David's Bridal vs Kleinfled?

MaggieEngaged · May 2010

My best friend and I are semi-addicted to the show on TLC, Say Yes to the Dress, but can't help but notice that the prices are much higher than similar dresses at David's Bridal? This is probably a stupid question, but what is the difference? Is it the quality, the designer, the material? Is it worth the investment to buy at a more exensive retailer? Opinions, please!!

girl2bewed · May 2010

Ditto. Its all about designer. I would love to go to Kleinfelds but I personally can't imagine spending more then 1500 on a dress. Mine was even less then that and I got it ad Davids Bridal.

ring_pop · May 2010

It's like Old Navy vs. Dolce & Gabbana.

[Deleted User] · May 2010

I totally agree with pp's. A thing you have to remember is that the ladies at DB are on commission, so the more they sell, the more they make. I am not saying don't buy a dress, there, but just something to be aware of. I personally did not get my dress there, but went with a designer gown as well. I did, however, get my BM's dresses there.

Basically a designer gown is hand made and fitted for you/your body. Gowns at DB and other places are not hand made but will suit the purpose. Don't get me wrong, they had some nice dresses there, but they weren't my dream gown. And my dream gown was only a few hundred bucks more, so I thought what the hell, I might as well be wearing something I love. Good luck with your shopping, it is such a fun time.

flamingtwig72 · May 2010

Designer gowns are MUCH different than dresses at David's Bridal; it's not all about the name. The differences include the fabric (silk vs. polyester), the quality of crystals (Swarovski vs. otherwise), the customization, the originality of the patterns, the fashion-forward styles available, and the overall shopping experience. I've never actually been to David's Bridal, but from what I've heard, the staff is not extremely attentive, caring, or knowledgeable. I would sooner buy a used designer gown than something from that store, but then, I care deeply about the quality of my gown. If I avoid polyester in everday life, I certainly won't wear it on my wedding day.

Minimax052910 · May 2010

To me, it's obvious that it's the quality. I started shopping at private boutiques with higher end dresses and they all looked BEAUTIFUL on me. Then my friend dragged me to Davids Bridal and it made a huge difference. I'm a size four and all of the dresses I tried on Davids were not flattering on me. They showed all of my flaws and the salesperson told me that I had to wear undergarment with it, and a corset thingy.

I got a dress at a boutique that has a built in bra, corset, etc. I don't have to wear any undergarment to hide any of my flaws.

jeanna85 · May 2010

the quality and the fabric. if you buy a 99$ gown from DB, its synthetic polyester not silk. the beading isnt swarovski crystals, its plastic.

swim1011 · May 2010

Agree with the PPs. Although there really are some pretty gowns at DB, and they've been trying to up their quality by adding designers like Oleg Cassini, the quality just isn't there. Higher end gowns use silk, or swarovski crystals, and some can have elements changed by request before the gown is made. However, it doesn't always mean the customer service is better. I've had both good and bad experiences at DB, and good and bad ones at higher end boutiques as well.

amylydia23 · May 2010

You are comparing apples and oranges here

Kristin789 · May 2010

>>David's Bridal, but from what I've heard, the staff is not extremely attentive, caring, or knowledgeable.

This. I was totally disappointed in the DB experience. Later, I found out from a friend who knows someone who works at DB, that the sales staff are trained to "identify" who will buy and who won't buy - and they are to only spend time with those people "identified" as buyers.

I went in with my mom, and because I'm older, the clerk "identified" that my mom and I were only PRESHOPPING for my DAUGHTER who would be about the RIGHT AGE TO BE A BRIDE. Seriously. I don't have any children, I've never married before, and I'm at a point in my career where I could have bought a really expensive dress from DB that very day. That's exactly what I expected to do.

Instead, I was dismissed by the clerk who handed me a catalog and told me to go sit on the sofa in the back of the store, because, she said, DB doesn't have any bridal gowns that are not strapless (?) and she said DB doesn't have any bridal gowns that do not have a big ballgown skirt (?) - but if I could find one in the catalog, she'd try to get it off the hanger.

Like THAT would happen at Kleinfeld's...

Maureen679 · May 2010

Price, quality, designer are completely different. i went to DB and had a bad experience. The concultant was not really with me she was running around the shopf for others. My sisters were getting me in and out of dresses. She did not really have any opinions as to what may work with my body. The main reason I went to DB was the offer of petite sizes, however they do not stock them in the the store. So i went to a local bridal shop for my second appointment, totally personalized one bride per appointment. Told her my idea and she pulled what I wanted and what she thought would work. The gown i bought I never would have pulled, I on;y tried it on because I didn't want to hurt her feelings. But that was my dress! So glad I listened to her, she helpd with veil selection and we ended up going back for my BM's, my sister also got a dress there and now my mom wants to. I looked up prices of my gown and in NY it would have been like $600 more just because it's NY, stay local if you can. You can't get anything at Kleinfelds for under $2000 unless it's sample sale day.

Maureen679 · May 2010

PS- the dress I bought was very similar to a gown i saw on SYTTD by Pnina and I paid over $4500 less then that and it was still a designer gown.

luckyme502 · May 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_davids-bridal-vs-kleinfled?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:6808f843-df12-44ca-a306-43fbe4f5aa8fPost:e0082f5b-d81b-4930-b850-069299b406ba">Re: David's Bridal vs Kleinfled?</a>:
[QUOTE]I totally agree with pp's. A thing you have to remember is that the ladies at DB are on commission, so the more they sell, the more they make. I am not saying don't buy a dress, there, but just something to be aware of. I personally did not get my dress there, but went with a designer gown as well. I did, however, get my BM's dresses there.
Posted by MissySue20[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure of your point with this, as almost all bridal consultants work for commission, even at Kleinfields.

Amy_Justin · May 2010

I think the differences are personalized attention, price, and to some extent, quality. I think the "quality" of a dress is overrated to an extent--so long as the beads don't fall off after 8 hours, I'm cool with it. To me, the look/feel is important, but durability isn't important. JMO.

I've found that many times DB isn't a whole lot cheaper than other places. A similar dress was at DB that was at a boutique bridal store for a similar price (the boutique was 100 dollars more). To me, it was worth it to go to a boutique so I got personalized attention. I ended up buying my dress there and have been nothing but ecstatic to wear it.

key721 · May 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_davids-bridal-vs-kleinfled?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:6808f843-df12-44ca-a306-43fbe4f5aa8fPost:270c6035-acc8-40b0-ae5a-23d8de1e6456">Re: David's Bridal vs Kleinfled?</a>:
[QUOTE] />>David's Bridal, but from what I've heard, the staff is not extremely attentive, caring, or knowledgeable. This. I was totally disappointed in the DB experience. Later, I found out from a friend who knows someone who works at DB, that the sales staff are trained to "identify" who will buy and who won't buy - and they are to only spend time with those people "identified" as buyers. I went in with my mom, and because I'm older, the clerk "identified" that my mom and I were only PRESHOPPING for my DAUGHTER who would be about the RIGHT AGE TO BE A BRIDE. Seriously. I don't have any children, I've never married before, and I'm at a point in my career where I could have bought a really expensive dress from DB that very day. That's exactly what I expected to do. Instead, I was dismissed by the clerk who handed me a catalog and told me to go sit on the sofa in the back of the store, because, she said, DB doesn't have any bridal gowns that are not strapless (?) and she said DB doesn't have any bridal gowns that do not have a big ballgown skirt (?) - but if I could find one in the catalog, she'd try to get it off the hanger. Like THAT would happen at Kleinfeld's...
Posted by Kristin789[/QUOTE]
I got my dress at DB, and the did have straps. They have many with straps. What was that lady thinking? I'm sorry they treated you that way!

key721 · May 2010

I wish I didn't get my dress at DB. My bff urged to me to go gown shopping during a trip to where my wedding was. I read how DB can be a rough and tumble place in Bridal Bargins. The lady was only slightly rude, and I just chose the dress that looked best on. After the months went on, and I actually did some research on dresses, I realized how seriously I screwed myself. Many women do get the gown at DB, but it is kind of like DMV treatement at many of the stores. I will add she ended up selling me a gown that was way to big for me. It bytes having a dress you no longer want to wear. The treatement I recieved in buying
shoes and handbag was awful, it took many trips just to recieve a damage product. They tried to make me feel bad about not accepting it.
I will say, I think DB staff is under much stress, overloaded with work, and generally has a pretty hard job. Ladies, do your research before you buy a gown anywhere. Don't make the mistake of early and blind shopping like I did!

bigvoice3 · May 2010

One thing I noticed between DB/Alfred Angelo and boutique stores (never been to Kleinfields...but local high end stores) was the cheap dresses felt so heavy! I guess the cheaper fabrics and stuff made them weigh more..but I had much more difficulty walking in dresses from DB than the designer dresses.

If moving comfortably is important (I wanted to dance all night!), I would look at some designer gowns. And for what its worth, the dress I tried on at DB was MORE expensive than my Maggie Sottero at a boutique. The DB dress was $999 and my Maggie was less than $600. So price isn't always the big factor. I think DB is overly proud of some of their dresses.

1shaz · May 2010

both quality and designer name.

I went to one high end shop and then a mid range shop... wow, the difference in the the prices for similar styles were at least $1,000, but the quality of fabric was no where near the first shop. They even had Panina knock offs (the famous see through corset you see on SYTTD), but I think I turned my nose in disgust b/c the fabric was so cheap.

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