Dress Shopping

[Deleted User]

Hi There,

I'm new to the Knot.com! Wedding is in October and looking for budget friendly dress shops in the Valley---preferably East Valley. Any thoughts on where to go and what places to avoid? Any other dress shopping tips? Any places to find cute day of accessories (like Future Mrs. King sweatsuits) etc.?

Thank you all!

NillaWafer10

Welcome to the board!

There are lots of places to avoid!  Haha! Sorry to be a downer, but dress shopping in Phoenix is turning out to be a nightmare with the economy being so bad.  There are lots of shops that are closing, have terrible service, and make promises they can't keep.

I went to David's.  Their service sucked, so I bought the same dress on ebay.  It was much cheaper, and I didn't have to worry about my dress not arriving in time for the wedding (surprisingly a real problem).

Sorry I couldn't be more help

Cola1511

I bought my dress at Suzanne's Bridal in Gilbert (Gilbert Rd. & Guadalupe). They were very nice and had dresses to fit all budgets. The girl helping me asked my budget when I walked in and pointed me towards dresses that were near my price range. So far my experiences with them have been great - dress isn't due until early March though

FutureMrsL.R.Allen

I have no ideas for dress shops because I bought mine in Las Vegas, but for cute outfits to wear that day I recommend etsy.com, they have everything!

kimheartsscott

I have to say I had the opposite experience with Suzanne's.  I would not recommend them.  But that goes to show that people have different experiences, so unless someone says the dress didn't arrive on time, there was a mistake and no attempts to fix it, etc. I would try whatever shops you have the time and the budget for.  Don't make appointments everywhere, feel free to browse without feeling obligated to try things on if nothing excites you. 

Also, avoid going on weekends at all costs.  Weekends are craaazy!

sms274

I second Suzanne's, this is where I actually found my dress and went back 3 different times and they were more than wonderful to deal with. If I had it to do again I would go there for sure.

In case you missed my previous post I recommend staying far away from Kaira's bridal. I went with them because they had some of the lowest prices in town and have had nothing but horrendous experiences. they are on the west side of town anyway though. I have also heard really great thing about uptown bridal in Chandler but no personal experiences.

HTH and best of luck

acnahm

I went to Azteca and I do I do, both downtown Phx.  Azteca is chaotic but has a HUGE selection with every price point, good deals, and I dealt directly with the owner which was nice.  I do I do doesn't have as big of a selection in my opinion and their prices were higher.  They also didn't seem very interested in selling dresses and others have commented on their lack of customer service after buying a dress there.  After both experiences, I would only go back to Azteca, not I do I do.

Good luck

Mrs_AF

I got my dress and Suzanne's Bridal and had wonderful service. The two girls that I tried on dresses with were really helpful and not pushy at all. If you make an appointment, they are very willing to help you, and offer great advice. They have a lot of trunk shows too if you are on their mailing list. Good luck!

fisktobe

I acutally bought my dress at a bridal show where a lot of the dress shops set up and have sales.  While it was definetly not the dress shopping experience most girls want, I found a great deal!!  The shop I ended up purchasing from is Brides to Be in Tempe, McClintock Rd & Warner.  An Asian lady owns the shop and is very nice.  When you are in the shop, they are very helpful.  But phone customer service is not the best.  I ordered my bridesmaids dresses from there and they arrived in a timely manner, but she held off on ordering the dresses when she said she would order immediately and received no phone call of their arrival.  And trying to schedule any appointments over the phone is very difficult as well.  I was going to have my dress altered there, but had so many changes to make I decided to go with Janet Kirkman.  My bridesmaids dresses are being altered there, so I can review on that after they are complete.  HTH!!  Good luck