The Good:
PL Bridal Boutique - Whitehall
This store is new and pre-owned dresses. Angela (the owner) sells every dress for $499 or under. It's a consignment shop. She has a huge selection of styles and works with you to figure out what style and size you need. I am a 16W and I tried on at least 10-15 dresses. Angela suggested I try on dresses in a size 12 and up. I ended up with a brand new designer (Mori Lee) dress, for only $400.
The Bad:
David's Bridal - Whitehall
As a 16W, I was drawn to David's. Unfortunatly for 2011, their new approach is that anything over size 12 has to be special ordered, and therefore isn't in the store to try on. I went in with a list of 12 dresses and tried on 4. Only 1 was actually in my size. I repeatedly said I would try on smaller sizes, and they refused to bring them for me. At one point, the seamstress came out and told me I looked pregnant (in a size 14) and told me I should get a bigger dress. I informed her that if the store had larger sizes, I would have gladly tried them on.
I saw a dress in the new 2011 catalog that I had requested to try on. They said ok, but the dress never came over. I wasn't even informed if they had it. I'm assuming they didn't have it in anything over a size 6. Most of their dresses are 6-8.
Towards the end of my appointment, I became frustrated with the lack of selection and the head consultant told me that I had already tried on every dress in my size and they couldn't help me anymore. She said they can't order every dress in every size. I said I was't asking for that, just one over a 12 in each style.