Bridal Shopping

FutureMrsMicah

I've finallt set the date to go wedding dress shopping! I want to spend about $500-$1000 on the dress. Where are some good places? I know about Mockingbird Bridal, David's Bridal and Lulu's. Anywhere else I should look? I want to request appointment soon! Thank you!

QueerFemme

This is an international board so I don't know what Lulus and Mockingbird is, but that budget will limit you to certain designers.

Davids bridal is your best bet. Look for stores that carry Alfred Angelo and Mori Lee. Both designers have some dresses under $1000.

RebeccaFlower

This is such an open ended question. I went to a local store and paid $700 for a gorgeous dress since I know I didn't want to go to David's Bridal.

hyechica81

i say stay away from davids the dresses have been seen a lot they dont have much in the way of unique, yes they are budget friendly but they are also pushy. your  will make an apt and you wont be the only bride or bridesmaid with that consultant she will run between you and another bride or even three brides at the same time, i went in on a very dead day during the week at an odd time when people are just getting out of work i walked in asked to see three dresses. oh im sorry was the lady at the front of the store we only have one of those dresses but the other two can be ordered we can order you the dress if you like it.

how am i suposed to know if i like the dress without trying it on..

the salon i went to had morilees, jasmines, venus, and now carries bonny
i tried on a range of gowns from 500-1200 i ended up with a older morilee still produced by morilee style 3098 from the i believe spring 2011 collection with a second strap and taxes it was 1000 add in my jacket and alterations around 1,475

LarraO2530

You can try some local boutiques...I agree with hyechica81, David's is a no-go for me, they are pushy, and if you express that you aren't thrilled in one of their choices for you the attitude is pretty much "oh well we don't need YOUR business, we have PLENTY of other brides who will buy from us." I live in DE so my state is already limited for "designer" anything, but we do have some very nice small boutiques that I have visited and it's much different than going to a large chain like David's. The ones I went to had plenty to choose from in all price ranges and the consultants were very attentive and helpful.

tortoisebride

I didn't have a bad experience at DB. It probably depends on your consultant. Anyway, I ended up getting my dress at an outlet type place for $450. However, don't rule out boutiques at all. Most of them have sale racks with dresses in the $500 range. When budgeting, remember that alterations can be as much as $500-600 depending on what you need changed. Bear that in mind when considering which dress to buy.

Dignity100

I actually found a few dresses I really liked at DBs.  However, I started looking and seeing a TON of other brides in the dresses I loved and then I started second guessing myself because I was comparing me to them.  I did not find the sales people pushy at MY DBs but the one was really by the book.

Many other stores will sell samples.  Doesn't hurt to call and ask if they have dresses in your range.

iloveu4ever

I agree! I got my dress 1/2 off. I got it at David's bridal. Tried on some Alfred Angelo.

QueerFemme said:

This is an international board so I don't know what Lulus and Mockingbird is, but that budget will limit you to certain designers.

Davids bridal is your best bet. Look for stores that carry Alfred Angelo and Mori Lee. Both designers have some dresses under $1000.

atlastmrsg

With a smaller budget, you may want to check preownedweddingdresses.com and Tradesy.  You can score a $1,000-$2,000 designer gown for $500-$1,000.  If the seller is motivated/dress has been on site for awhile, possibly a dress worth even more.

If you want a simple dress, your budget could be more than ample.  If you want a lot of volume or beading, you may need to look for samples or a pre-owned gown to make it work.  Check those sites, or even renttherunway.com.  They have white evening gowns for rent--you could rent a dress for less than $200.

Ndelible

I live in a huge metropolitan area, so there are plenty of choices.  It turns out I went to a designer/couture dress store (Glamour Closet) and they had plenty of dresses, but if you found one that fit, you had better make up your mind quick (I did).  They had dresses from $200 to $4000.  And they had more sizes than I thought, but mostly 8 & 10.  They were sample dresses, some worse for wear but plenty of gorgeous things.  You might find your dream dress!

On DB, I didn't go there for my dress, but went for my party dress, that they didn't have, I was told the only way to get it was to order, since there were no others in SoCal.  But then, there are no returns, no exchanges, but that seemed rather silly if it didn't look good.  They would not order it one to bring it to the store and basically had the attitude that a PP outlined.  I decided then and there, no business for them from me or my party.  I got a party dress at Macy's.  And if it's a big enough Macy's, they might also have a bridal shop with plenty of wedding dresses, quite reasonable.  

Good luck!

Rosebubbly

You should also look into bhldn from anthropologie. They don't have a ton of stores so you'll probably need to buy online but they have an easy returns policy. Lots of unique dresses in the 600 range.