Opinions on David's Bridal?

SBmini

I'm just starting the dress buying process. From the website, it looks like David's Bridal has a lot of options at a good price. Is it all crap, or are there good dresses to be found there? 

erinlin25

I originally did not want to go to Davids Bridal but my girls talked me into it and honestly I was pleasantly surprised.  My girls picked BEAUTIFUL dresses and we could not be happier.  You will not the coolest "experience" since you rarely get your own personal consultant and  It will definitely vary store to store, but ours had my 5 girls cramed in one room and they did not have clips so that was annoying, but at the end of the day they found awesome dresses for an awesome price.  They fought us on sizing a lot because we all know they come in larger than normal, so it was irritating to have to argue getting a size we know will fit even though there measurements said otherwise (and the dresses did in fact fit when they got them).  The dresses all came in within a month too!  So for the price and how gorgeous the dresses look I would recommend them for sure-- but every Davids store experience can vary.  Good Luck!

QueerFemme

I didn't have a horrible experience at davids, but it wasn't great. I ended up going to a few other salons and in my opinion, the davids dresses aren't as high quality as some of the cheaper designer dresses. I bought a Mori Lee and I tried on some alfred angelo dresses and casablanca gowns. They were better made and the fabric was nicer. And by the time davids charges you for the dress and the crinoline, it was 100 to 200 dollar difference in price.

AddieCake

I got my dress at DB. I certainly don't think it is crap. I agree to go somewhere else for alterations, though. I heard they jack up those prices and that's where they make their money. 

firsttimersluck

I think their dresses that are non-wedding dresses are very well made for the most part. 

I think their gowns are lovely, photograph well for the most part (the polyester gowns that are mermaid like tend to show a lot of puckering.. I would know.. I bought one. lol), but they are pretty cheaply made. Of course they are.. that's why they are so grea tin price. BUT you only wear it for one day.. So why should that matter? Check lost of places. 

I ended up disappointed with my DB gown and bought a new one at an outlet that was GORGEOUS 100% raw silk by 2Be Bridal and was only 600 bucks.

 My point is, DB is a great place to start, they don't work on commission so they USUALLY aren't pushy (minus my experience. I have the worst experience EVER there, but hey.. you get what you pay for I suppose. ), and they have a lot of styles so you can at least see what you like. 

Don't bother writing down a bunch of style numbers and going in prepared. They will toss it out. The consultants don't really know gowns based on style number. I spent a ton of time thinking  it would help them out and it was useless. I didn't get to try on half the gowns I wanted to because a lot were just online. 

But don't push out the idea of outlets, AA, department stores, etc. You can find gowns everywhere and all prices. Even Nordstrom has gowns for under 1g.  

JoanE2012

I didn't care for the quality of the wedding gowns at David's Bridal.

csweaney

It really seems like it varies by region. The DB in my area is crap. Their store is horrible, messy, and poorly organized. The staff is terrible and rude. 

However, I have a friend on the East coast and she has done nothing but sing the praises of her local DB. Its worth a try I think, just for the price, but don't limit yourself to DB unless you are happy with your local store. 

Peledreamsofrain

DB quality varies quite a bit by region.  It's best to look online at ratings for local stores.

No matter where you are though, schedule an appointment ahead of time.  Showing up and expecting an attendant to magically be free is not usually going to work out well.  

firsttimersluck

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_opinions-on-davids-bridal?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:cb5bc552-a160-4653-a331-8af5c07336e0Post:23fa57be-4a90-4f8e-a484-a0fd9a68fdd0">Re: Opinions on David's Bridal?</a>:
[QUOTE]DB quality varies quite a bit by region.  It's best to look online at ratings for local stores. No matter where you are though, schedule an appointment ahead of time.  Showing up and expecting an attendant to magically be free is not usually going to work out well.  
Posted by Peledreamsofrain[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>Their STOCK quality doesn't vary by region, since it's all the same. </div><div>You must mean their customer service and staff quality? </div><div>I agree. </div><div>This is completely store to store. </div><div>The one I went to was a complete B that kept trying to kick my FI (at the time) out of the store saying he didn't belong there and it was against tradition. RUDE. </div><div>
</div><div>Another one in my area was pretty friendly and kinda just left you alone to look at whatever you want. </div><div>
</div><div>The one I'm close to now is super rude and kept telling me I was "wrong" about things. oi. </div>

krispi921

My experience this time around was a bit different. I have been to the regular David's Bridal stores in the past. I got my dress from a David's Bridal Collections store. It is a smaller store with a boutique feel and service. They carry the regular David's Bridal dresses, but not the full line. For me, it was the best of both worlds - the price range I wanted and the service you usually get a much more expensive store.

Tandksmommy

I went to Alfred Angelo first, and DB's second. I really had a good experience at DB even though they were busy (a Saturday during a sale). My consultant gave me time to really look at the dress I was wearing, take some pics and send them to my Mom (she lived 18 hours away at the time), and then she'd come back and get some feedback before going to find another gown. She really went all out and got all the answers I needed.

As for the quality- I'm not sure. I loved the dress I picked so it didn't matter to me if it doesn't have a name brand like AA would have. I'm going to be wearing it for 1 days- probably 7 hours max--a name wasn't my top priority.

MrsBeeDubs

It's a good place to start if you have no clue, as was my position when I got engaged. I went in the first time on a busy Saturday and quickly figured out from the rudeness of the staff (multiple employees) that I should have made an appointment...so I did, and reluctantly returned later in the week. Thank goodness, my consultant that night was amazing, newly hired, but attentive and patient. I didn't end up buying a dress despite the pressure to "ring the bell," as it was my first time out trying on dresses, and as I thought about it in the days after, I didn't want to go back. David's called me multiple times afterward, and one of those calls was to tell me that my amazing consultant no longer worked there. No reason to go back now, in my opinion...plus, I found a beautiful, better quality, less expensive dress elsewhere. Shop around! 

JillianNJohn

I had crappy service at DB #1. I then went to a smaller store (10 min from my house). I talked to the manager and explained the first ordeal. She assigned me a consultant and it was the most amazing experience ever. I had wandered in to browse and see if they were different, I was alone, and I left purchasing a dress,,, THE DRESS!!! Now everytime I go in, I am greeted with a smile and courtesy and kindness. The seamstress calls me every 2 weeks to cheat status bc she is holding my dress hostage for me. Stole policy is that when alterations are done you must pick up your dress. I confessed I have NO WHERE to hide it till the wedding (him not seeing it is 1 tradition I wish to maintain for my own reasons). They have exactly TWO buttons to put on my corset and the amazing seamstress is just waiting for me to make the appt. she said she will hold it hostage until 3 days before the wedding if needed. I got an $800 dress for $299. We went to Alfred Angelo and it was aweful. All their dresses were a size 16+ so no amount of clips will give a size 0-2 woman the true idea of the dress. They said all stores even DB were like that. Umm no they aren't! We had a noon appt, got there a 1130. At 1230 we got a chair (yes 1 for me, MOH and BM to I guess share) and then were given swatches of fabric and Books to look at for what we want and told they'd be right back. We didn't know what came in what colors or what sizes. They offered us the use of their computer.... I could have done that at home!!! THEN over an hour later we got asked if we wanted to try any dresses in, MOH was rushed into a dressing room full of someone else's dresses. The floor dresses were aweful, smelled of SWEAT and had stains all over them. I get it tons of ppl try them on but some were discolored. MOH joked 1 appeared to have a candy bar smeared on it. I just prayed it was in fact a candy bar.... So sorry to get on a tangent, Alfred Angelo was the worst ever! we ended up leaving without anyone noticing and got a call 2 days later to make sure we were pleased with our experience and our selection that we purchased. I just laughed and said do not call me again! DB does make calls quite often. I politely asked to be removed as I work full time and they did!

JillianNJohn

Oh lastly David's said MY dress would be 12-16 weeks, I got a call 2 weeks later that it was in.

ErinElizabethR

Please consider a local mom and pop store first. Please Support your local business. I dealt directly with the owner and her daughter and I was treated fairly and they were super willing to work out the deal of the century on my dress. I left Feeling like my bussiness was super important and appreciated. David's bridal won't be willing to haggle or work out a deal, because you're one of a million brides or bridesmaids or prom dates this year. I left David's bridal feeling disapointed and like I wasted my time. The difference between the local shops and David's bridal was the same difference between your favorite local diner and McDonald's.