Wedding Dress Shops

llsst31 · May 2011

Hi Ladies....

Just wondering where you got your wedding dress? I fell in love with one at Mary's Bridal in Annapolis but don't like the price, and am not fond of the fact that they won't let you take pictures. I had another shop tell me that "Mary" is a crook. I need to make a decision and order before the end of June...and want to find a great dress at an even better deal. What are your thoughts?

Thanks in advance!!

LauraT25 · May 2011

I don't know anything about that particular shop, but I would try and find more reviews and not necessarily trust what another shop tells you (they are competitors, after all). It would actually leave a really bad taste in my mouth if I heard someone call their competitor a crook, whether it's true or not, because it's really unprofessional.

To answer your first question, I got my dress at Betsey Robinson's Bridal in Pikesville. I had an excellent experience there, though I know recently someone posted about having issues with their bridesmaid's dresses.

smange10.10 · May 2011

Mary is crazy!! My sister got her dress there. She's insane.

I got my dress at Gamberdella's in Towson. They were awesome. Betsy Robinson is great too.

jenn&chad · May 2011

I got my dress from David's Bridal in Glen Burnie. A couple of people told me not to go to DB, but we had such a great time and the lady who helped us was fantastic! Not to mention I found my perfect dress! I was pleasantly surprised. My friend went to Alfred Angelo and my other friend went to Gamberdella's. Both had good experiences.

kimbrout · May 2011

Avoid Mary's at all costs. There have been so many horror stories about Mary's on this board..... I can't even tell you. Please, please don't get your dress there!

As far as places you should definitely check out, ditto pp about Gamberdella's. I am another Gamberdella's bride and I couldn't be happier with them and their alterations department. You describe to them what you want and your budget and they bring you gowns (kind of like on Say Yes to the Dress). They are not pushy and won't go over your budget.

I would also check out I do, I do bridals. It is a consignment shop and you can get some amazing dresses there for a steal.

I have heard great things about Betsy Robinson on this board, but never been there personally.

Other places: Bridals by Elena and Julie'ts Bridal

Other places to Avoid: Columbia Bridal

summerbelle.winterbelle · May 2011

I got my dress from Juliet's Bridal in Parkville, and everything went very smoothly. I also tried dresses on at Amanda Ritchey Bridal, which I had a great experience with as well. Both were no pressure and let me take photos of every dress I tried on.

Good Luck!

llsst31 · May 2011

Wow, I guess everyone's pretty much on the same page. The Gamberdella's rep was actually the one who referenced Mary's as a crook. Her reasoning made sense, though. I wish I could find the dress I tried on at Mary's.

Thanks!

kimbrout · May 2011

What do you remember about the dress? The girls on the Dress board are pretty good about tracking dresses down. I bet you can find it!

Maggie0829 · May 2011

I got my dress from Amanda Ritchey in Bel Air. There was a wonderful selection of different styles to try and they are always getting in new dresses. They also have a great selection of BM dresses as well. The girls are really nice there and are extremely helpful.

msisk08 · May 2011

Do you know the designer/dress model #? Most desinger websites will tell you which stores in Maryland carry their collection. Chances are there is another bridal shop besides Mary's that will carry your dress. Good luck!

ctigna26 · May 2011

I'm a Gamberdella's bride as well and I have been very pleased with my experience there. I went to Francessca's and Besty Robinson's to try on dresses and have bought bridesmaid dresses from Francessca's which has been a good experience. I got my bridesmaid dresses from Amanda Ritchey bridal which has been a good experience as well.

I went' to Mary's with my soon to be mother in law not knowing anything about it and was surprised how expensive the dresses were. I also didn't care for Mary personally because when asked how much we would spend and we said 400 she was like oh well my cheapest is 500 dollars for a mother of the groom dress! I just didn't really care for her that much. I heard that they design and make some of the dress themselves.

I also went to Bridals by Elena with my mother in law and we really liked it there and got her dress there.

amazonx42 · May 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_maryland-baltimore_wedding-dress-shops?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:85Discussion:92d854bd-0445-46ea-ab50-55bfdf92806cPost:e12b9bc1-556a-45c3-bca5-f34f8ee39632">Re: Wedding Dress Shops</a>:
[QUOTE]When went to Mary's last year, the sales associate informed me that we could not afford any of the dresses on our list, and tried to sell us something else. We marched out of that place over to the Cheesecake Factory, and I ordered daughter's dress from another place over the phone! Ugh!
Posted by CMGr[/QUOTE]
This is my mother ^

I cried at the saleslady - so I COULD GET AWAY from her!

She did not LISTEN! She kept trying to sell me something I clearly told her I did not want. If you don't have what I want, just say so. (conversations aproximated.)

Her: How many dresses have you tried on?
Me: 20!
Her: That is too many.

Her: You will like this dress.
Me: No...I will not, because I already told you I did not want a strapless dress.
Her: We can add a strap for you, then you will like it.
Me: I sew, so I have a pretty good idea of what would be done here. I'd rather have a dress that I could see what it looks like today, not try to redesign an existing dress with an added ruffle.
Her: So, you will like this one when it has a ruffle on it?
Me: No I will not - as I said...
Her: Here - try on, you will like.
Me: Facepalm

Her: Mermaid dress is not good for you. You need an A-line. (looking at my rear.)
Me: Sure, I realize. Um, so can you show me how many non-strapless you have? You do have the pamela...do you have any more?
Her: This dress, we can modify.
Me: You aren't listening...

Other Sales associate: "YOU can't afford a demetrios dress. YOU said your budget was "$$$$."
Me: But you can order them?
Her: Yes.
Me: But I can't try them on?
Her: We don't have today. You don't want that anyway.

Her: "No one called us and told us you wanted to try the Pamela dress.
Mom: "Well, actually we called 3 times, and talked to Mary."
Her: Well we didn't know. So we didn't iron it. Now you won't like it.
Me: "I already know what it looks like, can I please just try it on?"

Here is there thing: they don't want to sell you something you saw in a magazine. They don't want you to come in with an idea of what you want. They want to (poorly) copy the kliensfield experience from the television show Say Yes to the Dress - but they don't have the selection - or even 1/8 of it. They would probably be glad to sell you what they do have on your floor and are willing to modify a dress to make you happy -

However, BEWARE if you are a careful and conscious shopper. I doubt they want your business. They were very dismayed to hear that I had been to other dress shops already at all. They don't want to be compared to other dress shops.

Tactics used at this shop (acording to reviews online, which is consistant with what I saw):
removing price tags from gowns
Adding and removing alterations to pre-made designed gowns.
Not telling your the designer of the dress (so you can't compare shop.)
Changing the price to your assessed ability to pay

Why? So they can convince people that it is an upscale "boutique." That the dress is specially designed for you. So they can charge more.

OP: Do you know the designer of your dress from Mary's bridal? If they won't tell you - that's just wrong. If her prices are not competitive, I believe that's on them.

Wedding Dress Shops

Re: Wedding Dress Shops

Choose Another Board

Search Boards