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Davids Bridal Fiasco...

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AllieLuv83

AllieLuv83

Brilliant_Rock
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Jan 22, 2007
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Well I went to try on wedding dresses this weekend with my mother and sister. I just got enageged two weekends ago but wanted to get the ball rolling. We headed out to Davids Bridal...now the place looked very promising but everything looked rediculous on me. I am on the tallish side 5''9 and not a bean pole. Dresses were too short and looked rather cheaply made. Has anyone else had the same experience or is it just me?
 
I didn''t have a problem with them being short, and they are somewhat cheaply made because they are, after all, cheaply priced for a wedding dress. None of them were my cup of tea either. For me the real value of david''s bridal was to be able to try on different styles of dresses in my actual size. (once I got firm with them)

Just, for god''s sake, if you''re not slender, don''t let them push you into wearing their undergarments. The first time there they talked me into a foamy padded corset thing that made my curves disappear and then stuck a stiff crinoline skirt on me. I looked like a frigging whale! I cried and was put off dress shopping for weeks. The second time I refused the skirt, and insisted they find me a boned corset. much better.
 
Well the size 8 I tried on was kinda snuuug...but I plan on losing a few I do have 18 months till the wedding. Buuuuut the dresses looked so cute on the other two brides that were there, one who the size 0-2 they put her in was too big, and one who was bigger than me but looked awesome in all of the empire waist desses. I just looked like a big fool and my mother was sitting there crying, being all like "you look sooooo beautiful" haha.
 
Dresses at David''s bridal are inexpensive. I won''t knock the place because there have been many a very happy bride come out of there with the dress of her dreams. But - like my Grampa always told me, you get what you pay for, m''dear.
 
I would definitely go to some Salons next. With the size you are, you should be able to get into most gowns that go out at the hip. Even if they''re like a 4, trust me. However, if you want the sheath or mermaid style then you''ll need to find more your size, but most salons I went in had a lot of 8, 10, and 12s.
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David''s can be a good or bad experience. For me, I didn''t find much to even try on, but when I finally did it was like rushing in and out of the dresses. The lady wasn''t there half the time (though she was very nice) and something just felt wrong about the dress. I am SO glad I did not buy that dress, but the lady tried so hard to talk me into it reminding me that they sell off the rack so if it''s gone there''s no way I can get it because they won''t call other stores for me. High pressure, seriously. Not that salons don''t do that, they do, but David''s is worse because they have that whole "it may not be here" thing going for them. Not to mention we had to wait like an hour for them to take us even though we were on time. So many girls trying on dresses at once! If you find your dream dress, then the price is great, otherwise keep moving. I''ve bought some homecoming dresses and prom dresses from there and while they were nice dresses, they weren''t as well made as some other ones I bought. I will say, however, it looks like some of the designer dresses at David''s are well-made.
 
I tried on dresses at David''s first and I was very pleasantly surprised at how nice many of them were on me. Of course I was very clear on what I wanted to try on. I also used their bustier because I didn''t have one to bring with. It sounds like you got a dud consultant. I got a wonderful consultant who really knew how to pull together a bridal outfit. I ended up buying my dress elsewhere but I brought it to David''s and had my consultant find me the best veil, sash, shoes, bag, etc. She really did a great job for me.
 
Hmmm... I think it depends. I helped a friend find a dress at David''s and it was perfect PERFECT on her, and the right price for her budget too. She looked stunning. But when I went out there to explore, I was basically horrified. Nothing fit right and I found the fabrics and the cuts cheap. Probably should have gone there BEFORE going to Saks, I guess! Maybe I got spoiled by the Oscars and the Carolinas!
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I think it depends, too. After initially avoiding David''s Bridal because of the bad things I had read, I got my dress at David''s Bridal, and it fits me like a dream (size 4) thought it is a bit too long (I am 5''8") so will need to be hemmed. This was the only dress of theirs that fit the bill for me, and lucky for me, it was perfect. It does not look cheaply made. I went on a Monday afternoon when the place was almost entirely empty, and we felt like we had the place to ourselves--I would avoid going on the weekends if at all possible. My sales lady was young and sassy and didn''t push hard when I refused to even try on a veil (I am wearing a flower in my hair, period). All in all, it was a great experience, and we left their in disbelief over how easy the dress buying experience was. They didn''t have a lot of choices for me, but they did have "the one."

Like I said, the dress doesn''t look cheaply made in person. And I only need it for one day...so I''m satisfied.

melpla wedding dress 6.JPG
 
i was surprised by david's bridal and like indiejones thought it is a good way to get a sense of what styles work for you. i do agree that they are cheaply made but then again they are cheaply priced. depends on what you want from your dress. i can completely understand that alot of people don't necessarily want to spend a fortune on a dress they are only going to wear for several hours while others have always dreamed of wearing "the dress". me ... i want to wear the couture dress at david's bridal prices so i got issues
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ETA : melpa, you scored! the dress looks fabulous on you! i tried on the same dress and it DID NOT look the same. you look very tall slender and elegant! congrats! you got a great dress at a great price that looks amazing on you! pat yourself on the back girl!
 
I absolutely despised my visit to David's Bridal. Cheap and tacky dresses; at least all that I was forced into trying. The sales attendant from hell, who didn't listen to anything I said about styles. Tiny dressing rooms and very public 'unveilings' after being crammed into the dresses. NEVER would I send anyone there again. NEVER.

That visit was in Oct 2006; I didn't get up the nerve to visit another salon again until June 2007. That's how much fun I thought it was.
 
My experience with the dress from David''s were that the lace ones were good and everything was really cheap looking. The satin looks like the polyester it is and I have never seen such shoddy beading. I have read far more horror stories on here than sucesses including the skirt having a severely uneven bottom that was too short and they wouldn''t refund if they counldn''t fix it!
There are lots of budget gowns out there that are much lovelier than Davids. Heck, if money is really an issue, try J crew or Ann taylor. Or find something a little more expensive and get it cheap from pearl''s place. But please, don''t beat yourself up for having troubles with david''s bridal and know you have plenty of good options.
 
I went in 2001, and only found 2 to try on, one being 2 sizes too big. But I did take a friend last year and it was great for being able to try on lots of different styles in her size. She ended up in like 15 dresses, and they let you take pictures, so it''s great for figuring out what you want.
 
Never in a million years did I ever think I would buy my wedding dress from David''s, but I ended up doing so! I went, like others mentioned, planning to try on a bunch of dresses just to see what style looked best on me. I actually wanted the dress melpla posted above, which I thought would be great for my beach wedding. I am waaaay too hippy for that dress!!! I ended up falling in love with two dresses there. Although I agree that some of the dresses appear cheaply made, I found several that looked great. I am also 5''9" and definitely not a bean pole. Did you try on any of the trumpet / mermaid styles? They are great on a tall bride especially if you have an hourglass figure.

Like this:

http://www.davidsbridal.com/bridal_gowns_detail.jsp?stid=3353&prodgroup=127

Or this (my dress!)

http://www.davidsbridal.com/bridal_gowns_detail.jsp?stid=3344&prodgroup=127
 
I went to David''s bridal and didn''t have a bad experience, but didn''t have a good experience. I went on a Wednesday when it was slow and I had two people helping me. I went in with a list of dresses that I thought I would like. There were two dresses they didn''t carry in the store and was told if I wanted to try the dresses on, I would have to order online. The problem I found was that there wasn''t anything that fit my style there and the sales associates didn''t have any additional suggestions for me. There were so dresses that looked very poorly made,but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of some of the other dresses. As someone mentioned, you get what you pay for. The dresses that I would consider were all $1000, but I have had girlfriend buy their dresses there and loved them and paid way less then $1000. I guess it''s hit or miss and it really does depend on your body.

I also should add, I hated how the dressing rooms were so small and there were no mirrors in them. I found going to a higher end salon was easier for me to find "my style" If you are near a Neiman Marcus.
 
Thank you girls for all of your replies. I am going to go to a salon to try on somen dresses by Casablanca, Eden and Watters. There was one dress at DB that was pretty cute it was a goddess looking dress. I will give them one more try.
 
I''d visit a few salons in your area and see what they have to offer. I went to David''s to see what they had and it wasn''t a positive experience. I do know some people have had good luck with them, so it might just depend on which one you go to and/or who''s working there/helping you on a particular day.
 
Indypitty, I love your dress! That one was on my list of dresses to try on, but I never made it that far. I really like it, though. I think we have established that gorgeous, well made dresses can be found at David''s Bridal, at least for some brides. And it''s at least worth a try...after all, it makes absolutely no sense to spend thousands of dollars on a dress if you don''t have to, IMHO. I was actually relieved to find a dress at DB, because the idea of going to smaller salons freaked me out---I had this horrifying vision of having to deal with snotty, stuck-up salesladies (sorry, I know this is my own prejudices kicking in...but I guess we all have those).
 
The first place I went to try on dresses was a megastore that carries over 4,000 dresses. My consultant was fabulous and steered me in the designer dresses that were under $1500 but made with great fabrics..... Casablanca, Maggie, Impressions, Mon Cheri, etc. The experience was incredible and I was shocked how many dresses and styles I loved. There were at least 6 completely different dresses that could be serious contenders for "the one" Since it was my first time shopping, I didn''t buy anything. I wanted to look around.

That very night we went to Davids to try on more dresses. I couldn''t believe the difference. I was so disappointed! After feeling fabulous and beautiful just a couple of hours before, I felt frumpy and "fat" (in their size 8 dresses!) My mom actually said to me "did you just gain 30 pounds in the last 4 hours????" She didn''t say it to be mean or hurt my feelings.... she was just so shocked in the difference in the way the dresses looked and fit. AND the dresses I tried on at Davids were in the same price range as the one at the other bridal store.
So, I can''t tell you how relieved I am I did not go there first..... I would have been depressed and felt horrible about myself.

Also, I was a BM in two weddings just 3 weeks apart. The first wedding, we had a Davids Bridal dress. The second, the BM dress was by Jordan. If you look at me in pics in the 2 different dresses side by side..... Well, I can''t tell you how much better I look in the Jordan dress.... and not by a little. I look at least 20 lbs thinner in the Jordan! And the David''s Bridal dress was MORE expensive.

I''m not saying you can''t find something there.... but you should definitely compare. I think that some of their dresses are grossly overpriced. It helps to look around. Good Luck!
 
You definitely get what you pay for with David''s Bridal, as with everything else in life.


First, the DB dresses ARE short, I ordered mine with the 4" extra length (the most they offer) and it was still cutting it pretty close. Unlike designer gowns, which are cut for people who are irregularly tall (like us!) DB designs their gowns for people who are average height. At least that''s what the SA told me.

I posted my long story about my DB experience in a few threads already, but to make it short:
Went to DB shortly after FI proposed, hated every dress on (I''m also tall, a smidge over 5''9", street size 6 - 8) except for a big poufy tulle ballgown. It was on sale, I loved it even though it was nothing near what I pictured I''d want, so I bought it. When the dress came in the hem was horribly uneven, I was told they all look that way, they couldn''t replace it because the style was retired, so it was take a risk having them try to fix it or get a refund and walk away. I walked.

Then I went and tried on some gorgeous designer gowns and realized that I CAN look great in wedding gowns. I fell in love with a Melissa Sweet dress, and now I''m an MS bride and couldn''t be happier.

The salespeople were all lovely, so I can''t complain about the service. The product was just meh, though, in my opinion. If you try on some higher quality gowns you''ll see the incredible difference it makes. I have to admit I was happily shocked. If you didn''t find something you love at DB, keep looking. There are a lot of brides on here with gorgeous DB dresses, though, so you never know. Also, most of my students buy their quinceanera gowns at DB and they always seem happy with them.

Good luck!
 
Wow, guess I really did luck out at David''s Bridal! yay me!
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I''m sorry to hear your experience there was so bad, Allie...I didn''t have much luck there, either, but I never have...and this is said after being in 11 weddings before even beginning to look for a dress of my own.

On a positive note for them, I must say that it is a very good place to start as they DO have a variety of sizes, but unfortunately, they often fit poorly or just don''t look quite right. I used my experience there to get an idea of what I didn''t like, and that was actually helpful.

Also, my friend got a lovely Oleg Cassini dress there 2 years ago, and she bought it right then and there she loved it so much...it was beautifully made and looked smashing on her, but it also had a $1000 price tag on it. I think the designer gowns are very well made, but like any other designer dress, you''ll pay for that.

I also went to a really expensive salon with MINIMS, and they also made me put on one of their horrid bras that was too big in the waist, too small in the bust, and was at least 1/4" thick with absolutely NO GIVE! Whenever they clipped one of their ginormous dresses on me, they couldn''t even get close to showing my waist, and I honestly felt like a cow in all of the dresses...I know that I''m not that large, but it was very disheartening to see how bad they looked.

I went with a Casablanca gown, which is extremely well made out of lovely fabric, and I was able to order it in my proper length, which may be a benefit to you if they could do it in your correct length...I believe for extra length it would''ve been around $60-$80...I can''t remember, but that may be an option for you.

Good luck, and keep trying...each experience is different in it''s own way, and you''ll somehow manage to find the dress of your dreams, I''m sure!
 
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