Wedding dress prices?

[Deleted User]

my dress was on sale for $500 at David's Bridal.  I don't remember how much we spent on alterations, probably $125-200.  my jacket was $185 (from Etsy), my veil was around $150 (DB). 

cu97tiger

I wish I had gone to DB to look, but I had this (very wrong) idea about what it would be like. Oh well.

I paid $700 for my dress, plus tax, plus alterations ($300), plus undergarments ($50 but I wear the spanx still to this day) = $1,200.

I bought my veil for $60 off etsy. I think any accessories like belts or headbands are a rip-off if you buy them at a retail store. Etsy all the way.

If I were a bride-to-be now, I'd go look at dresses, find the style I want, then scour the internet for someone selling theirs. You'd save SO much money.

jenna8984

P.S. I can't stand David's. I think they are terrible quality and service but I figured we would look there for bridesmaids since my 2 girls are a size 0 and a size 20 and most stores don't carry those. So I made the appointment online and got spammed to death. When we showed up for the appointment, she gave me a clipboard with an info sheet to fill out. I wrote "Jenna" at the top and handed it back to her. She was like um, you didn't fill it out? I said yea, I don't need more spam mail. She said oh, we don't do that here! I said really?! Because since I made this appointment 2 weeks ago I've gotten 3 emails per day!!! She didn't know how to respond and just kind of lead us to the dresses.

My 2 girls had to share a dressing room (uncomfortable for them- only know each other through me). And each time they came out, there were 3 other girls elbowing them to use the mirror because they were also sharing dressing rooms. I was like this is bullshit, if you didn't have the room why did you let us (and all these people) even make the appointment?! We stormed out of there, went to the mall, and bought dresses from NY&Co.

Peaseblossom55

tuarceatha said:

Peaseblossom55 said:

tuarceatha said:

My dress was around $1,200 after alterations and such. I did not pay for it, but if I had, I think I would've kept my budget to $600ish max.

I also really want to host a wedding dress only party to have an excuse to wear it again. Maybe next year....

I would totally go!

Great! I will put you down as a yes.

Yay!

lavenderfields13

My dress was $2275 before tax. WAY over my initial budget of $500. I moved it up to $1000, then $1200, $1500..and then I saw my dress. I had to have it since it did not compare to anything else I tried and I finally felt like I had found what I had been looking for and never thought I'd find. I feel regret about spending that much sometimes but I love my dress.

I did try on a dress I liked at DB for $399. I liked it. I loved that it was only $399 but it just wasn't "the one". But you can definitely find dresses in your budget. Like someone else suggested I would check out consignment shops, etc. Some shops/boutiques will say on their website what price their dresses start at so at least you know you're not walking into a shop with dresses that start at $2000 or something. 

ETA: I went to DB on a Friday morning without and appointment and we were the only ones in there. It was great. That was the only time I have ever been though. I would not recommend you go on a Saturday because they note that you have to share a consultant because it's busy on Saturdays. I want someone only helping me!

labro

cu97tiger said:

I wish I had gone to DB to look, but I had this (very wrong) idea about what it would be like. Oh well.

I paid $700 for my dress, plus tax, plus alterations ($300), plus undergarments ($50 but I wear the spanx still to this day) = $1,200.

I bought my veil for $60 off etsy. I think any accessories like belts or headbands are a rip-off if you buy them at a retail store. Etsy all the way.

If I were a bride-to-be now, I'd go look at dresses, find the style I want, then scour the internet for someone selling theirs. You'd save SO much money.

I think DB can vary A LOT from store to store. There are some DB's out there that are really really great, and others that are absolutely awful. I went to DB with my cousin and with my ex's sister when I lived in the Midwest and had a wonderful experience. But the experience I had shopping with my BFF for her wedding dress here in Atlanta completely turned me off to DB for forever. We were standing (no chairs anywhere in the store) with everyone else who was shopping in the store waiting for my friend to come out of the dressing room. The dressing rooms themselves were so tiny that the consultant left my friend in there to put on dresses herself and then she'd come out and have to wait for the consultant to help zip up the dress or do whatever was needed to fit it to her. It was just a really uncomfortable, impersonal experience. She bought her dress there anyway because she found one she loved that was in her budget (and she also had to have a dress really quickly since her wedding was only a couple of months away) so it worked out...but the condition of the store was just a huge turn-off for me. The closest DB's for me (we have two in the area) are both at least a 45 minute drive as well, while all the independent boutiques I shopped at were all between 15 and 30 minutes (or less from my office) for me to drive to.

KeptInStitches

LaPeanut1018 said:

cu97tiger said:

I wish I had gone to DB to look, but I had this (very wrong) idea about what it would be like. Oh well.

I paid $700 for my dress, plus tax, plus alterations ($300), plus undergarments ($50 but I wear the spanx still to this day) = $1,200.

I bought my veil for $60 off etsy. I think any accessories like belts or headbands are a rip-off if you buy them at a retail store. Etsy all the way.

If I were a bride-to-be now, I'd go look at dresses, find the style I want, then scour the internet for someone selling theirs. You'd save SO much money.

I think DB can vary A LOT from store to store. There are some DB's out there that are really really great, and others that are absolutely awful. I went to DB with my cousin and with my ex's sister when I lived in the Midwest and had a wonderful experience. But the experience I had shopping with my BFF for her wedding dress here in Atlanta completely turned me off to DB for forever. We were standing (no chairs anywhere in the store) with everyone else who was shopping in the store waiting for my friend to come out of the dressing room. The dressing rooms themselves were so tiny that the consultant left my friend in there to put on dresses herself and then she'd come out and have to wait for the consultant to help zip up the dress or do whatever was needed to fit it to her. It was just a really uncomfortable, impersonal experience. She bought her dress there anyway because she found one she loved that was in her budget (and she also had to have a dress really quickly since her wedding was only a couple of months away) so it worked out...but the condition of the store was just a huge turn-off for me. The closest DB's for me (we have two in the area) are both at least a 45 minute drive as well, while all the independent boutiques I shopped at were all between 15 and 30 minutes (or less from my office) for me to drive to.

I agree that it depends on the DB. The closest one was not good, and I wasn't willing to drive 3-5 hours to get to the next nearest ones and give it another try.

ShallowSeas

I agree that DB's vary. I've heard some bad reviews about a lot of them and was worried when I went. The DB in my city is great. The staff was nice, they had a ton of dresses available, and I got my dress in less than 2 weeks. It really just depends on the store and staff.

GoldenPenguin

severmilli12 said:

I agree that DB's vary. I've heard some bad reviews about a lot of them and was worried when I went. The DB in my city is great. The staff was nice, they had a ton of dresses available, and I got my dress in less than 2 weeks. It really just depends on the store and staff.

This. I have gone to DB in my area four times for dresses (bridesmaid dresses and my own bridal gown) and absolutely loved my experience there. I have also gone to the DB in Maine several times (sorority formals, bridesmaid dresses, and my mom's MOB dress) and had wonderful experiences every time. We went on a Saturday in Maine for my mom's dress - they let me put on my gown to show her in person, and let me wear it around the store for the entire time she was trying things on. 

Because it's a chain, there are definitely chances that you'll get a shitty consultant, or that it will be really busy on a Saturday. I do get a lot of emails from them, but I have unsubscribed and/or just delete them - it's really not that big of a deal. 

I just don't think people should automatically disregard DB because it's a chain. Also, the dresses are not shitty quality - they have a ton of variety from their brand to Vera Wang, Oleg Cassini, Melissa Sweet, etc. 

lilacck28

I've gone to David's twice as a bridesmaid and twice as a bride. That is, the same store. I've had good/ great experiences three of four times. The fourth time I went was the second time at David's to try on wedding dresses and the consultant was a sour puss. It wasn't awful, but wasn't quite "good."

The first time I went to try on wedding dresses was great. The consultants helping me had questionable style/ listening skills. They brought me a lot of ornate satin dresses when I said I want light and flowy.... But they let my mom pull a ton, and she knew what I wanted. They made me feel beautiful when I had been terrified I would look like a pumpkin in every dress.

As for accessories-- I agree! Usually etsy or online saves money. I tried my dress and the belt on three times before buying. I looked all over the place for a similar thin pearl belt, but no luck. Nothing even close.

My total budget for dress and accessories and alterations was a hopeful $1500. I did pretty well with the $700 dress so just decided to go for it w the belt. I'll definitely look online again before getting the veil and headpiece.... But that headpiece from the boutique was pretty great!

eilis1228

I feel like I should be taking notes. You guys are so informative! :-P I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about DB and was planning to avoid them altogether, but maybe I'll do some Yelp searching on the DFW locations...

My mom is buying my dress, and she gave me a budget of $2000. I'm pretty sure that includes alterations, but if not, I'll just pay for those myself. 

Dignity100

I went to DB's twice in my area.  They were fine and easy to work with.  The one was very 'by the book' and their store has a rule of 'thou shalt only try on 5 bridal gowns' - so the first time I was only allowed to try on 5.  I really liked one, but it was a bit small, but I was going to rip out the zipper and put a corset in so she said it wasn't a problem, they had the seamstress verify.  The second time, the store manager took my appointment (they over booked).  She was super helpful and put me in quite a few dresses. 

I got home from my 2nd appointment and was in between 2 and started 'stalking' them online (one the original that was too small and a lace one).  I kept looking at them and I noticed I was comparing myself to how I looked in the gowns to other brides (and I wasn't happy because I am not a 25-year-old-size-6 bride).

My advice for those looking:
I keep seeing questions on the 'Attire and Accessories' page about things like 'my back is too low and I can't find a bra that works with my bra and cups don't work either --- on every gown I was serious about, I asked to talk to a store seamstress about the fit and what could be done.  Do not be afraid to ask to speak with somebody in alterations before purchasing!

Take a picture of it before purchasing (some places may not allow this).  There was one gown I thought could have been the one.  It looked great on me - had all the details I wanted, but it didn't photograph well AT ALL.  I tried it in several different lighting and 2 different shops, I loved the dress, but the details came out awkward in photos.

BreMR

Wow, thank you ladies so much!! I didn't mean to post and run, but my new job is a lot more internet strict than I thought!  

You have all officially helped change my mind about DB, and I think I will give it a shot.  There is a shop in St. Paul that I've heard great things about that I'll check out first, and if that fails I'll go to DB, there is one about 2 miles from my house!