Poor quality at David's

cookiej84

My and my maids just went shopping for their dresses this weekend.  I had worn a David's Bridal bridesmaid dress a few years ago and had no problem.  However, all the dresses they tried on this weekend were such poor quality and looked like they would fall apart!  Not to mention the lack of choices.  What happened in the past few years?!?!

Avion22

My guess is that they are trying to offer options at lower price points, since most people have been hit very hard by the economic downturn and simply can't afford to spend as much money on wedding attire as they could a few years ago.  I would conend that pretty much ANY dress you would buy ANYWHERE for under $100 (like a department store) will be of a quality that you can only wear it once (or maybe twice).  

cookiej84

That makes sense... but some of the dresses they were trying on were $130-$140, and there's no way they were worth that much.  It just felt like a rip off.  Needless to say, we went somewhere else.

bsidebella

I'm sorry to hear that; I've bought several dresses - from prom to other special occasions - from DB and I've gotten at least 2-3 uses out of each dress.

AurorasEnvy

Well, you get what you pay for.  We stopped at David's on a whim in between bridesmaid dress appointments at nearby salons, and all my BM commented that the dresses just seem really cheaply made and didn't like any of the styles.  I could see the outlines of the cups in most of the dresses.  And the real kicker is that they aren't much cheaper than other designers.

MayberryAfterMidnight

Hmmm, this is really helpful. Had planned on getting married this summer, but we ended up deciding to push it back until next year, so I haven't done any dress shopping yet. David's was on my list. Since we spent so much on the ring, I'd like not to spend over $500 on the dress, if possible. Anyone know of David's equivalents or suggestions? 

AurorasEnvy

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_poor-quality-at-davids?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:2c33adef-1830-48da-b6bc-58357188e864Post:470ac792-71f0-4206-8bb9-cad426863363">Re: Poor quality at David's</a>:
[QUOTE]Hmmm, this is really helpful. Had planned on getting married this summer, but we ended up deciding to push it back until next year, so I haven't done any dress shopping yet. David's was on my list. Since we spent so much on the ring, I'd like not to spend over $500 on the dress, if possible. Anyone know of David's equivalents or suggestions? 
Posted by MayberryAfterMidnight[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>Shop sample sales, used wedding gowns on sites like preownedweddingdresses.com, or purchasing from a discount authentic online retailer like pearlsplace.com

</div>

ChristineM130

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_poor-quality-at-davids?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:2c33adef-1830-48da-b6bc-58357188e864Post:470ac792-71f0-4206-8bb9-cad426863363">Re: Poor quality at David's</a>:
[QUOTE]Hmmm, this is really helpful. Had planned on getting married this summer, but we ended up deciding to push it back until next year, so I haven't done any dress shopping yet. David's was on my list. Since we spent so much on the ring, I'd like not to spend over $500 on the dress, if possible. Anyone know of David's equivalents or suggestions? 
Posted by MayberryAfterMidnight[/QUOTE]

I bought my dress at DB. Is was off the rack with a teeny tiny stain on the corset lace and mismarked on top of it so I got a $400 dress for $99. I felt the same way about DB, that their $99 gowns look like $99 DB gowns. I really didn't think I'd find anything there, heard horror stories about the dresses and the customer service but I found a beautiful dress, and wait times were a little long, but all the women who helped me were awesome, and I got exactly the dress I wanted. And had no trouble at all getting it altered elsewhere.

But, it doesn't hurt to look. I got my dream dress for less than 1/4 what I'd pay anywhere else! If you don't like anything there, don't buy it. It's not like it costs anything to take a look.

Poppy101212

Keep in mind that those dresses are tried on again and again sometimes several times a day, no dress is really made to go through that much stress in such a short amount of time.

tanyalolly

trunk sales. and off the rack are great- if you wear size 6-10... otherwise try recycled bride!

retaviato

Just think - That dress may have been tried on dozens of times by -- whoever!! It is essentially a USED dress!!! A VERY used dress!

LinD25

I just went dress shopping over the weekend and fell in love with two that were 50% off (cost of one was 500 with that and the other was about 700) just because they were ordered by a bride previously and then they decided against it. They can't sell them for full price anymore after that. Be honest and upfront about your budget and they'll work with you. I told them I really didn't want to go over 1000 and I still was able to try on multiple dresses (including those two). I'm going back on Thursday to narrow it down.

KSwen719

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_poor-quality-at-davids?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:2c33adef-1830-48da-b6bc-58357188e864Post:470ac792-71f0-4206-8bb9-cad426863363">Re: Poor quality at David's</a>:
[QUOTE]Hmmm, this is really helpful. Had planned on getting married this summer, but we ended up deciding to push it back until next year, so I haven't done any dress shopping yet. David's was on my list. Since we spent so much on the ring, I'd like not to spend over $500 on the dress, if possible. Anyone know of David's equivalents or suggestions? 
Posted by MayberryAfterMidnight[/QUOTE]

<div>I see you're in NY!  I atrongly suggest RK Bridal.  The place itself is not so nice - chaotic and like a warehouse almost.  You have to have LOTS of patience to search through all of the dresses they have, and they don't really have consultants that do much except zip you up.  However, if you have the tolerance (or just lots of luck, like I did) you can find awesome, designer dresses for significantly less.  I got an $1800 dress for $700, and a $500 veil for $150.  MUCH better than going to David's Bridal.  I too hated the quality of the dresses there, but found lots of good name brands at RK (mine is Mori Lee, but they've got everything).  If you're not near the city, they've got a website too, so you can try on the dresses at a salon near you, figure out which you like best, and then see if the RK website has it for less.  Good luck!</div>