Bridal Boutiques

megz03030

Hey ladies,
I have been kind of lurking around for awhile on here. I just have a few questons. I am starting my adventure of trying to find my dress. Where did you go shopping in DSM? What were your experiences (good or bad) with those stores?

Thanks!
Megan

Mcsweets

I went to 4 different places and would HIGHLY recommend NOT going on a Saturday.  We went on Saturday and Sunday and Saturdays are crazy busy.  They still try to help everyone, but some of the dresses you don't get to see because other girls have them in their rooms.

-David's Bridal:  The sales rep was really nice, but really slow.  We had picked about 8 dresses we wanted to try, and she kept bringing them 1 by 1 (with about 10 minutes in between each one).  I didn't like that the dressing rooms were so tiny so no one could be in there with me and I got bored waiting.  I finally put my sweatshirt on with my underskirting and sat out in the waiting place with the rest of my girls! (see pic) Prices were great though and they have an excellent selection.





-Bridal Connection: Experience was good, although I didn't think they had a "ton" to choose from.  It was also my first stop so I didn't really know how to look at the dresses in bags and tell what they looked like lol.  I liked that they gave me colored rings to place on the dresses I liked.  The sales rep was also very good.

- Weddings by Design:  Experience was 100x better on Sunday vs Saturday.  I found a "top dress" there on Saturday and went back Sunday to try it on again.  This is where i get my advice from up top.  I found tons of other dresses that I didnt see the day before.  One of these actually ended up being MY dress that I purchased!  In addition, they sent me a box of CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES from edible arrangements as a thank you!!!  I loved working with them.  My only complaint would be that they ordered the dress too big (I think this is common). However, I've been losing weight so it probably would have needed to be taken in anyway.

- The Bridal Boutique (downtown dsm):  The woman here was veryyy nice! I loved that it was so small and they have some really unique dresses!  I didn't find my dress there, but would have loved to give them my business!!!

- I would have liked to go to Schaffers, but love love love my dress from Weddings By Design.

- I would avoid Staceys (sorry for anyone who got their dress there) I have heard nothing but problems with their dresses and alterations issues.

megz03030

Thank you so much for your input! I have 2 appointments tomorrow. One at weddings by design and one at the bridal boutique. I hope everything goes well!

kschwarz09

if your looking for a good deal. July 16 bridal connection in ankeny is having a huge sale.

deregniern

I went through Party Palisades in Indianola and have had the best experience.  They have really helpful and patient with me and I have nothing to complain about with them at all.  I thought they had a great selection.  I think too many things to pick from can be overwhelming.  I tried on I dont know how many dresses, and I was the only one in the store the day that I went, so I had all the help I needed and they kept the store open an hour late because I was having a really hard time deciding. 

mlharrison23

Schaffers- Horrible experience....at first they were very nice and I bought my dress there after they talked me into a sample.  After buying it their attitudes towards me changed during alterations. They acted annoyed with me and like they were too busy to really listen and help me.  I ended up taking my dress I bought to the bridal boutique for alterations.
Bridal Boutique-Wish I had bought a dress with them. They are soo soo nice and awsome to work with. I loved them. I bought my bridesmaid dresses there and they are fixing the alterations on my dress done by Schaffers.
Davids Bridal- Acted too busy, nice lady but constantly pushy to sale me a dress.
Weddings by Design-Very nice, not pushy at all. I liked them alot and would recommend looking here.
The Bridal Connection- Super fake...wouldn't matter if I had put on a potato sack, they would have said, darrling that dress is amazzzzing!!!!

ks107021

Weddings By Design was very good and Bridal Connection in Ankeny was awful!  Our consultant was rude and it just wasn't a good experience.  They were great at WBD even though they were short handed.  We just tried on BM dresses at David's and it was crazy busy.  I ended up getting my dress at a small town boutique and loved it!! 

MaggieandJake

I actually had a great experience at Schaffers. I bought a sample dress during their blowout sale last March and also did my alterations through them.  They were excellent through the whole process.  I had 4 fittings and at each appointment they were very attentive and had whatever I needed fixed done quickly and correctly for my next appointment.  I have heard mixed reviews on them though - I guess come consultants there are better than others.

I also tried on dresses at David's bridal, but wasn't thrilled by any of their dresses or their service.  I did go on a Saturday morning and of course they were busy.  The consultant I had was also working another bride at the same time and wasn't very attentive at all.  However, I did end up buying my shoes and my BM dresses there and had a great experience with that.

LRPJ

Stacey's all the way.  LOVED them.  Have had nothing but great experiences with them.  And most importantly, I found my dream dress there :-)

Schaffers was great--I had great service with Hope (consultant).  I'm not sure about the others there.

Did not like Bridal Connection.  Not to mention, I can't stand their commercial.

I pretty much can't stand David's Bridal.  Have had to go there for weddings I've been in, and I wouldn't even let someone pay me to go in there to shop for my dress.

Good luck, and HAVE FUN!!!!

sdose13

I bought my dress at Schaffer's even after having a so-so experience with BM dresses.

Bridal Boutique is awesome, and I found my second-favorite dress there.

I went to Party Palisades in Indianola and I felt like it was kind of icky. That might sound rude, but the women there just gave me a weird vibe. i only tried on one dress there because I wanted a ball gown and they didn't have any others. They kept trying to get me to try on other styles and when i did, it was awful. I would not trust their judgment.

I agree with the dislike of David's Bridal. I've gotten a BM dress before there for myself and it was the worst alterations experience I've ever had.

medusia00

I agree with most posts on here. I've tried on at DB, Bridal Connection and Weddings by Design.

DB - The first consultant we had was super nice, we did go on a Thursday night so not as many people in the store so she was able to spend more time with us. They had nice dresses but I didn't find the one.

BC - It was weird, just plain weird. The lady that helped me was weird, and they made my BP sit on the other side of their "viewing" area even though the room I had was in the back of it, with chairs in front of it. Then they wanted me to buy a dress that I never tried on because I said I liked it a lot. Like I said, weird

WBD- Great! I can not for the life of me Remember what the lady's name was but she was super nice. I went in there tried on the dress loved it, I had to wait to show FMIL(she wanted to buy it) so an hour an a half later, me still in the dress and my BM's trying on BM Dresses they were super!

mlharrison23

medusia00-haha...this made me laugh because I completely agree....something about it was just plain weird.....Almost like I was a guest in a stranger's house and they had all these weird rules and were overly, fake-nice and everything was just awkward.
But some people may have had great experiences........try them all! To each their own.....or however that saying goes.;)

Mcsweets

Oh I forgot to day Bridal Connection is the only place that wouldn't let us take pictures of me in dresses I liked!!!

medusia00

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_iowa-des-moines_bridal-boutiques?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:80Discussion:640d8090-0746-4f40-82fa-d91b116883d5Post:ecb069dd-f173-4c3f-9e3d-10acaf4a2f4a">Re: Bridal Boutiques</a>:
[QUOTE]medusia00-haha...this made me laugh because I completely agree....something about it was just plain weird.....Almost like I was a guest in a stranger's house and they had all these weird rules and were overly, fake-nice and everything was just awkward. But some people may have had great experiences........try them all! To each their own.....or however that saying goes.;)
Posted by mlharrison23[/QUOTE]

Ha! So true!! That is the best way to describe it!

arekeweg

I have had a great experience at Schaffer's.  So far, I have had my initial appointment, picked up my dress and then my first fitting.  They have been very helpful when picking out my dress and the alterations process.  When I came in to pay for the dress, they allowed me to look back through the shoes, jewelry, etc.  They have even helped me decide how we should design my wedding band for my unique engagement ring!  So far, a great experience!  Only complaint, it can get HOT in the store while you have dresses on.

casper23b

I'd agree with most of the posts here.

Party Palisades - definitely weird vibe here. And don't ever let them do your alterations!!! I was a bridesmaid in a wedding and they did a horrible job on alterations. i can't imagine what they'd do to a wedding dress.

Bridal Connection - had multiple horrible experiences with customer service at this place. i'd make appointments and they'd never help me. when i went in to look for a dress (with an appointment mind you!) they gave me a room and then went to help everyone else. my MOH ended up picking dresses. second time i went, made an apt for my bridesmaids and then sent us to the tiny dressing rooms up front and left us. we picked out dresses by ourselves, found one we liked and then went elsewhere to order it.

Schaffers - doesn't allow you to take pictures (which makes it harder to remember "the dress" if you find a potential one). The staff was very helpful, but i didn't like their selection very much. Kind of felt rushed during the appointment.

bridal boutique (now in east village as well as perry!) - really awesome little store. they have some fabulous dresses that you can't find anywhere else. i didn't end up finding my dress here, but i did find all my accessories here. they were super helpful on coordinating things.

Weddings by Design - awesome customer service and i really liked their dress selection. i ended up getting my dress here =D

stacey's - i used to love this store, but since they moved to their new location, i can't get anyone to help me when i step inside the store.