There Are Pros And Cons To David`s Bridal
I actually am glad a store like David`s Bridal is available to brides-to-be. Think about it...all these years we had to go to very expensive bridal botiques to try on dresses that were way too big/small and we had to imagine what it would look like in a smaller/larger size. Then you had to order your dress and wait 6 months for it to come in. I don`t know why anyone didn`t think of it before. Why couldn`t we just go to a bridal store and try on any dress in any size and get it to fit right the first time? When you go shopping at regular women`s clothing stores, you try on the items on the rack to see how they fit. It the clothes don`t fit, you put it back. Simple as that. I never had to make alterations on the clothes I bought at regular clothing stores so why do we have to give these wedding botiques so much of our hard earned money to buy a dress that will have to be altered once we get it anyway? It`s the same idea with David`s Bridal dresses. I liked that I could try on the dress in my size and not have to make alterations on it. By getting dresses off the rack at David`s Bridal, there are of course some negatives. You will not be fussed over the way you would at an expensive botique. You will be standing in front of the mirrors next to 5 other brides. You will be dealing with underpaid employees (who work on commission and will be very pushy). The girl who was "helping" me, for example, walked in on me in the dressing room and didn`t knock or say excuse me. She just helped herself to the things I tried on. She also told me that if I was a size 6 normally, she insisted I was an 8 and grabbed the dress I had in my hand and put it away. I grabbed it back off the rack, tried it on and it fit beautifully. It was the dress I bought and it didn`t need any alterations. Some additional negatives of David`s bridal-You will be buying a dress that has been tried on a few times. But, you can special order a dress if you think it has been tried on so many times that it is beyond repair. That`s what I did and mine came in in 14 days! A brand new dress straight from the warehouse. But, all in all, my goal was to find a dress I liked for a reasonable price. And I sacrificed all the pampering to save over $500 on my wedding dress. It was worth it for me.
Also, ladies, don`t buy all the extras they sell at David`s Bridal like the tiaras, the shoes, the bags, the veils...that`s a big waste of money and you know you can do better. Get that stuff elsewhere. Ebay has new veils and tiaras. I made my tiara by going to some antique stores and finding old unique beads that matched my dress. I also bought a strand of new pearls from a bead supplier to add to the tiara. I then bought a little kids tiara at Claires. I took off the wacky tiara top of it and I was left with just the tiara base. I wrapped the base in a satin ivory string then wove the antique beads into it. It turned out beautiful and only cost me $25.00 to make. We can beat the overpriced wedding industry! Do your research and shop wisely.
Also, ladies, don`t buy all the extras they sell at David`s Bridal like the tiaras, the shoes, the bags, the veils...that`s a big waste of money and you know you can do better. Get that stuff elsewhere. Ebay has new veils and tiaras. I made my tiara by going to some antique stores and finding old unique beads that matched my dress. I also bought a strand of new pearls from a bead supplier to add to the tiara. I then bought a little kids tiara at Claires. I took off the wacky tiara top of it and I was left with just the tiara base. I wrapped the base in a satin ivory string then wove the antique beads into it. It turned out beautiful and only cost me $25.00 to make. We can beat the overpriced wedding industry! Do your research and shop wisely.
Posted by Sarah; updated 04/25/03
Reply
I had a similar experience and you are correct to say, that the dress you purchase always need alterations. From a $500.00 dress that I fell in love with the total when they were done $1,500. They charged $175. To alter each sleeve, $250 to cut the length and the charges kept adding on. I bought the veil from them which was a nightmare. I purchase the veil the same day I purchase the dress, both were suppose to be ivory. Well when my dress arrived the veil did not match because the dress was pearl white not ivory. Do you believe they refuse to exchange the veil nor give me a refund. I ended up buy another veil one week before my wedding and was devastated. I HATE DAVID`S BRIDAL!!! Spare yourself the aggrevation and shop elsewhere and while you are at it hire a wedding planner so you can enjoy your wedding. :)
Posted by Toni; updated 04/26/03
Reply
I agree!! i think that Davids Bridal is a nice store. I honestly don`t know where else to look for dresses if not for Davids. Sure your gonna get bad seeds. But you shouldn`t let them get you down. I`m getting Married on June 20th 2004 and i`m looking to get my dress there. I love the styles that davids has!!!! i have picked so many i don`t know which one to pick!!
~Holly
~Holly
Posted by holly; updated 04/26/03
Reply
Hi Sarah. I`m glad that you enjoyed your experience at Davids Bridal but I think your bashing of full service salons is totally unwarnated. I don`t know how old you are but I`m 46 and recently had the honor of being mother of the bride. My daughter who lives in NYC and has access to not only David`s bridal but literally hundreds of "discount" wedding gown outlets, chose to shop for her gown at a small full service salon here in our home town. The treatment we received goes far beyond "i got a cheap gown". The owner waited on us, met us after her regular business hours because of my daughters schedule, served us champagne while we shopped and just all around made us feel like we were the most special people on earth. My daughter loved it. After her wedding, she went shopping in the city with a friend who was getting married. She promptly wrote a letter to our home town shop and thanked her for the special way she was made to feel because she had no idea you weren`t treated that way everywhere untill she went to other shops. Did we get the dirt chaapest price on the gown we bought, I doubt it. Did I care, HECK NO!!!! The personal attention to detail, the peace of mind I had knowing we were being taked care of, and the wonderful memories my daughter has of this experience far out weigh the price we paid. I think our society on a whole has become "discounted" to death. Do I shop at Wal-mart? Sure for day to day needs. Did I want a Walmart shopping experience for my only daughter buying a wedding gown .....Absolutely not and I will never regret it.
Also Sarah, you make the comment that ready to wear clothing that you purchase doesn`t need to be altered. Take a walk down a busy city street and look at people. You will see that daily clothing does need to be altered to fit properly. Our instant gratification society just doesn`t take the time to do it anymore.
Signed a very happy former Mother of the bride
Also Sarah, you make the comment that ready to wear clothing that you purchase doesn`t need to be altered. Take a walk down a busy city street and look at people. You will see that daily clothing does need to be altered to fit properly. Our instant gratification society just doesn`t take the time to do it anymore.
Signed a very happy former Mother of the bride
Posted by Sharon; updated 04/27/03
Reply
Sharon,
You said your daughter got married in NYC, i am from there, do you remember the names of some stores for brides -to -be and grooms -to- be? you can email me if you wish at
Heidilyn84@optonline.net
Thanks :o)
~*~*Heidi Lyn*~*~
You said your daughter got married in NYC, i am from there, do you remember the names of some stores for brides -to -be and grooms -to- be? you can email me if you wish at
Heidilyn84@optonline.net
Thanks :o)
~*~*Heidi Lyn*~*~
Posted by Heidi Lyn; updated 04/27/03
Reply
DON`T GO TO DAVID`S BRIDAL IN KANSAS!!!
THEY ARE HORRIBLE AND MEAN!!!!
I ended up getting my bridesmaids dresses - Bill Levkoff dresses-from Pearls Place - cheaper than
Davids!
THEY ARE HORRIBLE AND MEAN!!!!
I ended up getting my bridesmaids dresses - Bill Levkoff dresses-from Pearls Place - cheaper than
Davids!
Posted by Nikki H.; updated 04/28/03
Reply
I agree with Sharon, the Mother of the Bride. There`s a difference between getting a great price, and getting `clearance rack` service and merchandise. I work at a family owned bridal shop that is near a Davids Bridal, and I have heard endless horror stories from brides who attempted to shop there. David`s makes knock-offs of the designer dresses that other shops carry. They do not carry any of the famous designers that you see in your bridal magazines. And most of the time, their knock-offs are more expensive, or slightly cheaper than the originals that they copied! And the quality isn`t even comparable. Save yourself the stress, and go somewhere that makes you feel comfortable about your purchase!
Posted by Kristen; updated 07/02/03
Reply
Hi folks:
I live in Canada, where we don`t actually have access to a David`s Bridal. I`m not sure if I should be thrilled or unhappy about it! :)
Meanwhile, I did visit about eight full service shops in Nova Scotia, Canada, since full service shops were all I really had access to here. Some were more full service than others. One or two of the REALLY fully service boutiques turned me off by removing the tags from the gowns, then feeding me some line about how they came in that way and there was no way for them to tell. That alone was enough to make me find a better, more honest place to shop (not to mention how they told me that every higher-priced gown was `stunning` - the costlier the gown, the better they thought it looked). Another place provided a closet-sized dressing room and just pointed at where the dresses were, didn`t even help to zip you up. And their gowns were as expensive as anyone`s.
The place I ended up was a bit off the beaten track, wasn`t a discount outlet or anything, but they provided the best customer service of my entire experience. The shop was called The Wedding Parlor, and they`re the ones who got my business. They emailed me photos of gowns when I asked, answered all of my questions quickly and honestly, and overall were just terrific.
My point is, there are good and bad of everything out there, sometimes it takes a bit of shopping around to find the right place. Don`t give up brides! There`s someone like this in your city!
However, I`d have to disagree that a reputable place will order you a gown that doesn`t need to be altered. Unless you`re a perfect size six or something, the sort of person that clothing designers use as models to fit their clothing to, ain`t gonna happen. Humans come in all different shapes and sizes, not cookie cutter shapes, and in my experience the gowns ran really small. For me, I have a big bust and the dress had to be ordered to fit that part. I`m normally a size 16, but the wedding gown I bought is a size 22. I tried this dress on in a couple of sizes in more than one shop, and they were right, even one size above my clothing size would have been too small. This was true of all the gowns I tried, nothing in my regular size would come close to zipping on me, I gave up looking at those sizes and went looking in the larger ones. So I don`t feel they were trying to rip me off or anything on alterations. That`s just the way the sizes ran.
Best of luck to everyone in their wedding adventures. Mine is less than three months away, and I`m in the thick of trying to get invitations together and remember all the stuff I`ve forgotten to do!
K
I live in Canada, where we don`t actually have access to a David`s Bridal. I`m not sure if I should be thrilled or unhappy about it! :)
Meanwhile, I did visit about eight full service shops in Nova Scotia, Canada, since full service shops were all I really had access to here. Some were more full service than others. One or two of the REALLY fully service boutiques turned me off by removing the tags from the gowns, then feeding me some line about how they came in that way and there was no way for them to tell. That alone was enough to make me find a better, more honest place to shop (not to mention how they told me that every higher-priced gown was `stunning` - the costlier the gown, the better they thought it looked). Another place provided a closet-sized dressing room and just pointed at where the dresses were, didn`t even help to zip you up. And their gowns were as expensive as anyone`s.
The place I ended up was a bit off the beaten track, wasn`t a discount outlet or anything, but they provided the best customer service of my entire experience. The shop was called The Wedding Parlor, and they`re the ones who got my business. They emailed me photos of gowns when I asked, answered all of my questions quickly and honestly, and overall were just terrific.
My point is, there are good and bad of everything out there, sometimes it takes a bit of shopping around to find the right place. Don`t give up brides! There`s someone like this in your city!
However, I`d have to disagree that a reputable place will order you a gown that doesn`t need to be altered. Unless you`re a perfect size six or something, the sort of person that clothing designers use as models to fit their clothing to, ain`t gonna happen. Humans come in all different shapes and sizes, not cookie cutter shapes, and in my experience the gowns ran really small. For me, I have a big bust and the dress had to be ordered to fit that part. I`m normally a size 16, but the wedding gown I bought is a size 22. I tried this dress on in a couple of sizes in more than one shop, and they were right, even one size above my clothing size would have been too small. This was true of all the gowns I tried, nothing in my regular size would come close to zipping on me, I gave up looking at those sizes and went looking in the larger ones. So I don`t feel they were trying to rip me off or anything on alterations. That`s just the way the sizes ran.
Best of luck to everyone in their wedding adventures. Mine is less than three months away, and I`m in the thick of trying to get invitations together and remember all the stuff I`ve forgotten to do!
K
Posted by Kimberly; updated 07/02/03
Reply
Kimberly is right, unless you`re perfectly proportional, and about 5`9", you`re going to need alterations regardless of your bridal shop. The reason the clothes you buy off the rack don`t need to be altered is because they usually have some stretch to them. Unless you`re in the market for a spandex wedding gown, you`re going to need a little tuck somewhere. For most girls, it will be the bust. I`m in the business of measuring girls and ordering dresses, so believe me when I say that most girls have proportionally larger waist measurements than their bust and hips - at least according to 50+ different gown manufacturers. There`s nothing that your local bridal salon can do about that, therefore we do the best we can, and the rest has to be taken care of by your seamstress. Every person is different, and until wedding gown manufacturers start cutting dresses to custom measurements, we`re all going to have to deal with alterations.
Posted by Kristen; updated 07/02/03
Reply
Does anyone know where I can find used dresses that are sold at David`s Bridal? I am looking for a top and skirt from their mix and match collection. If you can help please let me know.
Thanks!
Colleen cmp@cox.net
Thanks!
Colleen cmp@cox.net
Posted by Colleen; updated 01/04/04
Reply
I bought my gown from David`s Bridal and although I love the dress; I must agree with you the service was HORRIBLE!!!! I went to a David`s Bridal in NYC. I made an appointment and still had no one to wait on me. When someone finally showed up, I showed her the dresses I wanted to try on. She said she would go look for them. After sitting on the stairs for a half an hour later, I went searching for the lady who was helping. I asked another sales person if she knows where my sales lady went. She abruptly told me oh she`s left. I was confused!! I ask the lady well who is helping me. She told if I know the dresses I wanted, I could look for the dresses myself. After another half an hour of my sister and I hopelessly searching rows and rows of dresses I was about to give up, when a sales lady who was leaving asked me what was wrong. I explain to her my dilemma. Not more than 5 minutes later, she fould my dress and accessaries. She was wonderful and extremely helpful. I bought everything that day and gave her the commission. The funny thing is that my original sales lady didn`t leave, she was up stairs on cash register and had to ring up at the stuff I bought. She was disgusted that the other lady received the commission.
Posted by FRUSTRATED; updated 03/25/04
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I agree that David`s has good prices on their gowns and they have hundreds of different styles to choose from. What you will not get of course, is fussed over by the employees. If you want to be fussed over and given the "princess" treatment, you should go to the high priced boutiques where you will pay double the price for the same gown you can buy at David`s.
Posted by Missy; updated 03/25/04
Reply
My daugters gown is from davids bridal 99 dollar sale there were 3 gowns her size to try on she fell in love with the second orginal cost 800 dollars it is gorgeous we were treated wonderfully the sales women put two veils on her she fell in love with cost 300 dollars i got them on ebay same thing 35 dollars also the cute little sales clerk confided her gown was also 99 dollars maybe we just got lucky but we had a wonderul experience east syr n.y.
Posted by shelly; updated 03/26/04
Reply
I am still in the midst of my shopping experience at David`s Bridal, but I must say that I am pleased so far. I went a year ago when I first got engaged, and I bought my dress that day, even though I wasn`t sure about whether I ACTUALLY wanted that particular style. The sales lady talked me into it, telling me that style was likely to be discontinued and if I didn`t get it now, it would probably not be around later on. I bought it out of fear, and then, when it arrived via special order, sure enough, I was not too crazy about it. I had major buyers remorse. After keeeping the gown for a few days, I called the store and told them that I had this brand new gown, with tags, and a receipt, and that I was unhappy with the style, having bought it simply out of the fear of the option not being there later on. I was told no refunds, but that "it is a woman`s preogative to change her mind" and that as long as i had a receipt and it still had tags on it, that they would exchange it toward the purchase of a new gown. So I decided that this time I was going to bring my sister with me so that I bought a gown I truly loved and not out of fear of it not being there. So I went back, alone, and tried on about 20 gowns. I went on a weekday when they were not very busy, and this time the sales lady was very nice, very patient, and not at all pushy. She did not try to get me to buy on that day at all, but simply wrote down the styles that I liked best so that I could come back adn try them on with my sister. So far, so good. I will see what happens later with the shop, but they have been very nice to work with, and seem to be concerned with me the consumer getting what I want. For what its worth, I live in Memphis.
Posted by Bride to be; updated 09/22/04
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