Dress Shopping- Help Meeeee!

brooke.anne

*Warning- I am clueless, so just please follow along and don't judge me!*

I am going dress shopping for the first time this Saturday, yay! Anyways, we are planning on doing stores in Ft.Worth and maybe Arlington and then next time we go we will do Denton and other DFW areas. So I am trying to compile a list of stores to go to. My dress budget is $1,000 if that helps any. 

So my question(s) for you, my fellow knotties are; What are some stores that you would recommend for dress shopping?, Do you need an appointment?, Price range?, Location?, and any other info you would like to add. 

For the Ft. Worth/Arlington area I have:

-Ocones

-Bliss (which I'm not even sure is worth going, plus I haven't made an appointment and may be a tad out of my price range)

-David's 

-Alfred Angelos 

Denton:

Denton Bridal Co.

And that's it.

(See, I really do need help!)

And I googled but a lot of the sites don't have price info. and whether you need an appointment or not. 

THANKS!

fallbride1109

I really recommend an appointment, especially for a Saturday.

My original budget was $1K too, heh.  (NOTE:  Look at the pricetag before you try a dress on!)  Honestly, I would leave David's until the end.

cfibelkorn

Circle Park Bridal in Addison
Bridal Boutique in Lewisville
Mockingbird Bridal in Dallas
Terry Costa
StarDust

That's all I can think of off the top of my mind...

As far as appointments...yes it is always better to have an appointment so you can get the consultants full attention

InfamousQBert

If you come to Dallas Proper, I'd try Lulu's Bridal Boutique, near the Crescent (between downtown and uptown). I'd say it's pretty in the middle, price wise. You don't HAVE to have an appt, but it's probably best to make one. The service there was great.

They've got good info on the website.
http://www.stardustcelebrations.com/wedding-dresses-from-lulu.htm

cfibelkorn

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_dress-shopping-meeeee?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:102Discussion:6db2555e-62b7-4844-b1c2-213503623a15Post:50c4c06c-8b57-4b1a-bcb1-b3b7033814d3">Re: Dress Shopping- Help Meeeee!</a>:
[QUOTE]I really recommend an appointment, especially for a Saturday. My original budget was $1K too, heh.  (NOTE:  Look at the pricetag before you try a dress on!)  Honestly, I would leave David's until the end.
Posted by stephiehall[/QUOTE]

I personally wouldn't even bother at David's and then save Alfred til the end (even though I bought my dress from Alfred's) but I didn't know of all these other stores otherwise I would have tried them....from what I hear you will have better luck going to the before mentioned places and finding a higher end gown for cheaper than going David and Alfred's.....just my two cents though

mseale

That was my budget too! I went to a David's BRidal first, and it was a horrible experience.  I left there and went across the street to Terry Costa, and found my dress.  Sorry, I don't know anything on the FT Worth side, but I agree with Stephie, save AA and David's bridal for last.

TexanTreasure08

We walked into Stardust, asked if they had anything under $1,000, they replied, "Nope!" and we turned around & walked out. LOL. They told me the lowest is 1500 and the ones I saw were 2500.

Also I've heard a lot of bad customer stories about Mockingbird Bridal.

I got my dress from Lasting Bridal in Addison. I love them.

brooke.anne

Do y'all think it would be too late to get appointments for this Saturday?

And Stephanie, I know a lot of people shun David's but I don't get it? I have actually seen a lot of dresses that I think are pretty from their website. Maybe it would be different in person. Or if it's an issue with quality, I would definitely stay away, but I haven't heard anyone justify why they are so anti-David's. 

bsn1752

OK - I went to Ocones and Bridal Bliss too.

Ocones was WAY fun.  I tried on TONS of dresses... I just didn't really feel "consulted" there... it was a free-for-all, meaning I just grabbed whatever dresses I wanted to tried them... no matter what the price was.  I had the first appointment there on a Saturday and I was the only bride.

I found a dress that I loved at Bridal Bliss... I also told them I didn't want to spend more than 1k... that limited me to like 5 dresses. 

BUT, I did find the dress that I wanted at Bliss.  I went home, thought about it, and found stores in the area that carry the dress that I loved.  I called too to get the prices. 

I ended up with the dress that I loved at Bliss (that was $950) and bought it from Emma's Bridal Boutique in Red Oak for $560.

My advice, go to all of those places, but be willing to walk away and price shop!

cfibelkorn

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_dress-shopping-meeeee?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:102Discussion:6db2555e-62b7-4844-b1c2-213503623a15Post:801a3355-e008-4dcf-a3df-90752b150740">Re: Dress Shopping- Help Meeeee!</a>:
[QUOTE]Do y'all think it would be too late to get appointments for this Saturday? And Stephanie, I know a lot of people shun David's but I don't get it? I have actually seen a lot of dresses that I think are pretty from their website. Maybe it would be different in person. Or if it's an issue with quality, I would definitely stay away, but I haven't heard anyone justify why they are so anti-David's. 
Posted by brooke.anne[/QUOTE]

I know you asked Stephie, but Im going to chime in :)

It is the quality. I went the the David's in Mesquite (with an appt) and the service was just fine...I had no issue in that dept. I found a dress that I loved and was ready to buy but wanted to look at another store first. So then I went to Alfred at Firewheel Mall, without an appt and had GREAT service and immediately realized the quality difference...just from DB to AA.

So I can imagine a Maggie S. dress from a boutique would be even better quality...

carmen9311

i really loved lewisville bridal boutique. my consultant was melissa and she was great. 

lulu's was also good and they have dresses in your price range. they don't take appointments though (at least, that's what they told me). stardust is higher end and i think the dresses start at around $1500? so i would stay away from there. terry costa has some great dresses and are very reasonable. 

sorry, i'm not much help for ft. worth places!

fallbride1109

Well, for me it's the quality.  It's pretty terrible.  Plus, like the PP said, there are so many other great places -- and like the PP if I had known about them and done more research, I probably would have never gone to AA either.  Unfortunately, I bought my dress before I came on TK.

Knottie Marlene got her dress at David's and I thought it was spectacular in her pictures.  So it's definitely still a possibility, I'd just try the other places first.

bsn1752

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_dress-shopping-meeeee?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:102Discussion:6db2555e-62b7-4844-b1c2-213503623a15Post:801a3355-e008-4dcf-a3df-90752b150740">Re: Dress Shopping- Help Meeeee!</a>:
[QUOTE]Do y'all think it would be too late to get appointments for this Saturday? And Stephanie, I know a lot of people shun David's but I don't get it? I have actually seen a lot of dresses that I think are pretty from their website. Maybe it would be different in person. Or if it's an issue with quality, I would definitely stay away, but I haven't heard anyone justify why they are so anti-David's. 
Posted by brooke.anne[/QUOTE]

I think it's more of an experience issue... they're notorious for bad customer service

juliebug1997

I went to Mii's in Dallas.  Girls on here have had hit or miss experiences with them. 
I think that you are encouraged to have an appt. on Saturday for David's.

carmen9311

it's not too late to get an appointment!! i made appointments the day before and the day of and they were always able to fit me in.

brooke.anne

Thank y'all so much, y'all are awesome! This gives me a lot to go off of. I will start doing some calling!

And I definitely understand the David's thing now- Quality is a huge issue with me and I want something well made. I just always have heard people talking bad about it and it seemed like they didn't like it because it was "cheap" which kind of threw me off! But I will save it for later and go if I exhaust all of my other options!

mseale

The lady that helped me at DAvid's, kept bringing me dresses that did not flatter me, couldn't find the ones that I wanted to try on, kept bringing me white dresses (which are awful on me) even when I kept asking for the ivory one, etc.  Once I went to Terry Costa, I thought the quality of the dresses were much better. 
Some dresses and consultants are good there, but mostly it is a commercial, impersonal store.

danac2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_dress-shopping-meeeee?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:102Discussion:6db2555e-62b7-4844-b1c2-213503623a15Post:801a3355-e008-4dcf-a3df-90752b150740">Re: Dress Shopping- Help Meeeee!</a>:
[QUOTE]Do y'all think it would be too late to get appointments for this Saturday? And Stephanie, I know a lot of people shun David's but I don't get it? I have actually seen a lot of dresses that I think are pretty from their website. Maybe it would be different in person. Or if it's an issue with quality, I would definitely stay away, but I haven't heard anyone justify why they are so anti-David's. 
Posted by brooke.anne[/QUOTE]

I'm not Stephanie either but I wanted to chime in.  I bought my dress at David's.  I've never had a bad experience with them.  All the BM got their dresses there.  I had a lower budget ($700) and went to AA and felt pressured into buying a dress I didn't like.  I went to David's with pictures in hand and my budget and my consultant pulled the ones I wanted plus a few I hadn't seen before.  I fell in LOVE with my dress as soon as I put it on.  It wasn't one I had seen and it was on sale.  The consultant listened when I said my budget and didn't even bring me any dresses that weren't in my price range.  That's just my $.02!!

mseale

oh, HAVE FUN this weekend!!!!

fallbride1109

I had okay service from David's but the quality of the BM dresses was really disappointing--I had nightmares that the dresses wouldn't zip up on my wedding day.

brooke.anne

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_dress-shopping-meeeee?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:102Discussion:6db2555e-62b7-4844-b1c2-213503623a15Post:4fd2d7b6-c5cd-47b4-9ce3-e4945906feec">Re: Dress Shopping- Help Meeeee!</a>:
[QUOTE]oh, HAVE FUN this weekend!!!!
Posted by mseale[/QUOTE]

<div>Thank you! I am so excited!</div>

serlace

I agree on the customer service at David's Bridal.  It's horrible!!  I didn't get my dress there or try on dresses, but I did order BM dresses, since my BMs are in different cities (and states).  I also bought my BM dress for my MOH's party there and they were horrible! 

seujoanne

I got my dress at David's.  It was the only place I went and I tried on less than 10 dresses.  I had a great consultant and had such a good experience I got my alterations done there - cheaply and timely.  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them, but I really have nothing to compare them to

AmberMarieTX

I ended up upping my budget from 800 to 1400! eek! But my two current contenders are both 7-800! woohoo! One of which just knocked out a 1400 dollar contender! But I still love that dress.... lol yes I am very indecisive. Once I found my silhouette and look (lace/vintage), I was in love with everything.

Here is where I have been-- in no order!:

Pence & Panache in Burleson (been here twice, actually!): allows pictures... I tried on Maggie Sottero, Essense of Australia, and Allure here but they have other designers. They are very nice! Be prepared to be seen in your strapless bra and undies. I did not wear a slip or a corset or a petticoat. Mostly I stepped into these dresses. She usually would just do part of the corset to save time, which was fine. They had some that were under 1,000 which was the budget I told her. Unfortunately my taste had developed very clearly towards lace so I upped my budget to accomodate that ! haha  ... Most of the lace dresses started at 1000, but there were a couple that were below.

Classy Concepts in Mansfield: No pictures! I tried on mostly Maggie Sottero here, but she has other designers. I wore a strapless corset that she gave me to wear and a mermaid petticoat since she noticed most of the ones I loved were trumpet/mermaid. Sue was so very helpful. It was here that i finally felt that "wow" when I put on a dress. I didn't realize it was possible but after I grabbed the real red rose bouquet that she had out and looked at myself in this certain dress, I felt a little choked up for the first time! She put on some really cute head pieces, too, and even had me in and out of jewelry. I loved a dress so much that i put 100 dollars down to purchase it, but she let me know that she would not order it until I gave her the go ahead and that if I fall in love with a dress somewhere else, she would let me use the 100 for anything else in her store. She was awesome! I was not ready to pull the trigger, yet, though.

Elizabeth's Bridal in Hurst: allows pictures... I tried on Maggie Sottero, but they had other brands. I worked with Kathy (Elizabeth's mom). She was very kind. I wore a strapless bra and a skirt/slip that she offered me since I'm a little modest. I stepped into these dresses and she completely laced me up, so it took a while but it was worth it to really feel how the dresses were. I did not feel pressure to buy because I had made it clear that I wasn't ready to make a decision. She did ask me at the end if I had any questions about payment, so I asked a few questions and she said that she would work with us in any way we wanted. In other words we could do layaway, half now/half later, or whatever else may work. You can find something in your budget here.

Bliss Bridal in Fort Worth: no pictures... we went through every single dress that they had. I gave her a number of 1500 to work with (I was ready to be wowed).. she told me we would go through every single dress and if she skipped one, it was because it was above my price point-- but she told me that I am free to ask her about ones that she skipped if I really am in love. I think atleast 80 percent of them were below 1500 and the ones I really loved were below 1200 and 900. I tried on Enzoani and 2Be... I actually really loved one of the 2be dresses and considered it a contender but it was so small that it was hard for me to really fall for it, so it got cut. Aww- I will miss it dearly. The young lady helping me there was awesome and very helpful! She was very professional, too. I was in a strapless bra and undies, and she was definitely more hands-on (literally). She had me step into the gown with one foot, then she would grab my waist, and then I would step in with the other. It worked, though! I was in and out of those dresses in NO time. She was very good about not pressuring me when I was stressed about making a decision. There were two dresses there that I really loved.

Bridal Co in Denton: allows pictures. This was different than the other salons I had been to. No appointments are taken here. You basically walk in and walk around looking at dresses. You just set them aside yourself and the associates put them in a room for you. None of these wowed me, but they had a lot of choices (just not for the lace/vintage I was going for). There was one lace dress I loved, but it iddn't knock me off my socks or anything. They are very nice here and I have heard great things about this place from other people. One thing is there is no one to help you get dresses. There is one person helping people lace people up, but I mostly got my friend to do it. This could work out for modest people, though. By the time I had made it to this store, though, I had already gotten half naked at too many bridal shops for it to bother me so to be honest, I could have really used an extra set of hands in there! Gowns are heavy!

Bridal Design in Southlake: no pictures. This was a little more of casual shop, as well. They were friendly in here but not chomping at the bits to make a sale. There was very low pressure here and it was mostly up to me to create my vision. If I would say, "I wonder what a veil/slash/brooch would look like" , she was very good about finding something to help give me a visual. I was by myself to put gowns on and then I would open the door and she would lace me or zip me. This is where I found my second contender.


Random thing I noticed-- I'm a 10/12 street size and many sample sizes were this size. I did not find that the street sizes were way different from gown sizes. I did find that Allure sample gowns were all pretty small but I could still squeeze in to get a visual.

ETA: I feel like all of the shops that I went to, above, had a selection of under 1K dresses.

bobbileighb

I am a little late to comment but my dress budget was 1,000 as well and I went to LuLus and had a great experience.
They had plenty of dresses to try on in that price range but I do like a more simple look so that may have helped.  One thing make sure you ask about sales because I was able to try on dresses that were 1,200 because of some of the sales they were having.
My consultant was great and even though I debated buying an 800 dress and a 1,200 dress she even encouraged me to buy the cheaper one because I lit up more and it flattered my better which I thought was surprising from a sales person.

JennaV26

Wherever you plan on going, definitely call to make appointments.

I got my dress at Elizabeth's in Hurst and they are amazing. LuLu's in Uptown is also fabulous and while I wasn't thrilled with Lang's in Arlington, they did have some Maggie Sottero's that I didn't see at other stores.

Mockingbird Bridal, Bliss Bridal Salon and Stardust will be out of your price range unless you plan on buying a sample gown at Bliss or Mockingbird. I did get my shoes at Bliss though, they have a fairly good selection, as does Stardust.

lesalyric

My budget was under $1000 and Bliss was able to show me upwards of 20 dresses, so do not let the price discourage you from visiting them. With tax and all my dress ended up being slightly over $900. I LOVED my Bliss bridal dress experience.

I also went to Bridal Dreams on Hulen in Fort Worth. She had great prices and a good selection, she was selling some samples at the time and the cost of those was almost shocking...like less than $400. My cousin actually ended up buying her dress there last week after visiting both David's and AA. She paid like $1200 total I think.

I also visited David's and AA, but wasn't floored with any dresses there. Your price range will work very well there, but the customer service was lacking at the Arlington AA and the Northeast Mall David's I thought.

HTH!

NMac2010

I am way late on this too.

I got my dress at Lewisville Bridal Boutique, and never had one bad experience. Their dresses are gorgeous, high quality, and the service that I received, as has everyone else I know personally, has been great.  They do have some dresses there under $1k, but you'll mainly have to stay upstairs and probably buy something off the rack. Otherwise, most will be more than $1k. (That was my budget, too, btw).

I also don't recommend David's. I got my BM dresses there, only because DH and I paid for them, and we couldn't afford to buy expensive dresses. But the quality wasn't good, and the service was awful.

When I was previously engaged before DH came along, I looked at David's first and tried on about 30 dresses. All were very poor quality, and IMHO, just looked cheap.

And yes, no matter where you go, MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. I don't think Monday is too late, that should be plenty of time to make an appt for this Saturday.

Have fun, and don't get upset if you don't find "the one" on Saturday. You have plenty of time to keep looking. Probably the best thing you can do is go on Saturday just to get an idea of what you want, don't go with the goal of finding the dress. That way, you can get an idea, think about it for a few weeks, and go back and try on some more dresses. You have plenty of time, you have that working for you!

MissesKB

PLEASE do yourself a favor and skip David's and Angelos. Check out Lang's in Arlington on Pioneer. You would be very surprised. There is a place classy concepts in mansfield. check it out.

after you go to these places, then go to the bridal place in denton and lewisville bridal.

davids and angelos are not worth the money and the service is horrendous.

MissesKB

don't let your budget deter you from looking at designer and higher priced gowns. my budget was very low. I went to lewisville bridal. they have a great clearance/sale/sample section. I ended up falling in love with a dress that was literally more than twice my unrealistic budget. After about 2 months of research, I found it at Georgio's in Waco for my exact budget. They shipped it to me for $25.

brooke.anne

You are all seriously awesome! Thanks everyone for your input, I really appreciate it!