and the customer can’t go on with the rest of the payments, the first payment is nonrefundable.

We are going to start making the pattern and working on your commission soon after the first part of the payment plan is paid, however, the item will only be shipped after the payment has been made in full.

Payment plans are available for ready-to-ship, made-to-order items and also for custom designs.