Bridal shop phobia

ashbosity

I am so scared to go to bridal shops with my bridesmaids after all the horror stories I've heard. I've read a ton of horrible reviews of almost every shop in town and the Savannah Grace fiasco scares the living s*** out of me. The girls and I found a dress online that we all like and the only shop in town that has a sample in stock is Brides by Demitrios. I'm thinking about trying on in the shop and then ordering online, that way no one can hold my order for 3 months to pay other bills or order me a size 26 when I need a 6. The online stores are discounted, but I'm not sure sure how much savings there would be because I have to add in shipping and it might balance out. Positive vibes please! Oh, and here's the dress we like the best. It would be lavender with a pale yellow ribbon at the waist. 

mkovacik

Love the dress!  Who makes it?

jj51506

I'm with you! In this economy you never know what shops are in trouble!!

My girls have expensive taste and want to go to Priscilla of Boston or Bella Bridesmaids in Winter Park ( for these Amsale gowns they liked) so I think those stores MAY be okay? But the whole idea makes me uneasy. The ordering sizes too small or too big or even overcharging them or giving ridiculous fees/adding nonsense charges. I'd rather order online too, but my girls are SO excited with the whole experience of going out shopping trying on dresses and getting them in. They are way more excited about this then I am and are constantly asking me when we are going to get this done haha

It's a tough decision. I'd talk to your girls about it. Tell them how you feel. And let them know you'd like them to go shopping and try some one, and figure out their sizes but that you'd feel more comfortable ordering online.

x3Harmony534

We went to DB to try on dresses & ended up ordering them online. A lot of the chain stores (DB, Priscilla, Demetrios, etc.) I don't think I'd be so concerned with. It's the smaller boutiques that stand alone that worry me. That being said, your best bet may still be to order online. We went to the store to try on DB dresses but ordered them online. They came MUCH faster then in store delivery (@ my door 2 weeks after ordering) & I found a free shipping coupon online. Good luck!

meghanmcadams

Our girls dresses are from Priscila and the staff have been wonderful. The dresses are expensive, but if you have someone who doesn't mind opening the card everyone gets 10% off.


My suggestion is to stick with the "Chain Stores" you will hopefully be safer.

eso16208

Just want to give you a voice of reassurance. The shop I ordered my dress from did go out of business about 3 weeks before my dress came in. BUT THE OWNER IS AN HONEST PERSON. She called me the day before she put the sign up and assured me that she ordered it and that it would be in and where I would need to go to pick it up. Its now hanging in my closet. She ordered the right size, and it fits perfectly. 

There are some horrible people out there, but I try to believe that most people are honest. 

You should be safe at any of the chain stores and at the established places. I dont foresee LIlly's going out of business because they've been there forever. Same with Minervas and The Collection. 

ashbosity

mkovacik- Its made by Eden Bridals, which happens to be the same designer as my dress.

eso16208- So glad you got an honest person and still got your dress.

Thanks everyone else for their input.

jj51506

I was scared about Lily's bc thats where my wedding gown is from. I was going to have to leave it there from March until October (when my alterations are going to be) but I was so nervous that it might close down that I took the dress home with me! I didn't want to risk it. Because it is such a small shop like the ones that have been going out of business...

But it is reassuring to hear someone else say they don't think they will. I know a lot of friends who got their dresses there before me, so I would hope not. But always better to be safe than sorry!

SarahSmile23

the reason a lot of bridal shops have to shut down is because of people who try gowns on in the shop and then undercut them by ordering online. support your local bridal shops or we won't have any local brick-and-mortar shops left!

Megs30

jj51506 - We got my bridesmaid dresses from Bella Bridesmaid (they are Amsale as well).  I highly recommend Bella Bridesmaid.  Christa, the owner is amazing.  I have loved working with her.  And the store is adorable!

irisheyezfsu

I highly recomend Something Blue in Dr. Phillips. The staff there is amazing, they even suggested sample gowns though my budget was higher than those prices.  They let me have as much time as I wanted and take pictures.

I fully support and suggest reading the book Bridal Bargins 9th eddition. I read the section on dress shopping before I went with my mom. Yes it scared the living s**t out of me but I am happier for it.  Plus I felt most the salons I went to were very accomidating and weren't in dire struggle from the business they were taking in. 

JJ- just because something is higher end doesn't mean it will stay in business, espceialy in this economy when people don't want to spend as much. It is really nice your girls are open to spending so much on bridesmaids dresses. 

I went to Lily's and mom my loved just about everything I tried on but they really didn't seem to have much in the way of customer service, at least when I was there.

Love that bridesmaids dress.  If you do the online route make sure it is a reputable trusted company.  A lot of internet companies don't even last a  year and some are just chinese manufactures that steal the designer's pattern and give you basically a cheaper nock-off.

Theresa626

ohhh... please don't be afraid.  Demetrios is actually fabulous. I bought my dress there and they had wonderful customer service.  You can read the review of them in my signature link below.  They have been in business for a very long time and are reputable unlike Savannah Grace which was in business for less than a year.  Also, online shops can be a scam just as much as Savannah Grace was.  You need to buy from reputable vendors that have been in business for a long time regardless of whether they are online or not.  Demetrios got my dress in early.  They were always very helpful. They also gave me fifteen percent off just because I asked.  If you mention that you saw them at a bridal show but lost your fifteen percent off coupon, they'll probably give it to you anyway.  I strongly recommend going to Demetrios to get your dress. I would trust them much more than an online vendor.  

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meghanmcadams

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_bridal-shop-phobia?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:66Discussion:b21de1d0-200c-4701-b42b-f02e97bd3954Post:931bb480-6f58-4714-8f5c-f142d1e3dc29">Re: Bridal shop phobia</a>:
[QUOTE]the reason a lot of bridal shops have to shut down is because of people who try gowns on in the shop and then undercut them by ordering online. support your local bridal shops or we won't have any local brick-and-mortar shops left!
Posted by SarahSmile23[/QUOTE]



Great point!

ashbosity

I do feel a little better about the chain stores not going out of business than the smaller ones. The bad stuff I read about Demitrios was they mark up their prices and then give you a discount of 15% off to make it the real price or just a little more, never seeing the same person twice, and several accounts of intentionally ordering the wrong size so they can charge you $500 for alterations. I read alot of terrible things about their alterations department, so I definitely will not be using that whether I buy from them or not. I do know exactly how much the dress retails for and will definitely not have my girls pay more. There are several other shops that can order it for me, but none have a sample. The website I found it for the least on has tons of great reviews and sells only authentic dresses. FYI, Ann Taylor has a line of nice, inexpensive bridal party dresses if you're not looking for a crazy color. Thanks, everyone, for your input and advice.

Irisheyez- I did read Bridal Bargains. Most of the websites I tried to find were no longer working. I did get a few good tips, but most of my big wedding planning items are taken care of, so I may have picked it up too late in the process.

irisheyezfsu

ashbosity - that might be true. I have only tried one site they mention and it was up.  Did you get their latest addition because I got the 9th which is their most recent and my mom got the 7th because she didnt know there were more recent ones.  I bought it before we started anything especially bridal shopping. It really helped my experience.

ashbosity

Yes, I have the 9th edition. Its still been over a year since its been published though and I guess web businesses go out of business that fast.