Appointments for Dress Shopping?

princessleia22

Just curious about everyone's opinion on this.  I know of a few bridal salons that absolutely require appointments, but most state they are recommended.  I completely understand the need for personal attention to help women try on the dresses & clip them in and unplanned shoppers can take away from that.  Or if you don't have appointment, you shouldn't expect to get full attention, like you would with an appointment.  

My current problem is that I know exactly what I am looking for and just need to find it.  I've tried on several dresses already and have found bodice style I love and bottom that I love, now I just need to find one dress that combines them.  I really don't want to have bridal salesperson pushing me to try on dresses I don't want, although it may be nice to have them suggest some since they know their stock.  But, is it completely inappropriate to go into stores without appointment to look at what they have in stock?  I'm even willing to set appointment for later time if I find something I like and want to try on.  But, I don't want to set up a bunch of appointments at places that may not have what I'm looking for.

doeydo

If I were you, I would make the appointments at some local salons and then once you are with the consultant, show her pictures or describe exactly what you want.  They want to make a sale, so they should show you what you came in looking for.

SBmini

doeydo said:

If I were you, I would make the appointments at some local salons and then once you are with the consultant, show her pictures or describe exactly what you want.  They want to make a sale, so they should show you what you came in looking for.

^ what she said. 

MobKaz

I agree with the other posters.  However, if you want to attempt an appointment free session, your best scenario would be to go on a weekday.  Plan to go immediately as the store opens when the likelihood of a crowd is minimal. 

rakkaya87

I am one of those people who HATE when consultants in ANY kind of shop help me out... I really do 90% of my shopping online whether it be packaged goods, clothing, makeup, anything!  I was soo annoyed that I had to make an appointment to try on dresses (and really anything vendor related hehe) because I just wanted to get what I wanted and get out and not be bothered..... but it really wasn't that bad, and you are right they will recommend things bc a good consultant will know the ins and outs of their stock and designers/style numbers..... make the appointment and just enjoy it

Nlee2134

rakkaya87 said:

I am one of those people who HATE when consultants in ANY kind of shop help me out... I really do 90% of my shopping online whether it be packaged goods, clothing, makeup, anything!  I was soo annoyed that I had to make an appointment to try on dresses (and really anything vendor related hehe) because I just wanted to get what I wanted and get out and not be bothered..... but it really wasn't that bad, and you are right they will recommend things bc a good consultant will know the ins and outs of their stock and designers/style numbers..... make the appointment and just enjoy it

I've already been through 6 appointments. At this point I kind of just want to look and leave. I know exactly what I'm searching for now. At my last several appointments, I took photos of what I want and they still brought me stuff that was completely different. I even specifically said I don't want fit & flare or mermaid at all but they still wasted my time with them.

I actually found a dress I love but it's a little over my budget so I'm hoping to find same or very similar dress with lower cost. I have about 20 stores in my area and I'm willing to look in all of them if I have to, but I don't want to spend an hour in each one. I've actually thought about taking a day off work to do it also, since I know they are very busy on weekends and it would be much less intrusive for them to go during less busy time.

CrazyCatLady3

The problem with "just looking through their stock" is that many stores don't put samples of all their dresses out on the floor and may have items only in the back, so you would need someone to help you.  If you don't want to go to a million stores, you should scour the internet for a dress that meets your criteria, find out where that designer is carried, and call the store to make sure they have a sample of that style in for you to try on.

rakkaya87

@Nlee2134 what about calling ahead? I called 4 places to see if they carry my dress before going in.  Most of them gave me pricing over the phone, too... however my dress is Justin Alexander and for SOME reason whatever it is, they are not allowed to give JA dress prices over the phone... but it'd save a bunch of time if this works for you to do.

princessleia22

I've called several shops and NONE of them have the dress I really want. There are only 3 stores in the whole state that even carry the designer... and I've tried all of them.  I've checked out of state.  I've also called 2nd hand and sample stores looking for it.  The dress shop can get a sample loaned from designer, but it will cost me money to get it in to even try on.  And even if I like it, its still a little over my preferred budget, but not impossible.  So I am hoping to find something similar that I love without having to pay to try on this sample, and preferably find one comfortably within my budget.

Every dress shop I've called tells me "they have several dresses like that or similar", but when I set appointment and get in there, none of the dresses they show me are what I'm looking for.  I've been looking online and haven't found anything else that is quite right yet.  So I was hoping to just peruse the stores more quickly, without trying on gowns at each one.

But, I think at this point, since I'm finding myself comparing everything to that one dress, I need to spend the money to get the sample in to try it.  I don't think I'm going to really like anything else until I try that one on.

erinlin25

if you go in with pictures and say this is what I am looking for, they most likely will follow your lead and can never "make you" try on anything you do not want.  Now if you were to go in and not know what you wanted then yes I could see the consultant trying a little bit of everything.  My 1st app. I was an open book.  consultant put me more in what she thought would look good, which did not get me anywhere except a better idea of what I did not want, so it helped narrow down what it was I did want.  2nd time shopping I knew exactly what I was looking for, called around to see who had the dresses I liked and made an appointment.  They knew I was there for those dresses, pulled those for me and I found the one. 

If you are shopping on the weekend I would definitely make an appointment since the stores will be busy.  If its a weekday you may get away with no appointment.  I would call the store and ask.  Sounds like you know what dress you are interested in so call stores and find out who has it so you can go and know you will get to try it on.

triciaandkenswedding

try calling the designer!  I did.  My first dress I fell in love with a discontinued dress and was 6 sizes away from zipping & I think I would have had to remove ribs.  So I called around locally, then the designer.  They said they had the pattern &could do it.  They referred me to a shop in the area to take the order.  They might be able to create the dress you want if you have style numbers.  If not, a shop that has a good relationship with them could. 

thelastdreamer

As someone who works as a bridal consultant, please don't go in and try to tell them you don't want a consultant. I get that you know what you want, just tell the consultant that. If she's not an idiot, she'll want to make you happy. 

I understand that some people hate salespeople, don't want to get talked into things, etc. etc. Nobody can make you buy something. Most bridal salons require you to work with a consultant. It's not JC Penny, you're trying on dresses that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, so obviously they want somebody to keep an eye on you. The few times people have refused to let us help them at all, usually a dress winds up damaged. 

kgd7357

I ended up picking my dress without an appointment. I knew almost what I wanted, and pre called stores to see if they carried some of the dresses I liked. One salon had the one I really liked, and I asked if I could drop by to see it. What made it better is they had ALL their dresses on forms. When I dropped by, I could just walk around the whole store and see the dresses on forms rather than hangers. I never even ended up trying the one on I came for. When I saw the one that was my vision, I did ask a consultant that wasn't busy to help me try it on. That was probably the consultants easiest sell all day b/c I bought it on the spot.

Moral of this story is that drop ins can work. But don't go pushing dresses around or trying them on without any help. Try to find a store that has dresses on forms! This was the most amazing thing, as it eliminated so many dresses very quickly, and you didn't have to try them on to see what they looked like off the hanger.

vmj23

Most places, from what i've seen, don't want you just goign through their racks.  And they aren't always pushing you to try on stuff you're not interested in.  I'd suggest makign the appointment, bringing in the picture adn seeing what they can show you.  The place i bought my dress wouldn't even put me in a dress that i knew was a know, they didn't want to waste time.   Once the consultant had an idea of what i wanted she pulled the perfect dress.