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Wedding Dress Shopping Experience

[Deleted User][Deleted User]
First Comment
in Virginia-Richmond
I made a final decision on my wedding dress today and wanted to share my experince at the various places I went to. 

Caryn's (Farmville):  The customer service was great.  I will warn everyone that they do not allow you to take pictures, but they do have an extensive number of pictures on their website.  My future mother-in-law could not come with me so once I got back to Richmond I tried to show her a picture of my favorite dress and it did not happen to be on their website (probably b/c it had been discontinued and they only had the one at the store).  I emailed them and in less than one business day they had added the dress to their website.  I was very happy with them and think it was definitely worth the short drive.  They were so wonderful that I will go back to get some accessories.

Bridal Elegance:  This is where I bought mine from.  I had set up an appointment one week later, but after finding the dress at Caryn's I still wanted to see what they had because several people recommended them.  I didn't want to wait because I was afraid someone else would buy the one at Caryn's.  I called Bridal Elegance and they moved my appointment up to that day.  I walked in and I found 10 dresses I liked on just the 1st rack.  I didn't find that many in the entire store at the other places I went.  Overall they had the most beautiful dresses.  They are extremly nice and helpful and very reasonable priced.

David's Bridal:  It's not the place to go for customer service.  The other two places had better dresses and made it a better experince.  It does have the advantage of many locations which may help if you have bridesmaids all over the country.

I hope this helps someone that is just starting to look at dresses.
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Re: Wedding Dress Shopping Experience

  • tammyfatammyfa member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Yay for Bridal Elegance! Glad you got your dress there. I did as well. They are fabulous! I
    I went to Caryn's too for a Sottero-Midley trunk show and had a pleasant experience as well but was very indecisive at the time. My girlfriend snuck pics on her iphone and I think they eventually caught on but never said anything though. I had bad timing and was there during prom season. Good thing the bridal section is separate from that craziness...but it was still crazy.
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  • springfling2012springfling2012
    First Comment
    I know this thread is a little old, but for people like me looking around the board I would have to disagree about DB. I had a wonderful experience there with my consultant Laura. For me DB was the most reasonable in price, and for the style of dress I wanted they had a decent selection. I was definitely on a budget for my gown (under $600) and the consultant was very good at not showing me dresses out of my price range. I think it really depends on the person who is helping you, customer service isn't always across the board for all employees, so like to go above and beyond for the brides they are working with.

    Bridal Elegance on the other hand was not as great of an experience for me. I was asked MULTIPLE times how "flexible" my budget was, and I thought it a little strange that I needed to walk around the store and pick out the gowns I wanted to try on. I mean, I know what I like but, it would have been nice to have a little professional direction. When choosing the gowns I like I didn't realize one of them wasn't the right size. When the consultant came back with a similar replacement it was 2x my budget!! Maybe this store wasn't the best match for me, but I know many brides have loved what this store has to offer.
    Just thought I would share my experience! It seems like most of us RVA brides don't respond much on this board...I wanted to contribute!
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  • casswhitingcasswhiting member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    Another update. I only went to DB; I wished someone would've warned me how crazy it was going to be on a Saturday. I thought, yes, it's going to be crazy, but I didn't realize how little space there was to move around in. The dressing room is tiny, my mom and I are not tiny by any means, and it took some manuevering to get the dresses on. There was only one chair for my three bridesmaids plus my niece to sit on. And because the dressing rooms were so small, I felt I was crammed next to the brides on either side of me and I had to dodge stepping on their dresses a few times.

    Nevertheless, despite the craziness, I had a wonderful consultant who was fantastic: Laura. She was very sweet and pulled the dresses from "my favorites" online, which I ended picking one of the dresses I saved. She was helpful with matching an appropriate veil and very quick when I needed anything in the dressing room. Also, she knew my budget and stayed within it when selecting accessories (veil, etc.) to go along with the dress I chose.

    So, I would recommend David's Bridal for those of you on a tight budget, just not on the weekend. Try to do it during the week! :)
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  • pittmanthomaspittmanthomas
    First Comment
    still looking but i did go to DB but i dont feel they have that many plus size gowns in my price range they keep sending emails about there $100-$300 off sale or $100 dreses but i have never seen them in my size....... 
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