Dresses. How many stores, which ones, and when?

Nov182015

Hi all,
I am finally getting things in order for my 2015 wedding. I have been looking and "add to my favorites" on websites like David's Bridal, Alfred Angelo, and of course, The Knot.

My question is, how many stores did you all go to before settling/finding your dream dress? Did you pick a favorite from one store, and then go to another store to see if there was any thing else that compared, or that you loved more?

Which stores did you visit? And when? My wedding is Nov 2015, and I think I may start looking November-December time this year. Is that too far in advance?

Thank you! I hope to hear from you all soon!

Valeriecruz82

I went to Davids Bridal and saw nothing I really liked. Then I want to a smaller bridal shop that had tons of books of designs they make there to fit you. I'm actually getting 2 styles made into one. I ordered mines 1 year in advance, but they just started making it last month. I go in for my 2nd fitting in 2 weeks.

ktbabe530

I didn't really David's Bridal either, they are too corporate.  I would recommend finding a local shop, take them some photos of what you like and see if they have anything similar.  

I got mine last July for my wedding this May.  I think about a year out is good, some dresses can take up to 8 months to come in.  

shoebunnie

I went to three boutiques. The first one had the dress I was sure I wanted until I went to the third one. I found the perfect dress and called it a day. Mine takes about five months to get ( should be in any day!) but I've heard stories of dresses taking closer to a year. What month are you getting married?

tcnoble

I looked at bridal salons nearby and decided where to go based on which salons carried the designers I like. I'm getting married March 2015 and will start shopping in June

Jixxt

We are getting married April 2015, and I've already started trying on dresses (just for kicks)... found an awesome one that I've got in mind too.. but have a few appt. with international designers that I am waiting for... Also, i've told the bridal stores, we are getting married a month earlier as i've heard horror stories where peoples dresses weren't ready!!

wrigleyville

I printed off the styles I liked and called local stores to see if they had those type of samples in-stock. Then I brought the pictures in, and we tried on similar styles that were a bit cheaper. I ended up going to three stores. I got my dress from Macy's Bridal in Chicago.

I started shopping a year before my wedding, as I wanted to be sure I had plenty of time to try stuff on, get it ordered, and have alterations completed. I figured that gave me some wiggle room if there was an issue with the order (wrong dress) or alterations. I ordered my dress in November, it arrived in January, and I had fittings in January, April, and September. My wedding was in October.

seniorprincesslnhs

I went to 3 stores, but loved the last store (it was a smaller, privately owned boutique shop). They just seemed more professional and better listeners than Davids bridal or similar like shops I went to. I bought my dress last July, had my fitting last week and my next fitting/alterations appt. in 2 weeks. My wedding is April 6th and they recommend buying your dress like 7-8 months out, especially if you are going to order it and need alterations, just FYI

vegasgroom

My wife went to three stores, a locally owned boutique, and two of the chain stores; I think David's Bridal and Demetrios (sp?).  DB's she said was at least pleasant, but she didn't really like much of what they had.  Demetrios, at least in our town, was staffed by conceited people who were kind of rude.  The local boutique, which just happened to be the first place she went, ended up where she ended up buying her dress and it was the first one she had tried on.  Never hurts to get things going well in advance because you may end up with a dress that has to be ordered, altered, etc.  Her process from start to final fitting was five or six months, so if she had started too late she would have had to pick a different dress she liked less.

wallacje

I went to 5 stores.  DB's was okay, didn't really like any of their dresses, but it was a good starter place to eliminate the looks I didn't like on me at all. The last 4, 2 based on recommendations and the other 2 I found on my own.  I ended up gong with a smaller store, really based on the overall experience I had the 3 times I was there before I selected my dress.  My process from start to getting the dress was about 8 months.

RabbitinTulle

I actually went to DB first. there were a few dresses that I kind of liked - 2 were from the vera wang white collection. After DB I went to about 4 other bridal stores. There were dresses that I liked from every one of them. I'm very indecisive and went through my pictures a million times. I ended up picking a vera wang white collection dress cuz it was the most unique out of all of them

Nov182015

Great! Thank you everyone!
I've been speaking with my FMIL, and she said that she went down to a Macy's or something like that, and just bought a white prom dress. Looking at her pictures, I would have never known.

Would that be odd if I found a "prom" dress (in white or blush) and wore it as a wedding dress? I know that DB sells prom dresses.  Looking online at them now, and there are a few fit and flares, with sweetheart necklines, ballgowns, and what not. Most go up to a size 16. Of course, I would have to see if they came in other colors besides coral.

RabbitinTulle

It will NOT be add at all if you find one that you love! I was almost going that route (online stores like simplybridal or promgirl or something like that) to get a blush colored gown. At the end the vera wang dress from DB actually also had blush as a color. I was so close in getting it but a few family members were against it.. so I stayed with the traditional white color

Nov182015

I made a joke to my mom about wearing Vera's black gown. She almost fainted. Hopefully I can pull off blush/off white. I am pale as it is, and do not find white flattering against my skin.

kellamity

I was one of "those" brides... like on Say Yes to the Dress
+ who can't make up their minds. I went to about 10 stores, tried on easily 50 dresses and finally decided on one that I tried on at the 4th salon (I think). I ended up stuck between two and finally just made a pro/con list, and while writing out the list I had an "aha!" moment and realized which one I really wanted.

I didn't go to DB or any stores that only sell one name, I just went to local boutiques. I picked out tons of dresses online and from magazines but the one I decided on I had only seen in person, never in an ad. Personally i think if I hadn't focussed so much on what I saw in magazines/online I wouldn't have spent so much time looking for the right dress. I was just too confused with all the different things that could make a dress look "pretty" and just got overwhelmed.

I might have gone to DB but I read nothing about horrible reviews about them beforehand so I decided not to bother.