opinion''s about david''s bridal?

[questionaboutsettings]

Hi folks! There is no David''s Bridal is my town, so I am considering driving 1-2 hours to a nearby city to check them out - before I do that I wanted to see if people had good experiences there. Are the dresses nice? Is there a limit to how many you can try on? Any opinions either way? If it was local I''d just go there, but I''m weary of driving really far just to find out it''s not too great... though of course it varies by location I''m sure.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Fancy605]

You can find a lovely dress at Davids, and you can get some great deals! They have lots of bridesmaid/flowergirl things too if you are interetsted in that sort of thing as well.

I have never shopped there for a wedding dress of course, but I have worn BM dresses from there several times, and I have several friends who have shopped there for gowns. Here are a few words of caution based on those experiences. Now, this may not be true of ALL David's , but the staff at the ones near my area can be pushy rather than helpful. I have mostly been on Saturdays, and it typically seems to be crowded, especially with 16-18 y/os trying on prom/pageant gowns (and sometimes even wedding dresses) and TONS of other brides, a lot of whom will be quite obnoxious due to the crowds, and many times there are little kids along, who get bored and whiney. Now, that's not to say that there won't be other nice, classy, charming brides there, because there will be plenty of those too. The dressing rooms are not very nice. They are pretty much small with a curtain hanging infront of them and then there is a 3 way mirror at the end of the ally of rooms, so if you want a better look, you get to parade around infront of a ton of people you don't know and wait for your turn at the mirror. (Thus subjecting yourself to unsolicited criticism...fun)

Now, that being said, it is probably different during the week, and it may be different in different locations, and if you don't mind dealing with crowds while wedding dress shopping. It hasn't bothered me too much personally while I was trying on BM dresses for others' weddings. BUT, these are the sorts of thing that may bother certain brides shopping for wedding gowns, especially if you want an intimate setting for trying on and have a low threshold for irritation people.

And I am sure people have had GOOD experiences, even at that location. My cousin found her dress at a Davids in VA for $99. She is not very fussy though about crowds (or anything really), and she probably didn't have to try on much to find something that looked fab.

I would go look at the website and see if they have any styles you would be interested in. If they have some styles that you like, then it may be worth the trip (despite any potential unpleasantness) because you could very well find THE dressor at least get some good ideas.

 

[FireGoddess]

I really like David''s bridal. I got my wedding dress there, on sale, for $350. I have gotten several of my BM and MOH dresses there as well for other weddings. However, their shoes are CRAP so only get their shoes if you absolutely must. They''re poor quality and expensive. All their accessories are overpriced for what they are, actually.

As for dress shopping, it is DEFINITELY a whole different place on the weekends. It can get crazy on the weekends unless you have an early morning appt, and even then the weekday appts are still much better. You get an hour appt with an attendant who will pull dresses for you that you have already chosen from the website, or in a particular style she thinks you may like. I think I tried on about 6 dresses. There was no limit on dresses when I went, but after an hour the attendant will desert you and you''re on your own, as they usually have another appt booked. It helped to have a friend there to help me get into and out of the dresses. The attendant will help do that, but if you''re over your time limit and she leaves you, at least you can continue trying dresses on with a friend.

You should know that you are buying the actual dress you try on. They don''t just go order you a new one of the same type. If there is anything wrong with the dress, they will clean it or sew it back or whatever. I was fine with this but my friend wanted them to order her a new one. She finally got them to and when it came....it was too small. The dresses DO stretch from people trying them on, so KNOW that!!! That''s another reason they want you to buy the dress right then and there. She ended up having to return the new dress and buy the one she tried on anyway! Lucky for her it was still there.

 

[chickflick]

I bought my dress from DB and was very surprised. I'd heard people make derragatory comments about it but I thought the dresses were actually quite nice for the money, especially if you're like me and prefer not to spend thousands of dollars on a dress you wear for a few hours. I went with my Mom on a Saturday and was totally oblivious- hadn't made an appointment, didn't bring a special bra or anything, I just walked in and started looking at dresses. It all turned out fine. My consultant was very sweet and helpful, although the woman who checked me out was quite snooty (she really put me off when she complimented me on my ering and then TOUCHED MY DIAMOND! Ugh!!) I think you'll have a positive experience and trying on dresses is so much fun. Just enjoy!

Oh, and I think it's three dresses at a time, but I knew after the second dress so no problems there. I'm sure you can sneak in a few more if you need to, esp if you've driven all that way!

 

[Fancy605]

Date: 7/22/2006 11:13:02 AM
Author: FireGoddess

As for dress shopping, it is DEFINITELY a whole different place on the weekends.

I''m glad to hear it is different during the week!

 

[magpye]

I think it''s definately worth the trip and this is coming from a davids bridal convert!

yes i admit, when I first started shopping for dresses I was a complete SNOB. No way was I going to david''s bridal.

But as i started trying on dresses i realized I just could NOT spend over 1K on a dress for one day!

So I broke down and went. There are some lovely dresses there and the dressing rooms at the one I went to were small but nice (had real doors). And they had a whole section of the store with a bunch of 3-way mirrors set up. I found a few that I liked for great prices. I didn''t end up buying my dress there because i found the perfect dress on nordtroms.com wedding shop online for less than 1K!

I wanted something more vintage/evening dress-ish and most of the dresses at david''s bridal were ball-gown-ish. If I hadn''t found my nordstrom''s dress I definately would have gotten one at david''s. I''m definately going back there at some point though to look at their accessories!

 

[tanyak]

I also got my dress at David's Bridal. Most of the sales ladies were nice and helpful. They do push the accessories - they bring you shoes, tiaras, veils to try on with the dresses, but you can just say thanks but no thanks. And I agree, the accessory prices are insane. I think they mark those up to make up for the relatively reasonably priced dresses. There was never any limit on the number of dresses I could try on. Granted, I never went on the weekend - most of my appointments were in the evenings on weekdays. That's really handy, considering most bridal boutiques close at 6 or 7 during the week. David's is open until 9.


You should know that you are buying the actual dress you try on. They don't just go order you a new one of the same type.

See, I read this all the time, but that wasn't true for me. I tried my dress on in the size and color that I needed, but I didn't want the floor sample. I don't even remember there being a question about them ordering a new one. That took the info and placed the order. I picked my dress up about 1 month later. I have other friends who also ordered their dresses even though they were in stock. The only times I've known people to get the floor model has been when that particular dress is discontinued, and they CAN'T order a new one. Maybe this practice varies according to the stores.

 

[San Diego Bride]

if nothing else, david''s is certainly worth the trip just to get ideas. they have more dresses there than most other bridal shops (in my area at least) so you can try on a wide variety of styles and figure out what looks best on you. i also think it''s very helpful that you can try on dresses in your size. at the other shops the dresses get clipped on if you''re not the sample size which makes it hard to tell exactly what it would look like.

i agree with others that it''s much better during the week. it''s less hectic so you will likely feel less rushed. i ended up finding a dress there that i loved which was funny since i never thought i''d shop there, but ended up going custom since i have a family member who is a seamstress.

enjoy the trip... and post lots of pictures!

 

[flopkins]

well, personally I think that for the same price, you can get better quality at a regular bridal salon. there are several bridal designers that have many dresses below $1k, that I think are better or as good as DB. The one thing I don''t like about them is that the dresses are off the rack - which means that the dress you buy might have been tried on by a lot of girls, which isn''t a problem in itself (for me) but it means you MUST check the dress very carefully before you buy it - esp if they ''ship'' in a ''new'' dress for you bc they dont'' have your size in stock - bc that''s code for finding the store closest to them w/the correct size and sending it over. I''ve heard some ppl getting really dirty and/or slightly damaged gowns (ie beads missing, things like that) so just check your dress carefully.

They let you try on the dresses 3 at a time, for about an hour - so you can try on a lot of dresses. For me it was good to just see what styles I liked.

And, if you order your dress online, you can often save a lot off retail, my dress retailed for 1/3 more than I paid - I paid less than $1k for a silk gown, which for me was huge. But hey, I''m a huge snob about fabric.

 

[aphisiglovessae]

I was looking at 800-1000 dollar dresses in the beginning (knowing that I didn't really want to spend that much money on a wedding dress) until my mom convinced me to give Davids Bridal a try. I reluctantly went after hearing a couple of bad stories about them. Turns out, I found "the dress" there, my salesperson was SO sweet and she catered to every request (and even sent me a card a little while later saying thank you and that she loved my mom and if I ever needed anything to givve her a call!), and best of all, my dress was only $250!! Overall, I'd give Davids a good remark on my personal experience, but I've pretty much come to the conclusion that it's hit-or-miss. My sister-in-law had a terrible experience with her bridesmaid dress alterations from them for my wedding, and my maid of honor had semi-bad experiences with them for her wedding. However, they both went to different Davids Bridal stores than I did, so I think I just got a decent store. Hope this helps!! Oh, and here's the dress I picked:

ETA: I drove about 3 hours to get to the Davids Bridal that I bought my dress from.

 

[nytemist]

My view on David''s- they are great to you if you are going to buy a wedding dress there. Otherwise, they can''t be bothered with you. A bunch of the other weddings I have been in, I went there with the bride to look at BM dresses. The salesperson was sugar sweet to us until she directed my friend to the wedding dresses and suggested some to try on. My friend said "oh, I already have my gown, we want to look at BM dresses." The salesperson did a 180 and just said "oh, well those are on that side of the store over there..." and walked away.

When my BM got married, the groom''s best friend who was female was on his side, so she ordered one of the tuxedo dresses. They were great to her on the phone, but when she went to pick it up, right off the bat the woman at the counter said "we don''t carry that style to fit you" and walked away. Fortunately, she was able to talk with the manager on site and got some moeny taken off the rudeness.

My experience was kind of similar. The two times I went and tried on gowns (with my fiance and with my BM''s) the sales people were so great to me. When they gave me a follow-up call, I informed them that I wouldn''t be getting my gown there, but my MOH was odering a dress. The woman told her that was no problem, whatever store she went into they could pull up the information on what style and size she needed... No big surprise when MOH went to the store to order the dress and poof! all of our info was gone. Removed from the system the day they called and I said I wasn''t getting a wedding dress.

I guess it depends. I know a lot of people that have had the issue I did; being treated royally when possibly buying a dress, but getting the cold shoulder if only dealing with BM dresses. But some have had a great time deadling with David''s no matter what they were buying.

 

[Kaylyn]

I think I have to go to David''s soon because we don''t have one here, either. We have three places in town. One of them is tiny, tiny tiny...and very little to try on. The next one, the girls are SUPER sweet and not pushy AT ALL...I will be getting my tuxes there...but they don''t have a lot to try on either. The third one carries things like Maggie Sottero, but they take one look at your diamond and if it''s not big enough they don''t like to help you. I was in there one day in my .25 diamond and they were sort of helping me, until a girl with probably a 1.5ct diamond and a Louis Vuitton bag came in, and they flocked to her. I have nothing against that girl, she looked very nice and classy, but it was bad on the part of the shop. Also, they try to convince you that things look nice when they don''t. I tried on *one* dress there, and I liked it...then the lady started asking me, "So is this THE dress?"...holy crap, lady. I only tried on ONE!!! Calm down.

Plus, my other friend went in there and she had a dress on she couldn''t even get zipped, and the ladies wanted her to come out of the dressing room anyway (with everything hanging out of the dress) even though there was a male in the store!!! They said to her, "Oh, he won''t mind!" and laughed! EW!!!!! I''m sorry, I know that dress shopping sometimes involves almost complete strangers all up in your business, but you have to draw the line somewhere!

Anyway...I''m going to make the drive to the next town over to look at their bridal shops...which includes a David''s. If I have no luck there, we will be commissioning my aunt to make my dress, which is what I might do anyway. Your comments have been very helpful about David''s! Thank you!!!

I don''t think that they will like me much. I already made my veil, ordered my tiara, and I have my shoes. Heh.

 

[flutterby]

I had originally thought i wanted a dress from davids that I saw in a magazine. Didnt look so hot on, but they had other nice dresses. I went on a tuesday morning and the sales clerk was very helpful. It was the first wedding place I went to and within 2 days i had florists, tuxedo rentals, and banquet halls calling me. They definately sold my personal information, that really put me off. Not to say i wouldnt have bought my dress there if they had ''the one''